Why I Hunt

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Hunting is dangerous, isn't it?

A: You be the judge. Hunters just about everywhere have to take a safety course to get a license, and strict laws regulate when, where, what and how people can hunt. As a result, hunting has one of the lowest accident rates of all types of recreation. Look at these figures:

Q: Doesn't hunting wipe out animal populations?

A: No. In fact, not a single animal on the endangered species list got there because of regulated hunting. Environmental concerns and habitat alteration or destruction are the main problems for endangered species. Wildlife agencies closely regulate hunting today. Limited seasons and bag limits assure that adequate numbers of animals survive winter for giving birth or breeding during the following spring. Most hunted species are common animals. Those that are not as common, but are controlled to prevent habitat problems or unwanted interactions with humans, have strict hunting quotas. Wildlife biologists issue a conservative number of permits to meet the harvest objectives.

Q: Wasn't the buffalo almost wiped out by hunters?

A: Market hunting nearly exterminated the North American Bison in the 1800s. At that time, there were no laws to protect wildlife. Around the turn of the century, some hunters called for an end to market hunting, as a way to protect the remaining game animals. Hunters like U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and his hunting friends, who started the Boone and Crockett Club, led the charge and created legislation to protect wildlife for all people. Due to the early efforts of hunters and conservationists, once rare species like whitetailed deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, wood ducks and wild turkeys are now thriving.

Q: OK, we should be thankful that hunters started conservation a hundred years ago. What about today? Isn't hunting unnecessary?

A: Most people could still survive without the meat they get from hunting, but that doesn't make hunting a frivolous waste of time. Hunting is a tradition that allows people to gather their own food. It is an important time that people use to get outdoors, directly interacting with and learning about nature. People value their hunting time as it relieves stress and provides quality time with family and friends. Hunting also provides some obvious things that benefit everyone. They are:

• Wildlife Management—Healthy wildlife populations are important to everyone. Wildlife agencies depend on hunting to help manage wildlife numbers. They keep wildlife healthy by balancing their populations with their habitat. Overpopulations of wildlife are not healthy. In fact, those populations often have decreased survival rates as they destroy their own habitat, spread diseases and often suffer from malnutrition and/or starvation. We also manage wildlife populations to reduce negative interactions with people, crop damage and vehicle collisions.
• Funding for Wildlife—Hunting licenses and special taxes on hunters directly contribute about $800 million to the economy annually. These funds provide an average of about $2 million every day for wildlife management, research and hunter education.
• Jobs and the Economy—Hunting creates more than 700,000 jobs in the U.S. alone, creating wages of over $416 billion. People spend over $22 billion a year to go hunting. In addition, the money hunters spend generates about $3 billion in tax revenue annually.
• Help for the needy—Sharing game meat with the community is a long-standing hunting tradition. Today, hunters share meat with family and friends and donate tons of healthy game meat to programs providing food for people in need. Hunters also raise money to pay meat processors, so they can donate processed game without cost to charitable programs.

Q: What about illegal hunting?

A: Legal hunters demand effective conservation and law enforcement. They have no tolerance for illegal hunting or poaching. Hunters not only demand laws to protect wildlife, they also turn in poachers. Hunting licenses and special taxes on hunting equipment pay for wildlife research, habitat management, conservation officers and hunter education.

Q: Most people don't hunt. If the majority is supposed to rule, why is hunting allowed?

A: Roughly 20 million people in North America are active hunters. That's a minority, but their families and friends and people who know about hunting and conservation efforts support them. Surveys show that about 85 percent of the public is in favor of legal regulated hunting.