The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has long maintained the mantra ‘Hunting Is Conservation’ for many reasons. Among them:
- Hunting is the main tool used by wildlife managers to regulate and maintain healthy populations of predators and prey alike
- Through state licenses and fees, hunters pay about $900 million annually for conservation programs
- Hunters’ licenses and fees support state wildlife agencies which are tasked with managing wildlife populations
- Hunters’ licenses and fees support conservation programs for non-hunted wildlife species
- Hunters and conservationists lobbied for tighter regulations in the early 1900s that eliminated commercialized hunting and restored and conserved habitat allowing ailing elk, deer, wild turkey, duck and other wildlife populations to rebound
- Excise taxes on guns, ammunition and archery equipment generated more than $17 billion for conservation since 1937 (Pittman-Robertson Act)
- Hunters donate $440 million annually to conservation groups like RMEF to bolster land and wildlife conservation efforts
- Hunters generate funding for land conservation and access projects, habitat enhancement, active forest management and wildlife research
For example, a 10-year study by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) shows the state’s moose population is doing well with estimates between 9,871 and 11,744. Researchers captured and collared moose, monitored their movement and noted habitat use and conditions, mortality causes and the weather, among other factors. They also relied heavily on hunters.
“Hunters represent a tremendous workforce of boots on the ground each fall. (This) can yield powerful data so long as they are willing to work with us to share what they observe each season,” Nick DeCesare, project lead and FWP biologist, told Outdoor Life.
Part of the study’s funding came from the auction of moose tags to hunters. RMEF auctioned tags in Montana over the years with proceeds going back to help manage wildlife populations, like this moose study. Additional matching funding came from the Pittman-Robertson Act, again dollars generated by hunters and recreational shooters, and hunter-based conservation organizations.
According to Outdoor Life, FWP also conducted hunter surveys over the last eight years of the 10-year study by asking them about their moose sightings. That information helped convey a more complete picture of the health and abundance of the moose population.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)