Economic and social benefits of hunting in North America

• Published in: International journal of environmental studies Vol. 72; no. 5; pp. 734 - 745
• Main Authors: Arnett, Edward B., Southwick, Rob
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 03-09-2015
• Subjects: Communities; Culture; Economics; Fossils; Hunting; North America; Outdoor; Social values; Support systems; Wildlife conservation; North America
• ISSN: 1029-0400; 0020-7233; 1029-0400
• DOI: 10.1080/00207233.2015.1033944

Hunting is an integral part of North American cultures, providing a powerful connection to the outdoors for millions of people and generating billions of dollars to local and national economies. Socially, hunting has been part of hominid cultures since very early in the fossil record; a tradition that contemporary North American hunters tend to pass down to subsequent generations through family and community networks. The 13.7 million American hunters and 2.1 million Canadian nature-recreationists spend more than $38.3 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively, on non-commercial hunting-related expenses each year. Hunting activities also yield hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in tax and other revenues in both countries. The contributions of hunters serve as the fundamental foundation for a social and economic support system for conserving wildlife and habitats for future generations.