National Hunting and Fishing Day is chance for Montanans to celebrate together
Sept. 22 is our nation’s 46th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day. As co-chairs of the Montana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and members of the 48-state National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, we are proud to take time to celebrate the time-honored traditions of hunting and angling. We are also pleased to recognize the historical and ongoing contributions of our state’s original conservationists — sportsmen and women.
Montana’s hunters and anglers are the primary source of conservation funding for the Treasure State. Through the purchase of licenses, tags and stamps, and by paying self-imposed excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle, motorboat fuel, and other equipment, hunters and anglers drive conservation funding in Montana and the United States, through the American System of Conservation Funding, a “user pays public benefits” system. Last year alone, this system contributed $29.8 million, while hunting and fishing licenses brought an additional $43.2 million to fund state conservation efforts through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. All Montanans benefit from these funds through improved access to public lands, public shooting ranges, improved soil and water quality, habitat restoration, fish and wildlife research, private and public habitat management, hunter education, boat access area construction and many other Fish, Wildlife and Parks projects funded through this system.
Hunting and angling are also a significant economic driver for our state. Montana’s sportsmen and women spend approximately $983 million per year on their outdoor pursuits, annually supporting over 16,500 jobs in the state and contributing $102 million in state and local taxes.
Hunting produces countless benefits for our state’s conservation funding and economy, therefore it is important that Montana’s sportsmen and women invest time and effort to encourage future participation in these time-honored traditions. This effort to increase hunter participation is called recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3). Over 450 individual R3 programs nationwide have had regional success, including Montana’s Apprentice Hunter Program. These programs, as well as many others, need your support and it’s going to take the involvement of every Montana hunter and angler, regardless of age, to ensure the future of the outdoor pursuits we celebrate on National Hunting and Fishing Day. Our hunting and angling heritage should not be taken for granted, and getting the next generation of Montana’s sportsmen and women involved in the outdoors will help ensure the conservation of our abundant natural resources for the future.
More information on National Hunting and Fishing Day is available at www.NHFDay.org or on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation website at www.congressionalsportsmen.org/policies/state/national-hunting-and-fishing-day
Matt Regier, a Kalispell Republican, represents House District 4. He was joined in signing this letter by Sen. Jill Cohenour, a East Helena Democrat; Sen. Jed Hinkle, a Belgrade Republican; and Rep. Zach Brown, a Bozeman Democrat.