The Economics of Hunting, Game-Preservation, and Their Legal Setting

The economics of hunting, game-preservation, and their legal setting are complex topics that carry financial implications for hunters of franchi momentum elite review, suppliers of hunting equipment, and the states in which they live. The economics of hunting involves various aspects such as sport vs commercial hunting. In the sportful sense, hunters may participate for various reasons ranging from getting away from work to participating in a competitive event. Most sportsmen hunt personally only a few days per year with an annual expenditure on gear ranging from $250 to $1,000 depending on how much is invested in purchasing high quality equipment. Commercial hunters may have more expensive gear including vehicles and rifles because they spend around 200 days annually at work with an annual expenditure on equipment costing upwards of $10,000.

1. Commercial hunting

Commercial hunting is the practice of hunting for profit, primarily game and fish. Although a widespread practice in much of the world, it is heavily regulated in many countries because it has been accompanied by poaching, illegal wildlife trade and destruction of property. In many nations, commercial hunters must have a special permit to operate. Typically wildlife is hunted commercially to be sold in meat markets or to be tanned and sold as leather hides or trophies.

Commercial hunting has been practiced since ancient times among most societies that possess domesticated animals such as cattle and sheep . It is also one of the primary subsistence practices in many tribal societies 6 . In pre-industrial times, commercial hunting was often the only way that economically productive land could be made available to a group of landless people.

2. Sport Hunting

In the United States, commercial hunting and sport hunting are distinguished. Commercial hunters may be recognized by a special permit which allows them to harvest only certain species for sale or for their own use. Typically, only white-tailed deer, black bear and elk are hunted commercially. On the other hand, sport hunters in North America practice more than one species of game such as bear, bobcat, moose and sheep . The practice of hunting itself is often associated with recreational activities that many people value. As such they participate in different methods including bow hunting and rifle hunting. In most cases sportsmen hunt only a few days each year with a budget ranging from $25 to $250 per person per day .

3. Food Preserving and Taxation

Hunting and game-preservation have been historically used to preserve wildlife as well as provide food for hunters. From a historical perspective, game-preserving was used to preserve meat for use in winter and during lean years 7 . In some cases, the animals were also hunted. As such, hunting provided a source of income in some circumstances where it is difficult for people to survive otherwise. For example, during the Civil War, deer hunting satisfied the nutritional needs of soldiers 8 . Over time, game-preservation focused more on conserving animals rather than their meat. Most small towns throughout North America today have designated areas where hunting occurs such as public preserves or parks 9 . In many cases, game-preservation has been accomplished through legal means by creating laws that restrict hunting in certain areas such as parks, preserves and forests.

4. The Economics of Hunting and Game-Preservation

The economics of hunting have been studied extensively and can be summarized into three categories. First, the costs of hunting in terms of time and money can be costed at around $25 to $100 per day 10 . This is particularly true for small game such as squirrels, rabbits or pheasants that require light equipment to be hunted such as guns, arrows or slingshots. In terms of time and money, deer hunting is the most expensive because of their weight and the fact that they are often hunted with larger game such as bear or moose 11 . The second category of cost involves the value of what is harvested. For example, hunting has been used to preserve game in some areas 12 . The goal is to prevent overpopulation which has been demonstrated to reduce animal vitality over time. In this sense, hunters are playing a role in reducing animal populations that can have significant economic consequences on farmers and cattle ranchers. There have also been demonstrated benefits on non-game animals such as birds. According to one study, hunters spend an estimated $800 million per year on bird watching 13 .

5. The Legal Setting of Hunting

The legal setting of hunting varies across the United States. In most states, there are limited licenses that allow hunters to practice certain methods such as bow hunting or hunting with guns. In other cases states have different permits that allow a hunter to hunt a variety of game. For example, in Michigan, there are approximately 20 different types of licenses that allow for different methods and types of game 14 . Some states also use a lottery system so that those who want to hunt must participate in a lottery and then wait for various periods before they can receive the license permit 15 . Some countries place restrictions on how people can hunt as well. In Canada for example, it is illegal to trap wildlife 16.