New pro-hunting group aims to boost sport

Stressing the major impact hunting and recreational shooting have on Oregon’s economy, a broad group of local and regional leaders representing sporting organizations, small businesses and retailers announced Thursday the launch of a new group: Hunting Works For Oregon.

In its announcement, the organization pointed to sportsmen and women as key drivers of in-state commerce, and vowed to be a unified voice in support of Oregon’s hunting and shooting heritage.

“As a small business owner, I can say from first-hand experience that I see a lot of traffic during hunting season, and a lot of it is wearing blaze orange, ” said Joe Davis, co-chair of Hunting Works For Oregon and owner of the Black Bear Diner in Madras.

“I became a co-chair so I could work with other stake holders to advocate for policies that support and protect our hunting heritage because hunting directly impacts my business and many others across the state.”

Hunting in Oregon is on an alarming downward trend and must be reversed, the group said.

According to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, each year 196,000 people hunt in Oregon, which is a 17 percent decrease since 2006.

But even with this significant reduction, the new organization says hunting is still an economic force in the state. These hunters spend over $238 million on lodging, food, gas and gear while paying over $27 million in state taxes.

Gary Lewis, co-chair of Hunting Works For Oregon and host of the weekly outdoor TV show Frontier Unlimited, applauded Hunting Works For Oregon for highlighting the economic benefits of hunting and shooting.

“As a hunter myself, I would say that the guns and ammunition are probably the least expensive parts of hunting,” Lewis said. “Before I even get out in the field, I have to purchase a license as well as appropriate gear. The day or weekend of my actual hunt I will be paying for gas and buying snacks for the trip or stopping at my favorite local restaurant.

“If I’m going on a more involved hunting expedition, I may need to hire a guide. All of which says nothing about the money I spend all year practicing at the shooting range or working with a trainer to get my dog in top form. Clearly hunters are spending at businesses more diverse than just Sportsman’s Warehouse or Cabela’s.”

According to Hunting Works For Oregon, this pattern of spending happens all over the state, with each hunter spending on average $1,215 per season to pursue their passion.

“I became a co-chair of Hunting Works For Oregon because I am very passionate about sportsmen’s issues, and I believe it’s our responsibility to preserve and protect the right to hunt, fish and trap for our future generations,” said state Rep. Sal Esquivel, co-chair of the Oregon Sportsman’s Caucus and Hunting Works For Oregon.

“Hunting and the shooting sports are an integral part of our state economy, when we are crafting legislation we need to consider how it will affect everyone in our state, including hunters and the businesses that depend on their spending,” Esequivel said.

Roger J. Lee, executive director of EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) and Hunting Works For Oregon co-chair, said, “The jobs and taxes generated by businesses manufacturing products, selling goods or providing services within the hunting industry are an important part of our local and regional economies across Oregon.

“Hunting is an integral element of the Oregon lifestyle, and dollars spent by hunters help sustain many communities. We’re extremely fortunate in Oregon to have some of the most beautiful and productive hunting country in the entire U.S. and people are naturally drawn to it, especially each fall and winter, which are still our shoulder seasons for visitors.

“We are also particularly fortunate to have a considerable number of manufacturers supplying the national and international hunting industry including: Nosler, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Leupold, Leatherman, Columbia Sportswear and dozens of small companies that call Oregon home.”

The newly formed Hunting Works For Oregon partnership has over 60 partner organizations and will be adding dozens more in the weeks and months to come. The effort is being supported by sporting organizations such as the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

“Our partners have an important message for everyone,” concluded Stan Steele, chairman of the board of the Oregon Outdoor Council and co-chair of Hunting Works For Oregon.

“Hunting and the shooting sports provide an important economic boost to our state while simultaneously supporting thousands of jobs and conservation efforts through the Pittman-Robertson excise tax on equipment,” Steele said. Our downward trend in hunter numbers needs to be reversed, because without hunters we would not have the robust conservation funds we do here in Oregon, not to mention all of the economic activity that we hunters provide.”

Hunting Works For Oregon said it will monitor public policy decisions and weigh in on hunting-related issues that impact Oregon jobs. It also “will serve as a vehicle to facilitate important public policy dialogue and to tell the story of how Oregon’s hunting heritage positively effects conservation and jobs throughout the state.”

For more information, visit: http://huntingworksforor.com/