Hunting and fishing in New York State is more than just recreation. A new report – "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy; a force as big as all outdoors" – reveals that New York's 1.2 million hunters and anglers are among the most prominent and influential of all demographic groups, spending more than $1.8 billion a year on hunting and fishing.
Spending by hunters and anglers directly supports 28,000 jobs, which puts $1 billion worth of paychecks into pockets of working residents around the state. Of course, government coffers also benefit – spending by sportsmen in pursuit of these outdoor activities generates $250 million in state and local taxes. These latest figures demonstrate that season after season hunters and anglers are driving the economy from big businesses to rural towns, through booms and recessions.
The report was produced by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation with support from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, National Marine Manufacturers Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and SCI - First For Hunters. The report uses the results from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation and statistics provided by the American Sportfishing Association and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
"Because sportsmen enjoy hunting or fishing alone or in small groups, they are overlooked as a constituency and as a substantial economic force," stated Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. "When you compare spending by hunters and anglers to other sectors, their impact on the state's economy becomes more tangible.
* Sportsmen support as many jobs in New York as Merrill Lynch & Co. and Mt. Sinai Medical Center combined (28,000 jobs).
* Annual spending by New York sportsmen is more than the revenues of the Nasdaq Stock Market ($1.8 billion vs. $1.66 billion).
* Annual spending by New York sportsmen is equal to the combined cash receipts for dairy products and apples, two of the top agricultural commodities in the state ($1.8 billion).
* New York sportsmen spend $188 million annually on outboard boats and engines to get out on the water and around the marshes for fishing and hunting.* More people hunt and fish in New York than attend NY Giants and Buffalo Bills football games (1.2 million vs. 1.17 million).
* The economic stimulus of hunting and fishing equates to an astounding $5 million a day being pumped into the state's economy.
On the national level, 34 million sportsmen and women age 16 and older spent more than $76 billion in 2006, supporting 1.6 million jobs. If a single corporation grossed as much as hunters and anglers spend, it would be among America's 20 largest, ahead of Target, Costco and AT&T. And if all hunters and anglers had voted during the last presidential election, they would have equaled 31 percent of all votes cast. If all hunters and anglers living in New York voted, they would have equaled 22 percent of all votes cast in the state.
An additional benefit is that hunting provides many families with nutritious, organically grown and annually renewable meat resources and also helps feed the needy, through the NYS Venison Donation Coalition. Since its inception, the Coalition has processed a half million pounds of ground venison which equates to over 2 million meals served to individuals in need. Fishing helps create badly needed financial support in many areas of the state. For example, the combined economic impact of the Spring, Summer and Fall LOC Derbies in Oswego County alone last year was nearly $5.5 million.

DEC Wild Turkey Study and Banding Set For 2008
DEC is preparing for the third season of two large-scale wild turkey research projects. The first project is a turkey banding program, done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania State University, and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). The second project is a statewide winter flock survey. These studies will provide information that DEC biologists need to help guide future management efforts for this popular game bird.
The banding program will begin in January, when DEC staff and cooperators from NWTF will launch a statewide effort to capture wild turkeys and fit them with metal leg bands bearing a toll-free phone number for reporting. The objective of the study is to examine hunter harvest rates, turkey survival rates, and harvest reporting rates across the state. Banding will be done on public and private lands throughout the state north of New York City from January through March.
Last year’s effort was highly successful, as staff banded a total of 383 gobblers and 403 hens, increasing the two-year total to 679 gobblers and 753 hens. One-hundred twenty of the banded gobblers were reported shot by hunters during the spring 2007 hunting season, of those, 41 birds had been banded in winter 2006 and 79 had been banded in winter 2007. Another nine were harvested by hunters during the fall 2007 season. Most birds were killed within five miles of where they were banded, but some birds used in the study have moved at least 20 miles from where they were banded.
In preparation for both studies, DEC is asking landowners, hunters, bird watchers and interested participants to report winter turkey flock locations anywhere in New York State. Observations of turkey flocks (even a few birds) during mid-December through March can be reported to the project coordinator for a particular DEC region (see below). In addition, DEC is looking for landowners who will allow birds to be trapped, banded, and released on their land. Turkeys will be trapped and banded and will immediately be released at the same location. No relocation of the birds will occur. Contact Lance Clark, NYSDEC, 1285 Fisher Ave, Cortland, NY 13045, call (607) 753-3095 for areas in Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga and Tompkins counties.