MIKE BRAUN Paying a price for their sport

Since we're just about to get into the thick of hunting seasons in our area, now is as good a time as any for a reminder on how hunters -- and others who enjoy the outdoors -- support their sport.
Far from being all take and no give, hunting is one sport where those participating pay their way.
In fact, sportsmen of all types pay more than $3 million on a daily basis for conservation in the United States.
How is that possible? I'll tell you.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the revenue-producing pie for state wildlife agencies is divided up in the following ways:
First, the largest slice -- roughly 55 percent -- is a more than $1 billion chunk that comes in annually via hunting and fishing licenses.
Where it goes: The money that comes into this category goes to more than just hunting and fishing. Indeed, the funds that sportsmen and women pay for licenses to hunt and fish in their respective states also goes to fund nonhunting programs as well.
For example, in Ohio, that would include the trumpeter swan restoration and otter reintroduction programs as well as habitat improvement and related programs.
The next slice of the pie is a 21 percent piece that is collected through excise taxes on sporting equipment.
Every time someone buys a firearm, ammunition or fishing tackle, funds are generated.
The funds from this source -- which total about $378 million -- are used, the NSSF said, to acquire, maintain and improve wildlife habitat across the entire United States.
And don't forget that these are funds that are paid solely by the users. I doubt many members of PETA or the Fund for Animals are buying outdoors gear in an effort to help improve the habitat -- or improve anything for that matter.
Income from special taxes, revenue from the sale of duck stamps, income tax check-off programs and the interest collected on license fees brings in the next largest slice: $300 million, or 16 percent of funding.
Used for: These proceeds are used in efforts to buy or lease wetland habitat for ducks, geese and hundreds of nongame birds and animals as well.
Finally, although it is the smallest slice of the funding pie at 8 percent, about $153 million is collected from state funds, not chump change by any stretch of the imagination.
These funds are gathered from the overall budgets of the individual states and come from everyone's taxes, including sportsmen from those states.
So, what does this $3 million each day add up to annually? Try $1.5 billion. That's a B there, folks.
When you add up all that hunters and anglers spend and donate on a yearly basis, that is more than 75 percent of the funds state wildlife agencies use in their yearly operations.
The opposition: The people who would have hunting, fishing, trapping and related outdoor activities stopped would do well to consider who would pick up the tab for wildlife conservation if they succeeded in their efforts.
Would PETA or the Friends of Animals Inc. donate all their funds to state wildlife agencies so they could manage deer, squirrels, rabbits, elk, cougars and other animals? Highly unlikely.
It is the sportsman, basically all alone, who puts his money where his mouth is.
XFor more information on this topic, write to: NSSF, Literature, Department 11, Mile Hill Road, Newtown, Conn., 06470-2359, e-mail to literature@nssf.com or visit www.nssf.com.
braun@vindy/com