Oct 27, 2021 - Business

Deer hunting means big bucks in Arkansas

Illustration of golden mounted antlers.

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

Bagging the economic impact of deer hunting in Arkansas is as elusive as hitting a 12-point buck.

  • Studies are scarce, but an old one ciphered it to be north of $300 million. Give or take.
  • That includes retail sales, salaries, sales taxes and state income taxes.

Driving the news: It's deer season, and modern gun season begins Nov. 13.

Why it matters: Hunting and fishing are great ways to attract tourists to the state using its natural resources and beautiful scenery as bait.

  • Spending by both in-state residents and out-of-state tourists drives economic activity, especially in rural communities.
  • It also helps control the deer population, which is better for their overall conservation.

By the numbers: There are nearly 222,000 hunters living in the state and more than 72,000 people who travel here to hunt. Those numbers aren't exclusive to whitetail deer hunting.

Zoom out: The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearm advocacy group, estimated deer hunting in the U.S. alone to be a $15.7 billion industry.

  • A large part of that money goes to the hospitality industry. Lodging accounted for more than $153 million, while food and drink accounted for $1.27 billion.

Read more about Arkansas' deer hunting season from Axios NW Arkansas:

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