Gov. Little proclaims Saturday as Idaho Hunting and Fishing Day

The following is a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

IDAHO FALLS – Gov. Brad Little has proclaimed Saturday, Sept. 26 as Hunting and Fishing Day.

According to the proclamation, Idaho has a rich and storied tradition of hunting and angling that dates back before statehood and carries forward to this day.

In addition, the proclamation states:

• Hunting and angling continue to be an integral component of the cultural fabric of communities throughout the state, and offer participants an opportunity to connect with nature on a personal level while simultaneously providing food security, a sense of self-efficiency, and both mental and physical health benefits.
• Idaho’s sportsmen and women were among the first conservationists to support the establishment of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to conserve fish, wildlife and their habitat, and through their license fees helped fund state efforts to provide for healthy and sustainable natural resources.
• Upon realizing that license fees alone were insufficient to restore and sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations, sportsmen and women supported self-imposed excise taxes on hunting, fishing and boating equipment to raise additional conservation funds.
• Idaho Department of Fish and Game is funded primarily by sportsmen and women, through this American System of Conservation Funding – a “user pays/ public benefits” approach that is widely recognized as the most successful system of fish and wildlife management in the world.
• Last year alone, Idaho’s sportsmen and women generated $60.6 million through this system to support the conservation efforts of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
• Idaho’s 534,000 hunters and anglers support the state’s economy through spending more than $1.02 billion while engaged in their pursuits.
• Spending supports more than 15,000 jobs in Idaho and generates $97 million in state and local taxes.

National Hunting and Fishing Day was established in 1972 to celebrate and recognize hunters and anglers for their immense contributions to fish and wildlife conservation, and to our society.