On February 9, the Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted its first breakfast briefing of the year in Lansing, Michigan. Caucus members, Department of Natural Resources staff, and members of the local sportsmen’s community gathered for a forum to discuss priority issues for hunters and anglers in the state.
Michigan Caucus Co-Chair Representative Triston Cole addressed attendees. “Michigan’s sportsmen and women play a critical role in the state’s economy and in conserving our outdoor resources. The Sporting community in our state, through hunting, fishing and trapping, spent $4.8 billion annually and provided nearly $90 million for conservation in Michigan in 2015,” said Rep. Cole. “It’s important that we continue to enhance the outdoor opportunities in our state and protect our strong sporting heritage.”
The February breakfast was sponsored by the United Deer Farmers of Michigan.
The Wolverine State boasts over 1,938,000 hunters and anglers, ranking 4th in the nation. Sportsman and women support over 70,000 jobs in Michigan and provide $576 million in local and state tax revenues yearly.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
