What does dove hunting contribute annually to the Texas economy?
Never suspected dove hunting is actually allowed in Texas. I used to hunt wild ducks only ( using my rifle and some professional optics http://www.atncorp.com/thermal-weapon-sights ), but I’d like to join dove hunt, too, when the season is opened , of course.
Based on a 2005 survey conducted for the U. S. Census Bureau and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Southwick and Associates, Texas dove hunting was annually valued at $177 million in retail sales alone and an overall economic impact of $316 million. Given the importance of dove hunting in Texas, we felt it is important for TPWD to be proactive in this discussion of lead vs. nontoxic shot by conducting the types of research that will hopefully yield answers valuable to shaping future decisions that may be made. Texas dove hunting produces 3,145 jobs in the private sector and $21 million in local sales tax revenue. During the past five years Texas has averaged 326,000 mourning dove hunters annually. Texas hunters harvest about 6.4 million dove annually or roughly 30 percent of all dove taken nationally. Because of dove hunting’s significance in Texas, TPWD is taking a proactive approach on this issue by gathering sound science and gauging the expectations of our hunting constituency
