I looked up my home state of Minnesota and was amazed by the number of hunters and anglers in the state. Minnesotans are known for their love of the great outdoors so it shouldn't be that suprising that are close to 3 million hunters and anglers in the state.

Below are the Minnesota statistics on hunting and fishing. To look up your home state check out the National Hunting and Fishing website.

Minnesota

Hunters      597000
Anglers     1.6 million
Total Expenditures     $2.17 billion
Total Jobs     41000
Salaries and Wages     $1.04 billion
State Tax Revenue     $182 million
Ripple Effect on the State Economy     $4.18 billion

STATE TAX REVENUE INFORMATION
Sportsmen in Minnesota annually pay $181.7 million in state sales, fuel and income taxes – this could pay 4,564 teachers’ salaries or fund the annual education expenses for 21,375 students.
JOBS
Sportsmen support more jobs in Minnesota than 3M Corporation (40,840 jobs vs. 32,200).

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

• More than three times as many Minnesota residents hunt or fish each year as attend Minnesota Vikings games. (1.7 million* vs. 513,322).
• One of every three Minnesota residents hunt or fish.
• Annual expenditures by Minnesota sportsmen are more than the cash receipts from corn, the state’s top agricultural commodity ($2.17 billion vs. $1.45 billion).

Spending by Minnesota sportsmen is 36% of the Gross State Product from printing and paper products ($2.17 billion vs. $5.9 billion).
* The figure for sportsmen is less than the combined number of hunters and anglers because a respondent who is both a hunter and an angler is counted in each category above

The earliest wildlife conversationalists were hunters and anglers. They were the first to notice the dire results of unregulated overuse of our natural resources.

It was President President Theodore Roosevelt a fellow sportsman that began to enact laws and regulations to protect our great outdoors. They lobbied for sustainable use of fish and game, creating licensing requirements for hunting and fishing, setting hunting limits, and creating hunting seasons to ensure this wonderful sport would be around for generations to come.

President Nixon signed the first proclamation on May 2, 1972 of National Hunting and Fishing Day, writing, "I urge all citizens to join with outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and in insuring their proper management for the benefit of future generations."

Soon thereafter Governors from all 50 states and hundreds of mayors had joined in by proclaiming state and local versions of National Hunting and Fishing Day.

National Hunting and Fishing Day, celebrated the fourth Saturday of every September, remains the most popular and organized event to promote outdoor sports and conservation on a national level.

The status of the event is also a great public relations initiative to share hunter and anglers love of the outdoors with the general public who might have an incorrect stereotype of hunters.

This year comedian and TV star Jeff Foxworthy will serve as 2007 honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Join in the celebration this and ever year check your local state's department of natural resources website for information on activities such as open houses for National Hunting and Fishing day but your best resource for this great celebration of hunting and fishing is the National Hunting and Fishing Day official website.