Date: 9/16/09
Contact: Martin Olson
Phone: (702) 486-5127

NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY

Every year on the fourth Saturday in September America’s hunting heritage is celebrated through National Hunting and Fishing Day. This nationwide event, slated for Sept. 26, honors those early sportsmen and women who together with people like President Theodore Roosevelt, became the earliest and most vocal supporters of conservation and the need for science-based wildlife management.

Among their early efforts was the call for the first laws limiting commercial harvest of wildlife and the push for sustainable use of fish and game. Through the years sportsmen encouraged the creation of hunting and fishing licenses and even lobbied congress for the establishment of excise taxes on the equipment they use in the field. Those taxes and license fees provide money state wildlife agencies need to fund their wildlife management programs. Together these efforts became the foundation for what is known as the North American wildlife conservation model, a science-based, user-pay system that has fostered the most dramatic conservation successes of all time.

“Many people don’t realize just how important the role of hunters and anglers has been in the conservation of our wildlife resources. They were among the first to push for changes that would guarantee the future of those resources, and are still entrenched at the frontline,” said Doug Nielsen, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “On a national scale sportsmen are involved in organizations like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited and others that spend millions of dollars each year to purchase and restore wildlife habitat. Locally they are in organizations like the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn and Nevada Bighorns Unlimited or the Carson Valley Chukar Club that provide significant support to conservation projects directly benefitting Nevada’s wildlife.”

The history of National Hunting and Fishing Day can be traced back to 1970 when Ira Joffe of Darby, Pa., first suggested the idea to acknowledge the conservation accomplishments of previous generations of sportsmen. Then Gov. Raymond Shafer adopted the idea for Pennsylvania and named the event “Outdoor Sportsman Day.” With support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation the concept for a national day of recognition became a reality in the summer of 1971 when bills introduced by Sen. Thomas McIntyre (N.H) and Rep. Bob Sikes (Fla.) passed unanimously.

In signing the National Hunting and Fishing Day proclamation in 1972, President Richard Nixon urged “all citizens to join with outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and ensuring their proper management for the benefit of future generations.”

“Nevada hunters can celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day this year by taking a young person hunting during the special youth upland game hunt scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26–27 statewide. The hunt is open to youth who are 15 years old or younger,” Nielsen said.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.