National Survey of Hunters and Anglers

Observations & Key Findings:

• Hunters and anglers tend to be conservative, Republican and Independent and they vote.
• Anglers and hunters believe their access to quality places to fish and hunt has stayed the same over the past year.
• Gun rights are important to these anglers and hunters, but conservation is viewed as equally important.
• Hunters and anglers believe children not spending enough time outdoors is a problem.
  • This lack of outdoor time is viewed as a threat to the future of wildlife conservation in this country.
• The sporting public strongly favors restoring clean water protections to waterways in this country.
  • This includes strong support for restoring Clean Water Act protections to wetlands and waterways.
• BP should be held responsible for Gulf oil disaster clean-up.
  • And, fines levied should be used for fish and wild life habitat restoration and not infrastructure such as roads bridges ports and convention centers.
• Public lands should be opened for access to hunters and anglers and consideration should be given to their needs prior to issuing oil and gas leases on public lands.
• Anglers and hunters want the 1872 Mining Act updated with royalties used to clean-up abandoned mines.
• Hunters and anglers believe that global warming is occurring .
  • Having a moral responsibility to confront global warming to protect our children’s future tests well.
  • Global warming is a serious threat to fish and wildlife and the U.S. should reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that threaten fish and wildlife habitat.
  • Strong agreement is shown to both improving the environment and strengthenin g the economy by investing in renewable resources.
  • The recent hot temperatures are a result of global warming.