Free: Contests & Raffles.
Just seen a WDFW post on the millions of dollars wildlife watchers putting into WA economy. Looks like hunters are a drop in the bucket.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve never encountered anyone out and about looking at birds or any other wildlife, unless it was other hunters. The figures they come up with are trash while trying to marginalize what comes from us as hunters. As I see it the wildlife watchers and the numbers for their contribution seems like nothing more than propaganda.
Quote from: hughjorgan on March 23, 2024, 07:42:01 PMI don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve never encountered anyone out and about looking at birds or any other wildlife, unless it was other hunters. The figures they come up with are trash while trying to marginalize what comes from us as hunters. As I see it the wildlife watchers and the numbers for their contribution seems like nothing more than propaganda.I see a handful around a few roadside wildlife areas. Seems like the majority of interest is shorebirds and waterfowl, sometimes eagles. Can't say I have seen any of the birdwatchers get out of their cars. They idle or drive 2 mph. Probably don't contribute 1% of what the duck hunters for the same area do. It's kind of like the whale watchers, I'd guess not even close to what fisherman generate (even in current wdfw mismanagement). Yet whale watching gets a ton of hype for economic contributions.
Hunting – The shooting or attempting to shoot wildlife with firearms or archery equipment. Hunting as defined by the Survey does not include occasions when an individual only participated in scouting or observing others hunt.
Around-the-home wildlife watching – Activity within one mile of home with one of six primary purposes: (1) taking special interest in or trying to identify birds or other wildlife, (2) photographing wildlife, (3) feeding birdsor other wildlife, (4) maintaining natural areas of at least one-quarter acre for the benefit of wildlife, (5) maintaining plantings (such as shrubs and agricultural crops) for the benefit of wildlife,and (6) visiting parks and natural areas to observe, photograph, or feed wildlife.
Away-from-home wildlife watching – Trips or outings at least one mile from home for the primary purpose of observing, photographing, or feeding wildlife. Trips to zoos, circuses, aquariums, and museums are not included.