Over the past ten years, the archery and bowhunting industry contributed an average of $57 million annually to conservation and recreational shooting through the federal excise tax. When you combine those dollars with FET funds generated from the sale of firearms and ammunition, the total jumps to an average of $832 million annually. That’s a lot of money for conservation! If you’ve ever paid these taxes, you’ve probably wondered, what these funds are used for?
In a previous ATA article, we shared the background and history of the Wildlife Restoration Act, better known as the Pittman-Robertson Act. In another follow-up article, we explained who pays the federal excise tax and how the funds are collected and distributed. Here, we’ll dive into how state wildlife agencies spend their FET-fund allocations and the positive outcomes generated by these coveted and highly protected dollars.
To better understand what qualifies as an approved FET-funded project, we spoke to Paul Wilkes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional manager for the Southeast. Wilkes oversees the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Apportionments that go to Southeast state fish and wildlife agencies.
“The role of our office is to work with state fish and wildlife agencies to make sure the projects they’re doing are allowable under this funding mechanism,” he said. “State agencies rely on these funds to conduct much-needed conservation efforts. Because state biologists and state leadership know what’s going on at a local level with wildlife, they look across the state to identify areas of need and request a grant from us at the USFWS to help them complete the project using P-R funds.”
State wildlife departments continue to open archery ranges and host archery events. Photo Credit: Mason Wheatley / USFWS
Language in the original 1937 Wildlife Restoration Act and text in the 2019 America’s Conservation Enhancement Act and 2019 Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act outline eligible FET-funded projects and operations. Typically, the USFWS approves state-requested FET-funded grants for any activity designed to promote wildlife restoration or wildlife-based recreation, including projects in the following 10 unofficial categories. The USFWS shared some statistics on recent efforts, demonstrating the funds’ power and impact.
1. Archery and shooting range development and maintenance: The nation has 811 total ranges, including 413 firearms ranges, 217 archery ranges and 181 combination firearms and archery ranges that have been funded with FET-dollars. Ranges give people a place to shoot recreationally or practice for competitions and hunting seasons.
2. Establishing and sustaining archery programs: The National Archery in the Schools Program brings safe in-school archery to 1.3 million students annually in 49 states.
3. Efforts to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters: Between 2019 and 2021, 134 such projects were supported with P-R funds. Better known as R3 efforts, these programs engage customers, helping to ensure their participation in outdoor activities.
4. Hunter education: Over 2 million students received hunter education training in 2021-2023. Educating new participants helps them be safe, feel confident, and find success in the woods.
5. Land acquisition or access: The nation has 36.6 million acres of publicly accessible Wildlife Management Areas (9,281 in total throughout the U.S.) and state game lands. Public lands give people places to hunt, explore and recreate.
Maintaining lands and habitats ensures we continue to have species to pursue. Photo Credit: Gary Peeples / USFWS
6. Habitat management and restoration: State agency staff conduct prescribed burns and improve habitat through selective harvesting, invasive species removal, native species cultivation and many other habitat projects on state lands that benefit wildlife. These efforts help populations flourish, while ensuring hunters and wildlife watchers have species to pursue.
7. Research, data collection and analysis: Between 2019 and 2021, 67 studies that examined public interest in wildlife management, conservation, and participation were funded by P-R funds. These studies help states manage wildlife and wild places to ensure public satisfaction.
8. Wildlife management and restoration: Over 500 species of wild birds and mammals are managed with P-R funds. Since 1987, 16 states have developed nearly 90 projects related to black bear conservation. Managing wildlife populations helps keep populations and ecosystems in balance.
9. Facility and infrastructure maintenance: State agency staff create and maintain roads, trails, campgrounds, restrooms and other facilities to ensure participants can access and enjoy public lands safely.
10. Wildlife health: Thirty-eight state fish and wildlife agency laboratories monitor wildlife disease. Over $66 million was spent monitoring wildlife health in 2021-2023. Additionally, 138 grants were awarded to monitor wildlife disease in 2021-2023. These efforts sustain wildlife populations and ensure their longevity for future generations.
P-R funds are fundamental in growing the industry, sustaining wildlife populations and meeting the mission of all state fish and wildlife agencies. Americans can see state wildlife agencies working year-round on projects and operations like those outlined above.
Although these projects and efforts may seem big-picture, Wilkes encourages folks to look at the concept from an individual perspective within their home state. For example, he lives in Kentucky with his wife and three children. They immerse themselves in the outdoors and more specifically, the archery world as much as possible. They bowhunt, bowfish and shoot at their local archery range. Their oldest son even participates in the NASP program through his school. Wilkes said FET funds were vital to the recovery of species like whitetail deer across the country and in the state. The population likely dipped below 1,000 individual deer in the early 1900s and now the state’s herd hovers around 1 million. It’s apparent many of the things they do outdoors have a connection to the funds generated through the P-R Act.
“When I think about what the FET means for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, it’s easy for me to see it right where I am,” he said. “I have a 10,000-acre WMA 45 minutes from my house that’s fully maintained by FET funds, and 10 minutes away is an archery range, free for public use, that was also built using P-R dollars. FET is the funding mechanism that keeps these places open and operational for me and my family.”
Because FET funds are so inextricably linked to the successful recovery and management of iconic game species like deer and turkey, it may be hard for some to understand all the different ways the funding is used. At the very least, Wilkes said, “If you visit a state WMA near you, it’s extremely likely that the state used federal excise taxes for the acquisition of that property but almost assuredly for continued maintenance and operation of that area for your use.”
To see how your state wildlife agency uses FET-funds, visit its website or give them a call. You can also look for text or the “Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration” logo that designates a range or WMA that was funded using P-R dollars on signs posted in the area.
While it’s easy to see FET funds and FET-funded efforts are vitally important to the future of conservation and our hunting heritage, the outdoor industry must remain active in overseeing and protecting the program in the future. In an upcoming article, the ATA will outline the program’s evolution and potential future changes that will help maintain the sustainability of the funding resource.
The ATA provides its members with FET information, advice and advocacy. It created a free, comprehensive guide to federal excise taxes for its members and works directly with state wildlife agencies, the USFWS, the IRS and the U.S. Congress on FET issues.
If you have questions or concerns regarding federal excise taxes, please contact Dan Forster, ATA’s vice president and chief conservation officer, at (507) 233-8143 or danforster@archerytrade.org.
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