The nation’s hunters and anglers will celebrate Sept. 22, the day set aside to recognize their contribution to America’s conservation and wildlife management.
The day of recognition was made official in 1972 when both houses of Congress unanimously passed legislation designating the fourth Saturday of every September as National Hunting and Fishing Day.
“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,” President Nixon said when he signed the bill.
Long recognized as true conservationists, sportsmen led by President Theodore Roosevelt “called for the first laws restricting the commercial slaughter of wildlife. They urged sustainable use of fish and game, created hunting and fishing licenses, and lobbied for taxes on sporting equipment to provide funds for state conservation agencies.
“These actions were the foundation of the North American wildlife conservation model, a science-based, user-pay system that would foster the most dramatic conservation successes of all time. Populations of white-tailed deer, elk, antelope, wild turkey, wood ducks and many other species began to recover from decades of unregulated exploitation,” reports nhfday.org.
Through various excise taxes, such as the Pittman-Robertson fund, sportsmen and women have contributed millions of dollars to the conservation of America’s wildlife.
It is ironic that the true conservationist – the hunter – is under increasingly violent threats and attacks by eco-imperialists who oppose hunting and yet stand by idly when it comes to funding conservation programs.
SCI stands for #hunterpride and supports the recognition that National Hunting and Fishing Day gives to America’s true conservationist – the hunter.
