According to a 2009 US Fish and Wildlife Service survey, over 45 million hunting licenses were sold in the US that year, generating $764 million in revenue. All hunting license revenue is used to fund conservation efforts and agencies like park rangers and wildlife biologists in each state. The author analyzed state-by-state hunting license sales data to understand geographic patterns and show the positive impact of hunting on conservation. States with the highest license sales tended to be more rural and agricultural areas with strong hunting traditions.

1. Where America Hunts State by State Analysis of Hunting License Sales Data By Jacob Cude Introduction: According to the 2009 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hunting License Survey there was a total of 45,273,464 hunting license sold in all fifty states during the course of that fiscal year. (U.S. F&W2009) This total number of hunting license sold includes a wide variety of different license types such as; Resident and Non-Resident, temporary and all year licenses, small game, big game, lifetime licenses, and even hunting licenses for alligators. The grand total cost for these 45,273,464 hunting license, as recorded in the same 2009 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Survey, was $764,322,544. (U.S. F&W2009) One hundred percent of the money collected by each state and federal departments from hunting license sales is used to fund the various conservation efforts within that state, or federal region. The money is also used to pay the state and federal employs like; Park Rangers, Game and Fish Law Enforcement Officers, Wild-life Biologists, and the purchasing of the resources need to ensure the enforcement of State and Federal Laws and Regulations. Discussion: The purpose of this study was to represent our country’s hunting license sales data in such a way that a reader could easily see how individual states rank among others in different hunting licenses sales criteria, and draw conclusions based on the geographic patterns that were represented by GIS mapping of the data . Along with representing the hunting licenses sales data for each state geographically, I also wanted to show hunters and non-hunters alike the huge positive impact this sport has on the preservation of our natural resources along with the financial support provided by the sales of hunting licenses. Top Selling State Hunting States Conclusion: Through out the course of my research I have come to understand an interesting fact about the hunters of America. They are not a random group of people that just happen to live in this state or that state. Instead, I started to notice some very strong patterns early on in my research. By creating maps that represent the different aspects of hunting license sales data it allowed me to view the recorded data in a completely different way than just looking at numbers on a screen. The data began to represent a certain demographic of people that is the American Hunter. I believe they are hunters because it is simply a way of life and tradition. The states that turned out to have the highest percentage of “license holding” hunters were unquestionably the more rural American states. These states were also agricultural states whose inhabitants relied heavily on living off the land, which could also explain these peoples strong bond with the outdoors and wildlife preservation. Methodology: In order to conduct this research project I first had to complete my research and then carry out the task of collecting data for all fifty states. While conducting this research project I obtained information from several different agencies on both the sate and national level by calling the agencies directly and searching the internet for online records. After I had pieced together the hunting license sales data for all fifty states, the majority of the information was just numbers, or statistical data. In order to represent the data and show different geographic patterns found in the hunting license sales data. I created a Geo-Database using Microsoft Excel, which I then used color graduated maps using ArcGIS to depict certain aspects of the data I had collect. Once I had created these maps using ArcGIS, I then explained their Geographic significance. Big Game Big Money