Hunters and fishermen in California spend an astounding $10 million a day in their activities, despite a decrease in the number of licenses being given out by the state.
Waterfowl hunting season begins this weekend, and David Whiteside is bracing himself for the worst. Whiteside is the owner of the Antelope Valley Sportsman’s Club in the desert region northeast of Los Angeles. He’s been in the business for 33 years, and he laments the fact that hunting is not as popular as it once was.
“About the only place you can hunt any more is on license game bird clubs such as ours," said Whiteside. "But it’s very difficult to maintain properties because of the taxes, the cost of land -- you gotta have the open spaces.”
The number of fishermen and hunters may be dropping, but they’re still bringing in a lot of money to California from license fees.
“Normally on a poor economy we do fairly well because the guys that can’t afford to go out of state, or Canada or into Mexico come here," Whiteside said. "But this year, it’s very difficult for them to afford just a couple of days a season to go out.”
That’s because the license costs an average of $50 and regulations are now stricter. Still, both hunting and fishing generate $3.6 billion in revenue for the state.
