Homework for Hunters: Read 'Hunting in America'

We know why we do it. We love hunting and its tradition. But, sometimes, you need facts and figures to back up your passion -- such as when you're trying to tell that guy sitting next to you on the plane about why you hunt, or that mom at soccer practice about your venison meatloaf recipe. It helps to do a little homework and it only takes a few minutes of your time, thanks to a recent report by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

"Hunters are without peer when it comes to funding the perpetuation and conservation of wildlife and natural habitats," said Steve Sanetti, CEO of the NSSF, in regard to the report titled Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation.

The report is based on results from the annual U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. It details information about hunting, retail sales, jobs and other aspects related to the tradition in more than 40 categories.

Some of the facts that jumped out included these numbers about U.S. hunting between 2006 and 2011:

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13.7 million hunters in America - up by 9 percent since the last survey

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Americans spent 282 million days hunting in 2011

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$86.9 billion in total expenditures

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$6.4 billion in federal taxes

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$5.4 billion in state and local taxes

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680,300 jobs created by hunting

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$26.4 billion in salaries and wages in outdoor-related employment

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Estimated to be at least 1.8 million youth hunters between ages of 6 and 15 who were not counted in survey

If you have a few minutes, take a look at the online report. You might be interested to know how resident and non-resident hunters rank your state for hunting. Does it make the top 10 list?

Other things you can find out in the report include these topics:

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Breakdown by state of number of hunters and days hunting 2011

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U.S. hunting-related expenditures in 2011 - averages about $2,800 per person

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Economic contributions from deer hunting in 2011

We have done stellar work in several states these past five years with boosting our hunting ranks, but we have more work to do in the future. Reports such as this one might make us feel good for a few minutes, but you can also see where there is work to be done.

Read the report.

What do you recommend we do to improve hunting numbers?