See what the free market can do.

From today’s Triangle Business Journal:

Hunters and anglers have significant impact on N.C. economy


North Carolina’s estimated 1 million hunters and anglers spend more
than $1.7 billion a year on the sports, according to a new report
released by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and the National
Shooting Sports Foundation.

The study found that North Carolina’s hunters and fishermen
directly support 29,000 jobs with an estimated total salary of $818
million. The outdoor activities also generate an estimated $170 million
in state and local taxes.

“Spending by sportsmen benefits not only the manufacturers of
hunting and fishing related products, but everything from local mom and
pop businesses to wildlife conservation,” said Doug Painter, president
of National Shooting Sports Foundation. “And because most hunting and
fishing takes place in rural areas, much of the spending benefits less
affluent parts of the state.”

Nationally, 34 million sportsmen spent more than $76 billion in 2006, supporting 1.6 million jobs.