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The Great Outdoor$

Hunting and fishing add billions to the state’s economy.

by Clint Shields

Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the September/October 2008 issue of Texas Rising.

Hunting and fishing in Texas are a huge boost to the Texas economy, generating $14.4 billion annually.

These outdoor activities, combined with wildlife watching, are also a major boon to local communities, accounting for more than $8.9 billion in annual retail sales and supporting more than 139,000 jobs in various Texas industries, according to statistics from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. More than 4 million people hunted or fished in Texas in 2006, spending more than 40 million days on the water or in the field.

Angling Allure

Texas’ rivers and lakes, along with hundreds of miles of coastline, provide the backdrop for Texas fishing. Caddo Lake, on the Texas-Louisiana border near Marshall, is the state’s only natural lake. Boasting a state park whose visitors contributed more than $1.8 million to the local economy in 2006, the lake covers more than 26,000 acres. And more and more Texans are discovering its fishing riches.

Over the last four years, the Caddo Lake Area Chamber of Commerce has promoted the lake and surrounding area in various parts of the state, especially the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, says Paul Keith, a local fishing guide and chamber board member. It has paid off as high gas prices and other economic factors, combined with Caddo Lake’s close proximity, have prompted shorter getaway trips for many Texans.

“The guide business has risen pretty well in the last two to three years,” says Keith. “I can say for a fact that with higher gas prices, folks are staying closer to home rather than going to places like Disney World or longer trips.”

As many as 60 percent of his customers are coming from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Keith says.

On the Hunt

Back on land, the coming of fall means deer, turkey, hog and other types of hunting. And even in slower economic times, Texas hunters will be in the field.

“Avid hunters will find a way to hang on to a good lease,” says Ben Wallis, an attorney and rancher who offers season leases on his land near Castell and guided hunts in the Click section of southeastern Llano County.

Hunters spent more than $51 million on licenses alone in 2006. If anything, Wallis says an economic slowdown means hunters just adjust how they spend their money.

“They’re using smaller vehicles and making fewer off-season trips to the stands or the feeders,” he says. “But I can’t say we’ve seen too much of a slowdown.”

Wallis says Llano County is the pinnacle for deer hunters in Texas, and the county’s economy relies heavily on the yearly influx of hunters from November to January. Llano County annually plays host to as many as 15,000 hunters who contribute more than $3 million to the area economy.

And while no one can control the weather — or the deer — Cindy Yeager, owner of the Settemeyer Yeager Ranch in Llano and Mason counties, knows firsthand the importance of hunting on the local economy.

Yeager inherited the ranch’s management duties from her parents and says she tries to improve the lease while managing it the same way. This helps with return business, and with generations of hunters, who often return to the area to carry on traditions they learned as children.

“Some of my hunters have returned to hunt with me for more than 20 years,” says Yeager. “I have many serious hunters, but for some, it’s just a chance to get away from town. And my bookings for next season continue to hold steady.” TR