Hunters Benefit New Mexico Tourism

This summer, representatives of the New Mexico Council of Outfitters and Guides met with the Secretary of Tourism and Director of Marketing to discuss the economic contributions of the hunting industry to New Mexico tourism. Hunting is currently the 2nd highest grossing recreational industry in the state. It is shadowed only slightly by the New Mexico ski industry.

New Mexico hunters spend over $400 million on hunting related expenditures annually according to a 2013 study conducted by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF). This is an impressive number. But what’s more astounding is that hunting is not currently recognized nor promoted by the New Mexico Department of Tourism under their "True Outdoors" campaign. These campaigns have been wildly successful in marketing many outstanding attributes of our great state. However, New Mexico’s world-class hunting opportunities are still suspiciously missing from all tourism initiatives.

There is sometimes a negative social stigma associated with the word "hunting" in New Mexico and in many other places. The New Mexico Council of Outfitters and Guides hopes to help reverse this negative perception by educating people on the benefits that hunters provide to wildlife conservation as well as their contributions to the local economy in the form of tourism dollars.

According to the NMDGF, direct spending on retail items related to hunting makes up 25% of all retail sales within the tourism industry. In addition to retail spending, both resident and non-resident hunters contribute substantially to other segments of the tourism industry. This includes lodging, transportation, food, and fuel. While the majority of tourism spending is centered within major metropolitan areas such as Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces, much of the money spent on hunting in New Mexico goes to the rural communities where big game hunting takes place.

New Mexico counties like Mora, Catron, Union, Lincoln and Sierra rely heavily on hunting to sustain their local economies. These counties are at least 20% dependent on tourism-generated employment to sustain their local economy. In these counties where wildlife and livestock populations outnumber people, hunting is often the exclusive driver of tourism. According to the NMDGF, approximately 86,000 individuals participated in recreational hunting in 2013. The industry sustained over 4,700 jobs. Many of those were located in rural communities.

The four basic pillars of the New Mexio hunting industry are resident hunters, non-resident hunters, outfitters/guides, and landowners. Each plays an important role and all contribute to the continued success of the hunting industry overall. There are roughly 68,000 resident hunters in the state of New Mexico and they represent 78% of the total participation in the industry. However, with a resident population of over 2 million, hunters represent just 3.2% of the total population of New Mexico. Our industry is reliant upon resident hunters to maintain the existence of hunting as a socially supported method of recreational tourism. Through ethical hunting practices and education of lawmakers, resident hunters provide a foundation for the state’s hunting industry.

Although non-resident hunters account for just 22% of participants, they generate 37% of total industry expenditures and over 60% of the total revenue generated by the NMDGF through the sale of hunting licenses. Non-residents are the reason that resident licenses remain reasonably priced and they also ensure that NM retains a strong and capable game and fish agency to oversee management of wildlife resources. In addition to license revenue, non-residents contribute indirectly to the NMDGF annual budget through an 11% excise tax charged on all guns, ammunition, and archery equipment established federally by the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937.

Non-residents also contribute to wildlife conservation through their membership support of organizations like the Wild Sheep Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Mule Deer Foundation, and Wild Turkey Federation. Over the years these organizations have donated over $50 million to the state of New Mexico for the purpose of maintaining our abundant wild game. Non-residents are the financial backbone of the New Mexico hunting industry.

Outfitters and guides play an intricate roll in the hunting industry. Each outfitter represents a small business. They hire guides and other employees each season, they operate in predominately rural areas, and they pay state and federal taxes. Outfitters pay New Mexico gross receipts tax on each hunt that is sold, equating to about $3.5 million annually. This is in addition to the $51 million in state and local taxes paid by the hunting industry itself. Outfitters also pay 3% of their gross revenue to the Forest Service, BLM, and State Land Office in order to maintain special use permits that allow them to operate hunts on public lands.

On average, an outfitter facilitates hunts for 52 individuals per season, which equates to an industry total of 14,000 hunters. About 90% of an outfitter's clientele consists of non-residents, many of whom will return to New Mexico on another hunt or on a family for vacation, simply because they had a positive experience with their outfitter or guide. Outfitters facilitate non-resident tourism and they work with private land owners to provide hunter opportunity on lands that might otherwise not be accessible.

Of the total landmass in the state of New Mexico, 58% is privately owned. The hunting industry is dependent on landowners to provide adequate habitat, water, and forage for big game animals across 45 million acres of private land. Additionally, through a number of private land game management programs established by the NMDGF, landowners provide access to hunters for the purpose of game management. Within these programs many landowners will work with a trusted outfitter to ensure that the hunters who access their private property are of the highest ethics and integrity. These private land programs help provide opportunity in areas that would otherwise be off limits to tourism of any kind.

Tourism is a $5.5 billion dollar industry in the state of New Mexico, according to a 2011 study conducted by the Department of Tourism. And the Bureau of Business and Economic Research reports that tourism is in the top 10 industries for economic contribution to the state's gross domestic product. Tourism ranks 7th behind government, real estate, scientific services, healthcare, oil & gas, and manufacturing. Tourism is essential to the economy of New Mexico. And the success of the hunting industry is vital to New Mexico tourism. It's time that the hunting industry received the respect it deserves.