Saturday, Sept. 26, Recognizes Hunting, Fishing Heritage

Saturday, Sept. 26, is National Hunting and Fishing Day in Oklahoma as well as National Public Lands Day nationwide.

"Oklahoma has a rich and storied tradition of hunting and angling that is older than the state itself and continues to be an integral component of the cultural fabric throughout the state,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt in a recent executive proclamation. “Oklahoma’s sportsmen and women were among the first conservationists to support the establishment of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to conserve fish, wildlife and their habitat.”

Now in its 54th year, National Hunting and Fishing Day was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and officially proclaimed as a federally recognized holiday by President Richard Nixon in 1972.

ODWC urges all state residents to remember the immense contributions made by hunters, anglers, shooters and outdoor recreationists to the well-being of Oklahoma’s natural resources for generations to come.

“Fish and wildlife conservation and habitat management on more than a million acres of public land in Oklahoma is funded primarily by hunters and anglers when they buy licenses and outdoor equipment,” ODWC Assistant Director Nels Rodefeld said.

“There is no general state funding for the Wildlife Department. It is the sportsmen and women of the state who pay for the important conservation and wildlife management activities carried out year after year by ODWC.”

The holiday also honors nearly a million hunters and anglers in Oklahoma who generated $55.2 million for conservation. This revenue helped fuel the state’s overall $4.1 billion outdoor economy, accounting for 2.3% of Oklahoma’s gross domestic product.

“When anglers and hunters buy their state licenses, they are doing their part to support healthy and sustainable fish and game populations going forward,” Rodefeld said. “So we want to encourage everyone to get outdoors and enjoy Oklahoma’s rich hunting and fishing heritage, and to introduce someone new to those traditions.”

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