January 29, 2004

Characteristics of Hunter and Angler Spending from 1981 to 2001

Hunter and angler spending from 1981 to 2001 has gradually increased according to a study by two North Dakota State University agricultural economists. “Throughout that period we’ve seen considerable increases in spending on equipment (durable goods) across most of the hunting and fishing categories,” according to Dean Bangsund, NDSU research scientist in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics. “In other categories of spending, the changes are rather gradual in that we’re not seeing a tremendous fluctuation in what the average individual is spending from one survey period to the next.”

In a previous report, Bangsund noted that hunters and anglers in North Dakota spent an estimated $468 million during 2001 through 2002. “Hunting and fishing in North Dakota is an important source of economic activity.” The study suggests that forces such as population shifts and changes in preferences from 1981 to 2001 are the primary factors driving changes in hunter and angler spending. Based on the consistency found in average spending over time, the survey process appears to be successful in providing representative spending estimates for hunting and fishing activities in ND.

Over the 20-year period, some trends were identified:

Average seasonal spending on nondurable goods (variable expenses) for resident hunting activities has remained mostly constant over the 20-year period.

Average seasonal spending on durable goods (fixed expenses) for resident hunting activities has been increasing over the 20-year period.

Average total seasonal spending for resident hunting activities has generally been increasing largely due to increases in durable good purchases.

Average seasonal spending for both nondurable and durable goods has trended upward over the 20-year period for resident fishing activities.

Average daily spending for durable goods increased for both resident summer and winter fishing.

Average daily spending for all goods increased for resident fishing activities, due mostly to increases in average daily fixed expenses.

Average daily spending for nondurable goods (i.e., only items purchased in ND) increased for some, but not all, nonresident hunting activities.

Trends for average daily spending on durable goods increased during the 1990s for most nonresident hunting activities, but the overall trend for the entire period was less clear due to substantial decreases in average daily spending for durable goods in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Average daily spending for all goods trended upward slightly for nonresident hunting activities.

Average daily spending for nonresident anglers was mostly unchanged for durable and nondurable goods.

A survey of hunter and angler spending has been conducted approximately every five years for the past 20 years. One of the goals of this study was to assess how the survey process may need to be changed in the future. “There is some discussion that the North Dakota Game and Fish Department may want to make some changes in the future,” Bangsund says. “The surveys have been useful in the past in determining what the average participant is spending and how those type of activities impact or affect the state’s economy.”

“In more recent years the Game and Fish Department and the ND Legislature have implemented more regional policies and they may benefit from understanding the spending implications from those policies. So the surveys may change in the future to add geographical specificity to the dollars spent, rather than providing statewide estimates. We feel it might be helpful to know where in the state the dollars are being spent, by who, which would require knowing where they live, how much they spend on the road and how much they spend at their final destination. There’s also interest in refining or making more useful the estimate of rural spending versus urban spending.”

Co-author of the study was Larry Leistritz, NDSU Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics professor. The report is available on the Web at http://www.ext.nodak.edu/homepages/aedept/aemisc/pubtotallist1.htm

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