SURVEY WILL SHOW HOW IMPORTANT HUNTING AND SHOOTING IS TO THE NT ECONOMY

NT Field and Game has been asked to promote the National Recreational Hunting and Sports Shooting Survey. I encourage every hunter and sports shooter in the NT to take the time to participate.

This survey will show our NT Government the benefits of hunting socially, physically, mentally and economically to Territorians and their businesses.

I have been pushing the economic benefits to Government for many years.

NT Parks and Wildlife were asked by the Minister to find out details and they came up with $100M for hunting alone.

This figure did not include target shooting. Target shooting will add millions of dollars more to the total.

When I filled out the survey, I was reminded of the $40,000 I recently spent on a 4WD to take me hunting.

Maintenance for that same vehicle, the $2000 I spent on my retriever with associated dog food and vet bills. Maintenance on a quad bike, my guns and other equipment. This year alone I would have spent $50,000. Hunters’ expenditure is not confined to just the gun shop and a Shooter’s Licence.

It encompasses hundreds of businesses here in the NT.

The Commonwealth Department of Health has commissioned RMCG to conduct the first national survey on the economic and social benefits of recreational hunting and shooting which follows similar studies in Victoria and New South Wales.

This is important and valuable research so please type in the link surveymonkey.com/r/PLMQKZ5 and complete the survey.

Share the link in your own circles and encourage other hunters and shooters to participate. The research covers:

the spending associated with recreational hunting and shooting

the impact of recreational hunting and shooting on physical health

social benefits of recreational hunting and shooting

People all over Australia will be able to take the survey over the next few weeks. The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete. A 2013 study found game hunting licence holders generated an economic impact (direct and indirect impacts of game and pest hunting) of $439 million in Victoria.

In NSW, the 2017 hunting economics survey found that recreational hunting by the 19,000 NSW game hunting licence holders accounts for $119 m of Gross State Product and 860 jobs within the NSW economy.

The 207,000 non-game licence holders account for between $446m and $1,366m of Gross State Product and between 3,932 and 11,572 jobs.

The NT Field and Game clay target range at the Mickett Creek Shooting Complex is open for practice on Fridays at 4pm till 9pm.

There is 50 target handicap Simulated Field event from 8am on March 24. All are welcome at NT Field and Game.