If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a dollar sign with a bunch of numerals after it tells its own story, too.
Case in point is a report from the Archery Trade Association that shows an excise tax on bows, quivers, broadheads and arrow shafts so far generated $47,710,826 in 2025. That funding goes to support land and wildlife conservation, public access, land acquisitions, hunter education and shooting ranges across the United States.
The tax came about in 1937 when the Pittman-Robertson Act became law. It imposed a 10 to 11 percent excise tax on guns, ammunition and archery equipment. Since then, the measure generated more than $17.7 billion for conservation.
When factoring in hunting licenses and fees coupled with donations to wildlife conservation organizations like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, hunters generate more than $1.6 billion annually for conservation programs, highlighting an RMEF mantra that Hunting Is Conservation.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)