Economic Values of White-tailed Deer in Texas: Part I

Authors: Jacob Dykes, Shraddha Hegde, Tammi Johnson, Angelica Lopez, Roel Lopez, and Alison Lund

Economic Values of White-tailed Deer in Texas: Part I

Texas is one of the top destinations for hunting in the U.S., greatly due to the abundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) throughout the state. The latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recreation survey ranked Texas among the highest for the annual number of hunters in addition to days spent deer hunting. Money spent by hunters and landowners alike in relation to white-tailed deer activities is substantial, contributing to jobs, sales of hunting and land management equipment, travel amenities, and much more.

This report is part of a series evaluating the economic values of white-tailed deer from surveyed hunters and landowners.

Part II Now Available: 

In Part II of Economic Values of White-tailed Deer in Texas, we report that the direct spending made by white-­tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; WTD) hunters and landowners generates economic contributions that cause a ripple effect, reaching beyond local economies. The primary goal of this Part II report was to determine an annual measure of economic activity generated by WTD hunting in Texas. Using direct spending reported by stakeholder groups in our 2022 survey, we estimated the indirect and induced economic contributions and defined five types of economic activity for each: 1) number of jobs, 2) labor income, 3) value added, 4) tax revenues and 5) total economic output. Understanding the size of economic contribution WTD hunting plays in Texas is an important step in better defining management and policies that protect ecological and economic benefits garnered from this important resource. 

You can find the second report in the "Part II" button above. 

 

Suggested Citation