The Price of the Wild: How Guns, Gear & Tags Fund the Wild – EP 08, Season 8

When you think of conservation heroes, you might not picture hunters, anglers, or gun owners—but you should. In this episode, I head into the backcountry to shine a light on the often-overlooked truth: gun owners and hunters are the backbone of American conservation. Through hunting and fishing licenses, tag sales, and an 11% excise tax on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment (thanks to the Pittman-Robertson Act), hunters and firearms owners contribute nearly $1 billion annually to support wildlife, habitat, research, and education.

We’ll explore how these dollars fund everything from healthy wildlife populations to trail systems and non-game species protection, benefiting anyone who values wild places, whether you hunt or not. If you care about conservation, this is the story you need to hear.