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By Louie Stout

Did you know that if fishing, hunting and shooting sports were combined as a corporation, it would rank 25th on the Fortune 500 listing – ahead of Microsoft.

That’s what Rob Southwick, president of market research firm Southwick Associates, said after analyzing statistical data from the American Sportfishing Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

Expenditures in 2016 (the latest of such in-depth national surveys) for hunting, target shooting and fishing gear supported 1.6 million U.S. jobs, provided $72 billion in salaries and wages and generated nearly $20 billion in local, state and federal taxes.

The outdoor recreation economy grew 3.8 percent that year when the overall U.S. economy grew 2.8 percent.

How is that possible?

Well, consider that 35.8 million people age 16 and older went fishing and more than 28 million went hunting or target shooting in 2016. They spent in excess of $220 billion, according to Southwick.

In addition, the study revealed that twice as many people fished that year than those who bowled, played basketball or soccer; twice as many people fished than attended every NFL game combined; and more Americans fished than who played golf or tennis combined.

So if you encounter a snobby non-sportsman during a holiday party this week and he wants to poke fun at you about your hunting or fishing passion, let him know hunting and fishing is not just a pastime, but a major contributor to the U.S. economy!