Hunting advocates emphasize importance of sport across Ohio

By: Jason Aubry | WDTN Dayton

COLUMBUS (WDTN) – Outdoor activities generate billions of dollars for Ohio’s economy and a new group is helping bolster those dollars by reaching out to homes across the state.

Advocates for fishing and hunting want you to understand the importance the sports have, not just on conservation, but on the economy and your communities.

Tom Vorisek runs a financial adviser firm in Worthington, Ohio, but the color of his passion is blaze orange. He is one of the co-chairs of Hunting Works for Ohio.

“Part of what Hunting Works for Ohio is all about is an education campaign to let people know what hunting means economically to the state of Ohio,” he said.

According to Vorisek, the ripple effect is $1.4 billion.

Beth Ellis runs a pheasant farm and says hunting supports 20,000 Ohio jobs, some of them on her farm.

“On our farm it takes labor to raise these birds, it takes labor for customer service and for the services that we offer,” she says.

Beyond jobs, the group says roughly half a million hunters in Ohio generate an estimated $97 million in local and state taxes.

“It is a multi-faceted impact if hunter were to go on the decline,” said Ellis.

And it may already be happening. According to Vorisek, the numbers of hunters has been declining for the last 10 to 15 years.

He says, “If you take it to its Nth degree and outdoor pursuits vanish, it will be a dramatic impact both locally and statewide on Ohio’s economy.”