The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently released a video, produced in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Beretta, that highlights the significant impact of Pittman-Robertson Act funding on the successful restoration and management of Pennsylvania’s elk population. This is the latest installment in the Partner with a Payer® series that shows how investments through the excise taxes paid by firearm, ammunition and archery manufacturers through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act have provided a steady and reliable source of funding for wildlife conservation efforts in all 50 states.

The video shows a powerful example by focusing on elk restoration in Pennsylvania. Once nearly eliminated from the region, elk now thrive thanks to decades of conservation efforts made possible by the excise taxes. These funds have enabled habitat restoration, herd health monitoring, and sustainable management of Pennsylvania’s now-thriving elk herd, estimated at 1,400 to 1,500 animals.

“Our agency takes ZERO state tax dollars; we are completely independently funded through the sale of hunting licenses, wildlife restoration dollars from the Pitman-Robertson Act, and revenues we generate from our state game land system,” said David Gustafson, Director, Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management, Pennsylvania Game Commission.

To see the impact of these funds firsthand, a team from Beretta USA, one of the many manufacturers contributing to Pittman-Robertson excise taxes, visited Pennsylvania to observe how their contributions are used to sustain conservation efforts. Through this video series, viewers can see firsthand how this funding model supports not only wildlife but also local economies by driving tourism and outdoor recreation opportunities.

"Thanks to the Pittman-Robertson Act, [the Pennsylvania Game Commission] was able to fund the habitat for the reintroduction of elk," said Joe Cunniffe, Brand Marketing Manager, Hunting, Beretta USA. "Now they actually have a huntable population."