What Does the Oil Industry Have to do with Hunting?

It’s deer season, but there may not be as many hunters out in the field this year.

By Rhonda Fanning & Alexandra HartDecember 19, 2016 11:44 am,

It’s deer season and it ought to be a big one. Back-to-back years of solid rainfall has boosted the white tail deer population to an 11-year high. Supply, as the industry might say, may be up, but demand is way down. Bad for the hunting business. And the oil industry downturn seems to be the cause.

Jennifer Hiller of the San Antonio Express-News got a tip on the connection, which led to an investigation of how the two industries are closely linked.

“There is an enormous amount of crossover between people who work in oil and gas and people who like to hunt,” she says. “Not all hunting is super expensive but it is kind of a pricey hobby. … The oil industry pays very well, so you have that connection just between people who make pretty good incomes and people who like to be outdoors and enjoy hunting.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– About corporate spending in hunting

– How important oil is in the hunting business

– What the energy industry’s future means for the sport