Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Funding

Wildlife conservation in Texas is funded by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, (Pittman-Robertson, P-R). The funds allow TPWD's Wildlife Division to offer many services, including the following:

• technical guidance to private landowners (who control 94% of wildlife habitat in Texas)
• TPWD surveys and research for development of hunting regulations
• operation and management of WMAs in Texas
• conducting research and developing techniques for managing wildlife populations and wildlife habitat

Most of the work done by the Wildlife Division is eligible for reimbursement under the P-R Act. For every dollar spent by the Wildlife Division on approved P-R projects, about 75 cents is returned to the Department for wildlife conservation. This amounts to approximately $9 million annually. By law, funding is limited to wildlife management, related public use, and hunter education. Pittman-Robertson funds collected from federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers (an 11% excise tax on sporting rifles, shotguns, ammunition, and archery equipment and a 10% tax on handguns) are distributed to states based on number of hunters and land area. Texas receives the maximum distribution allowable under the program.