Mark Dolliver's Takes: Hunting for Data

Granted, it’s not as life-and-death as a trip to Whole Foods just before dinner time, but many Americans persist in hunting and fishing. A report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says 29.9 million Americans age 16 and up fished last year, spending $40.6 billion in the process. As for hunting, 12.5 million people gave it a shot, spending $22.7 billion. It tells you something about what a rich country this is that hunters spent $166 million in the category “decoys and game calls.”