Understanding the Finances of Conservation: How the Pittman-Robertson and Dingle-Johnson Acts Provide Funding Through Hunter Purchases

By now, you’ve heard the tales of an Illinois landscape, over-hunted, over-polluted, and over-farmed, where many of the fish and wildlife species we commonly associate with our state were nearly extirpated. If you haven’t, check out this story, released in February 2025, on the history of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. As Young’s story so poignantly demonstrates, thanks to the work of hundreds of dedicated conservationists and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), those species are back and nearly better than ever! Work continues for the conservation of others. But like most things, efforts to conserve these species come with a cost.

Understanding the funding behind conservation projects starts with understanding how funding is acquired. For wildlife, this explicitly defines birds and mammals, funding comes from the Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act of 1937. Pittman-Robertson was not always so limited, but after an amendment was issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1956, the funds were set aside for the species of mammals and birds, species that conservation was most focused on at the time due to hunter interest. Upon seeing the success of such a program, the Dingell-Johnson (D-J) Act, which provides funding for fish-related conservation and management, was passed in 1950. While these Acts work to achieve the same goals, how money is accrued to generate these funds and how these funds are spent differ.

The Pittman-Robertson Act 

Signed into law in 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act was not part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal plan for economic restabilization; however, lawmakers at the time recognized the need for a concentrated conservation push and, in turn, for the funds to achieve this lofty goal. The Pittman-Robertson Act took an existing excise tax on firearms, ammunition, pistols, handguns, revolvers, bows, archery, and arrow components and created a fund for state wildlife agencies throughout the country to distribute revenue to fund conservation efforts.

While firearms and ammunition are essential tools for hunters, it is important to note that the tax collected under the Pittman-Robertson Act does not come from hunting gear alone. In fact, 73 percent of revenue collected under the Pittman-Robertson Act comes from the sale of handguns and ammunition associated with non-game activities like self-defense, target shooting and law enforcement.

The Pittman-Robertson Act successfully establishes a symbiotic relationship between the sale of hunting licenses, equipment, and firearm sales and ongoing conservation and public access to hunting efforts by defining how funds are acquired. First, an individual purchases their hunting equipment or ammo. Next, the item’s manufacturer pays an excise tax, 10 percent for handguns and 11 percent for all other categories, to the USFWS. Then the USFWS allocates funding to the states for their approved projects and specific use cases, based on that state’s license and permit sales per land area mass. And finally, in Illinois, upon receiving the Pittman-Robertson apportionment for the year, IDNR contributes 25 percent to USFWS’ 75 percent to establish that year’s funding. It is important to note that the sale of licenses and permits is separate from the items included in the excise tax source. The funds acquired from the sale of licenses and permits are what help to fund IDNR’s 25 percent match.

The program’s formula apportions funds to states based 50 percent on the area of the state and 50 percent on the number of paid hunting license holders, where no state may receive more than 5 percent or less than 0.5 percent of the total apportionment. This formula is why it is so crucial for hunters to continue to buy hunting licenses. In federal fiscal year 2025, Illinois was apportioned $17.8 million. The USFWS publishes its annual apportionment, with historical records dating back to 1939, which can be found on their website. To take a look at the total history of Illinois’ P-R funding or to see how Illinois stacks up to much larger states, you can access their annual apportionment reports here.

Pittman-Robertson Act in Action

Funds from the Pittman-Robertson Act can be utilized in a variety of specific use cases, including funding for publicly accessible land acquisition, hunter education programs, wildlife habitat development and wildlife research programs.

One hefty use for these funds comes in the acquisition of properties to be made publicly accessible land. As we all know these days, property isn’t a cheap investment! According to IDNR’s 2023-2024 Public Hunting Areas Report, Pittman-Robertson “has either funded or is currently funding wildlife habitat developments or has acquired land on 125 of the 214 public hunting and trapping areas.” In the 1950s, IDNR owned, leased, or operated roughly 25,000 acres of publicly accessible ground. Today, there are nearly 429,000 acres open to public hunting and trapping on Department-owned, managed or leased properties.

Another use for Pittman-Robertson funds is hunter education. Programs such as the variety of hunter and trapper safety programs offer a variety of in-person and online classes designed to introduce youth and adults alike to the joys of Illinois’ outdoor sports. For more information about the education and safety courses provided, visit IDNR’s website. Along with education opportunities, Pittman-Robertson funds are utilized to maintain dozens of publicly accessible shooting ranges. For a comprehensive list of those ranges, visit Hunt Illinois’ Hunting Programs & Safety page.

Perhaps the most visible use of the Pittman-Robertson funds comes from projects carried out on publicly accessible land, owned and managed by IDNR, to improve habitat and hunter success. IDNR currently has 33 sites listed as top priority for habitat management throughout the state. On those sites, IDNR staff, along with coordinating programs like Illinois Pheasants Forever, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, and Ducks Unlimited, complete burns, target removal of invasive species, and manage areas for the success of particular species.

IDNR and Illinois’ Learn to Hunt program collaborated last summer to create a fantastic video for the Wildlife Conservation tent at the 2024 Illinois State Fair tent. In case you missed it, the video provides a very detailed account of how one particular site, Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Management Area (SFWA), utilizes Pittman-Robertson dollars. District Wildlife Biologist Brian Eubanks walks viewers through the ways in which water impoundment units are used to manage for migratory waterfowl and other water birds. Eubanks highlights that management for waterfowl is important because it improves the body condition of migrating birds, which in turn will hopefully result in better nesting activity and increased populations of migrating waterfowl across not only the area, but also the state! But restoration and habitat management doesn’t apply only to waterfowl at Shelbyville SFWA. Prairie and woodland habitats management are also a focus of site staff, primarily through the removal of invasive shrubs and plants. This is especially beneficial for species like turkey and deer, but also for adventurers looking for an enjoyable walk through the woods. For more information on wildlife conservation projects, visit IDNR’s Illinois Wildlife Action Plan page here.

The Dingell-Johnson Act

The Dingell-Johnson Act, also known as the Sport Fish Restoration Act, was officially adopted in 1950. Similar to the Pittman-Robertson Act, Dingell-Johnson funds are accrued from taxes, but not entirely from the excise tax on equipment and license sales. Roughly 28 percent of the funds accrued come from excise tax on purchased equipment and imports. The remaining 72 percent of the funds actually come from taxes on gas for small motors and engines, typically associated with watercraft.

In fiscal year 2025, Illinois received a total of $7 million from the USFWS as Dingell-Johnson Funds. With the addition of IDNR matched dollars (25 percent), that brings the grant funds to roughly $9.3 million. To see USFWS’ total history of Illinois’ Dingell-Johnson funding or to see how Illinois stacks up to much larger states, you can access their annual apportionment reports here.

Dingell-Johnson Act in Action

The funds accrued from the Dingell-Johnson Act are then apportioned to special use cases by IDNR, with a variety of applications just like its P-R counterpart. D-J dollars are used to restore and manage publicly accessible fishing opportunities, for research on practices for best managing these areas, and for research into issues affecting sportfish and their habitats across the state. More information on the multitude of projects for which IDNR Fisheries utilizes Dingell-Johnson funds can be found on their ifishillinois.org.

OutdoorIllinois Journal has featured many of the projects funded using D-J funds, such as angler surveys, long-term monitoring of Illinois’ largest rivers, habitat development and management projects in specific regions, stocking and restocking fish at IDNR-managed sites, as well as outreach events designed to attract new and reinvigorate long-time anglers. According to the IDNR Division of Fisheries’ strategic plan, they hope to make strides in all of these areas.

One of the most visible projects associated with Dingell-Johnson funding is electrofishing efforts along the Illinois, Ohio, Mississippi and Wabash rivers of Illinois. These projects, particularly those along the Illinois River which started in 1957, work to collect annual data about fish populations and their habitats. Through these monitoring efforts, significant changes in fish communities have been detected as conservation efforts increase, as does water quality.

Another visible use of Dingell-Johnson funds is the fish themselves. Illinois is home to Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery, which rears 20 species of game fish and is notably the only Illinois facility stocking salmon and trout in Lake Michigan. Illinois hatcheries, like Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery, produce over 20 million game fish annually, which are used to stock over more than 400 rivers, lakes and ponds across the state, making game species fish more catchable for anglers. For more information on the process of rearing and stocking fish, specifically rainbow trout, check out this article from OutdoorIllinois Journal.

Hunter and Angler Purchases Are a Determining Factor in Conservation Funds

It is often said that conservation wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of not only professionals in the field, but also the whole of the public. The Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts serve as definitive proof that that sentiment is entirely true. We ALL have a part to play in the conservation of Illinois native habitats, species, and opportunities for hunting and fishing—even if it’s simply buying your annual fishing license or buying a box of shell for your next trap shooting adventure. These Acts contributed roughly $28.9 million to Illinois conservation efforts in the last fiscal year. That’s $28.9 million that has gone towards improving hunters’ and anglers’ opportunities for success, whether it’s through the removal of invasive shrubs, making your odds of harvesting a turkey this spring much higher, or the stocking of a local body of water, making your cast for bluegill more likely to be productive.