Whitetail Deer: History’s Most Successful Conservation Story

Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s join Sportsmen and Women in Celebration of Deer Hunting

North America’s whitetail deer is one the most successful conservation stories in history. From a low of 300,000 in the U.S. in 1890, the whitetail deer has rebounded to become perhaps the most accessible, widely hunted game animal in the world. The fall migration of hunters into the woods makes opening weekend of deer season tantamount to holiday in communities across the U.S. and Canada.

What’s more, whitetail deer hunting is the economic engine that drives wildlife conservation across America. The majority of the nearly 39 million hunting licenses sold in the U.S. in 2021 included deer tags. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this revenue to wildlife management. The American deer hunter has been a vital component of our nation’s incredible legacy of conservation success. If you like public land, thank a deer hunter. If you like the work of wildlife management agencies, thank a deer hunter.

Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are proud to stand with hunters across North America in celebration of all that we continue to accomplish together. Sportsmen and women have been the tip of the spear since the dawn of the conservation movement in the late 1800s. In fact, it was hunters who started the movement. We continue to lead conservation today.

Uniting the passion of our 200 million customers with the world changing power of more than 65 leading national conservation organizations, our conservation movement is forging a bright future for deer hunting. Together we support research to address chronic wasting disease, work to enhance hunting access on public lands, to conserve the habitat upon which deer hunting depends, and invite thousands of kids, families, and new participants into the deer woods each and every year.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Thank you for being a deer hunter.