What happens when the cash ticket is multiplied by 34 million people? That's the conservative estimate of sportsmen 16 or older who fished or hunted in the United States in 2006. Now we're talking mucho dinero.

Hunters and fishermen are major players in the economy at both the national and state levels. No matter how tough the times, it seems that hook and bullet crowds always find a means to get their fix.They spend a ton of money along the way, too.

To get a grip on the immensity of the economic contributions made by hunters and anglers, consider this fact gleaned from a national report that was recently released by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation:

* There are 34 million hunters and anglers in the U.S. who spend $76 billion annual chasing their passions. Breaking it down, that equals roughly $208 million per day or about $1.5 billion per week. Factor in the economic "ripple effect" and the total leaps to a whopping $192 billion annual shot to the nation's economy.

Photo/MATT WILLIAMS Sportfishing is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Interestingly, anglers spend about $1.1 billion on baits and another $378 million on ice each year.

The report: "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy -- A force as big as all outdoors" - - sends a very strong message to politicians. Or at least it should.

If there is state governor or senator out there who doesn't believe in the financial clout of crankbaits, plastic worms, duck decoys and 30.06 cartridges -- and the people who use them -- their place in office is questionable. Hunting and fishing create big bucks that represent a multi-billion dollar industry.

"The evidence is clear," said Jeff Crane, president of the CSF. "States that encourage hunting and fishing by providing access and maintaining healthy habitats and fisheries benefit many times over through jobs and taxes as well as enjoying a boost to travel and tourism."

Texas is huge state. It is blessed with a wide variety of hunting and fishing opportunities that rank among some of the very best in the nation. Luckily, we have one of the most progressive caretakers in the country to oversee our resources in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

That is not to say TPWD brass hasn't made some questionable moves in the past. They have. But as a whole, the state agency and the politicians who control its purse strings seem to realize who butters the biscuits around here. Perhaps that is partially reflected in the numbers that follow.

Nationally, Texas ranks at the top of the pack in several of the CSF report categories, including hunter/angler numbers, total spending and jobs supported by the hunting and fishing.

According to the report, there are 2.6 million people who hunt and fish in Texas alone. Not far behind is Florida (2 million), California (1.7 million), Ohio (1.48 million) and Pennsylvania, (1.41 million).

When it comes to total spending,Texas hunters and anglers have some very deep pockets. Sportsmen in this state spend $6.6 billion annually on their games, almost $2 billion more than in Florida ($4.8 billion), California ($3.6 billion), Pennsylvania ($3.5 billion) and Minnesota ($3.4 billion).

All that money spent by Texas anglers and hunters generates about $654 million in state tax revenue and another $793 million in federal tax revenue.

If not for the plethora of premium hunting and fishing opportunities in Texas,I might not have this job. The same goes for the other 105,999 people in the state who pound out a living because of some sort of connection to the woods and water, the critters that live and swim there, or the people who hunt and fish.

What follows are some additional facts pulled from the CSF report. Some may come as a shock to those who don't share our passions. Hunters and anglers economic powerhouses:

* Texas sportsmen support twice the jobs in Texas as Dell Computer Corporation, Lockeed Martin, Electronic Data Systems and Dow Chemical Company -- combined (106,000 vs. 49,000).

* Annual spending by Texas sportsmen is more than the revenues of Blockbuster, a Dallas-based Fortune 500 company ($6.6 billion vs. $5.6 billion).

* Texas sportsmen spend more annually than the combined cash receipts from the state's cotton, greenhouse/nursery, broilers, dairy and corn production ($6.6 billion vs. $6.1 billion).

* $441 million is spent annually on outboard boats and engines for fishing and hunting.

* Texas sportsmen outnumber the populations of San Antonio and Dallas (2.7 million vs. 2.5 million).

* Nationally, the money spent by hunters and fishermen supports 1.6 million jobs. We spend more than $1 billion on licenses, stamps, tags and permits. Hunting and fishing expenditures generate another $25 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

* If a single corporation grossed as much as hunters and anglers spend, it would be among America's 20 largest. Bigger than Target, Costco and AT&T.

* Hunters and anglers spend $9 billion annually to lease and purchase land for their sports.That's enough to buy 27,000 new homes, or rural acreage larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware - combined.

* Annual spending by hunters and anglers is more than the revenues of Microsoft, Google, eBay and Yahoo -- combined (76 billion vs. 73.6 billion).

* If the $76 billion that sportsmen spend on hunting and fishing were the Gross Domestic Product of a country, sportsmen would rank No. 57 out of 181 countries.

* Hunting and fishing Americans outnumber motorsport fans by more than 2 to 1. They could fill every NASCAR track 13 times over.

* More people hunt and fish than watch the nightly newscasts of the three major television networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC (34 million vs. 27 million).

* Hunters spend $493 million on their dogs alone.

* Hunters spend more on lodging each year than the annual revenues of Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn and Sleep Inn motels -- combined ($614 million vs. $482 million).

* 12.5 million U.S. hunters spend more on their activities than the total revenues of McDonald's ($23 billion vs. $20 billion).

* Hunters in America outnumber the combined populations of the nation's two largest citiess, New York and Los Angeles.

* Each hunter spends an average of $1,992 per year, which pumps about $24.9 billion into the economy.

* Bow hunters alone spend $674 million on bows and arrows each year.

* Each year hunters spend:

$2.4 billion on guns and scopes.

$203 million on binoculars and other field optics.

$187 million on decoys and game calls.

$459 million on hunting apparel.

$696 million on ammunition.

* The sportfishing industry supports more jobs than the U.S. Postal Service (1 million vs. 803,000).

* Anglers spend $7.5 billion on boats, equipment and accessories; food, $4.3 billion; and lodging, $2 billion.

* Anglers spend $1.1 billion annually on bait and another $378 million on ice.

* More people go fishing each year than go to Orlando's Disney World -- the world's No. 1 resort (30 million vs. 16 million).

* Through exise taxes and license revenues, hunters and anglers have provided more than $10 billion to conservation and provide more than 80 percent of the funding for most state fish and wildlife agencies.

I am proud to be part of the group.

To see the full CSF report, check www.sportsmenslink.org