The impact of wildlife recreation on farmland values

Abstract: Wildlife recreation – hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching – appears to be an increasingly important past time for many Americans as people continue to increase their spending on wildlife recreation. Land lease and ownership expenditures by wildlife recreation participants are rising and appear to be capitalized into farmland values. This paper analyzes the impact of hunting lease rates on farmland values in Texas. The results indicate that counties with higher wildlife recreation income streams have higher land values.