Don’t expect a day off from work or gifts from family and friends. But outdoorsmen across the nation can celebrate because the 37th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day has arrived.

Initially thought up by Ira Joffe, the owner of Joffe’s Gun Shop in Upper Darby, Penn., in 1970, the idea captured the attention of their governor, who in turn created “Outdoor Sportsman’s Day” in the state.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation picked up on the concept, and it soon went before our U.S. Congress, which in 1972 unanimously authorized National Hunting and Fishing Day to be celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every September.

The proclamation was signed by President Nixon.

Now in its 37th year, National Hunting and Fishing Day organizers are claiming that America’s sportsmen and women deserve the public’s thanks more than ever. According to their surveys, nearly eight of 10 Americans approve of hunting and more than nine in 10 approve of fishing.

Denise Wagner of Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo., the official home of NHF Day, said, “I hope people will pause to reflect on hunter and angler contributions to society. And for those of us who’ve long understood and enjoyed these passions, share the pride by introducing someone new to hunting, fishing or shooting.”

Why should the American public continue to support America’s hunters and anglers? While it’s not the reason hunters and anglers pursue their sports, the economic impacts of outdoor pursuits are reason enough.

In an economic sense, hunting and fishing together are an economic powerhouse, according to NHF Day officials. Together the sports are worth about $76 billion dollars a year. To put this in perspective, in 2010 America’s economic stimulus package will generate its highest level of federal spending at $236 billion. Hunters and anglers will spend almost a third of that amount all by themselves.

In Missouri, more than 1 million outdoors people make up one of the most prominent and influential of all demographic groups, spending more than $2.4 billion a year on hunting and fishing, according to a Congressional Sportsman Foundation Report.

The report, “Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy,” spotlights the immense impact hunters and anglers have on the economy at the national and state level. Spending by Show Me State hunters and anglers directly supports 45,600 jobs, which puts $1.2 billion worth of paychecks into pockets of working residents. All this spending generates an additional $268 million in state and local taxes.

These latest figures demonstrate that season after season hunters and anglers are driving the economy from big businesses to rural towns, through booms and recessions.

Economic benefits aside, the officials of National Hunting and Fishing Day recommend that everyone celebrate by heading out for a day of hunting or fishing and inviting someone new along.