Nearly 4,000 full time jobs rely on sporting shoots which contribute £92 million to the West Midlands economy, countryside groups claimed today.
Shooting also plays a major role in conserving countryside and wildlife habitats in the region and provides healthy free-range meat, according to an independent study released in time for the start of the pheasant shooting season.
But the research, commissioned by rural and countryside organisations, was dismissed by animal welfare campaigners who accused it of failing to mention the "bloody business" of gamebird shooting.
The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) said it also raised issues about the ownership of Britain's countryside and the "natural assets" of wildlife.
The research, entitled Shooting Sports, was commissioned by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the Countryside Alliance, and carried out by economic consultants PACEC.
According to the study, 70,000 full time jobs are supported nationwide by shooting and it adds £1.6 billion to the UK economy. The report reveals there are about 480,000 gamebird hunters in the UK.
Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said shooting was an "increasingly important and integral part of the countryside".
He added: "The thousands of jobs that shooting supports are crucial for the sustainability of many rural communities at a time of huge social and cultural change."
Jobs supported by gamebird shooting include the specific hunt roles of shoot managers, game-keepers, beaters and loaders - but also refer to fringe jobs related to accommodation and outdoor clothing sales in remote rural areas.
The BASC said the shooting community was also deeply involved with conservation, as the sport takes place over two-thirds of British rural land.
About £250 million was said to be spent each year on wildlife and habitats and shooting generated the equivalent of 12,000 full time jobs on conservation.
The lobby groups claim much of the economic benefit is concentrated in areas where the rural economy is struggling with changes in traditional industries.
Frances Beatty, CLA West Midlands director, said: "In a rapidly changing rural economy, shoots and shooting continue to provide employment and successfully put money back into the local community."
Clare Rowson, Midlands (East and West) director of the Countryside Alliance, said: "The thousands of jobs that shooting supports are crucial for the sustainability of many rural communities. Shooting is an increasingly important and integral part of the countryside."
