Why It Matters: National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) recognizes the immense contribution that sportsmen and women have made in support of our time-honored traditions. In the Southeast, members of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses and the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus, whether they’re active sportsmen and women or not, recognize that hunting and fishing is much more than a favored pastime for many of their constituents. On Saturday, September 27, NHFD will recognize hunters and anglers for their role as America’s original conservationists through their contributions to conservation through the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF).
Highlights:
- On August 13, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) member Governor Tate Reeves held a NHFD Proclamation singing ceremony alongside Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus members, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks leaders and representatives from the sporting-conservation community.
- On September 4, GSC member Governor Brian Kemp also recognized NHFD with a Proclamation singing ceremony alongside Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus members, Georgia Department of Natural Resources leaders, and members of the sporting-conservation community.
- On September 18, GSC Member Governor Kay Ivey welcomed Alabama Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus members, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources leaders, and representatives of the sporting-conservation community to Montgomery to celebrate Alabama’s hunters and anglers by signing another NHFD Proclamation.
What do Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama have in common other than muggy September temperatures and great college football teams? Governors that support their respective state’s sportsmen and women and the significant contribution they make to support conservation and the economy. Sportsmen and women are the primary funders of conservation and professional, science-based fish and wildlife management, which generated a combined $189 million for conservation in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi alone last year.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is honored to work with a bipartisan network of governors as part of the GSC, while simultaneously working closely alongside their respective state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses. Thanks to this strong network, Georgia is on the cusp of passing House Bill 451 when the General Assembly returns in early 2026 following near unanimous support for the initiative earlier this year. Going west, Mississippi celebrated several policy victories during the 2025 session including poaching restitution legislation that further codified the Public Trust Doctrine in Mississippi as well as the passage of legislation to create a wild turkey stamp which will provide dedicated funding to support wild turkeys in Mississippi.
Finally, CSF looks forward to working with the bipartisan GSC and National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) network to welcome legislators, sporting conservation partners, and state fish and wildlife agency staff from around the country to Memphis, Tennessee December 9 – 12 for the 22nd Annual NASC Sportsman-Legislator Summit. The NASC Summit will be co-hosted by the Mississippi and Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucuses and is the only national conference for state legislators dedicated to advancing America’s hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and trapping heritage. Click HERE to register!
CSF thanks Governors Ivey, Kemp, and Reeves for publicly supporting their respective states’ sporting conservation community and looks forward to working closely on a variety of policy initiatives during the quickly approaching 2026 legislative session.
