Long before the day starts up in the halls of Congress, America’s outdoor traditions begin in quieter places: at gray light beside a river, listening to bugles on the edge of a canyon, in a tree stand on a cold November morning, or along the edge of a field where generations have learned to hunt, fish, and respect the land. There’s something special about those mornings, where you experience the world in its truest form and replenish your soul. For millions of Americans, these moments are where important lessons are learned, conservation ethic is gained, and where a deep responsibility to leave the land better than it was found takes root.
Yet the future of these traditions is often shaped far from the field and the water – on Capitol Hill and in state capitals across the country. Decisions made in these buildings determine access to public lands, the conservation of fish and wildlife populations, and how sportsmen and women are able to take part in the very activities that fund conservation.
In a time when the world seems to grow further disconnected from the outdoors every single day, the sporting-conservation community has never faced more challenges. From legislative attempts to end hunting to misguided legislation that puts conservation funding in peril, and so much more, it sometimes feels that we have uphill battles everywhere we look.
Navigating policies that affect hunting, angling, and conservation funding requires informed, consistent engagement. That is where the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) plays a role, working collaboratively to ensure sportsmen’s perspectives are part of the conversation. Protecting this way of life requires more than passion, though. It requires understanding, leadership, and strong partnerships. With the backing of our partners, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is able to bring the sportsmen’s voice into policy discussions that shape the future of conservation. This collaborative approach naturally extends into the halls of government, where CSF works through its bipartisan networks to ensure sportsmen and women are well represented at every level.
In the United States political landscape, where partisanship often defines discourse, a unique thread of cooperation exists – one built around a shared love of the outdoors and a commitment to conservation, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. This thread weaves through CSF’s three aligned networks of elected officials: the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC), and the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC). Together, these groups represent one of the most enduring bipartisan alliances in American government, rooted not in ideology but in the stewardship of heritage, habitat, and our uniquely American common bond of hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting.
So, why does this network of pro-sporting elected officials matter? This matters because none of our favorite outdoor traditions happen by accident, and decisions made by elected officials impact everything we do and care about as sportsmen and women. The gate is open, or it isn’t. The season exists, or it doesn’t. The river is healthy enough to fish, or it’s not. Long before a kid climbs into a tree stand for the first time or a veteran hunter treks into his favorite rocky canyon, someone, somewhere, is making decisions on whether that moment would still be possible. And in today’s divided political climate, the only way to protect these traditions is through cooperation across party lines. When conservation becomes partisan, everyone who cares about the land loses. CSF ensures that doesn’t happen. By bringing leaders from across the political spectrum to the same table, CSF keeps common ground truly common, protecting access, funding conservation, and safeguarding traditions that unite rural and urban, left and right, and old and young. In today’s political climate, that cooperation isn’t just refreshing, it’s essential to keeping a way of life alive for the next generation. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, and Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus make a true difference for all sportsmen and women. Whether you hunt, fish, trap, or shoot, CSF and our caucuses are your voice where it matters most.
It all began when the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus was formed at the intersection of two worlds: the great outdoors and the hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation) was established in 1989 by former Congressmen Richard Schulze (PA) and Lindsay Thomas (GA), two visionary leaders who held a shared concern across party lines for the future of America’s hunting, fishing, and shooting traditions. Schulze, a Republican, brought decades of experience in the House, including service on the Natural Resources Committee and the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, alongside a deep personal passion for conservation. Thomas, a Democrat, combined his legislative service with a lifelong connection to the outdoors through his family farm and his dedication to wildlife management. What made their partnership remarkable was its bipartisan nature: rather than letting party labels divide them, Schulze and Thomas united around a shared love of the outdoors and a commitment to safeguarding America’s natural heritage. These two trailblazed on behalf of sportsmen and women and truly set the standard for how to effectively make a difference for our time-honored traditions.
When you hear about political divide, nowhere seems to be talked about more than Washington, D.C. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus is truly the exception to that. Since its founding, the CSC has grown to become the largest bipartisan and bicameral caucus in the U.S. Congress, with over 230 members from both the House and Senate. What makes the CSC even more unique is that the Caucus provides an opportunity for Members of Congress and Senators to put aside their partisan differences and talk about our common bond of hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors. In many ways, the CSC can feel like a hunting or fishing camp on Capitol Hill where you can sit around and share your favorite stories from the season with your friends and ignore the things that divide us. The CSC functions as the sportsmen’s ally in Washington, working to shape policies that protect and advance America’s time-honored outdoor traditions. To put that impact into perspective, the CSC was directly responsible for seeing 7.5% of the bills signed into law in 2023 , a monumental feat when you sit to think about all the items Congress votes on – from healthcare to national defense, and so much more.
Since 2023 alone, the CSC’s bipartisan structure has enabled the passage and enactment of significant legislation supporting our outdoor heritage, including:
- The EXPLORE Act – Improving access opportunities for sportsmen and women across the country representing one of the most significant outdoor recreation bills enacted by Congress
- The MAPWaters Act – Improving public access to public waters by requiring certain federal agencies within the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to modernize and digitize their public water mapping information in a consistent format
- The Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act – Ensuring that certain federal funds remain available for hunter education, archery in schools, wilderness programs, and many other critical student enrichment programs
- The Duck Stamp Modernization Act – Bringing the Federal Duck Stamp process into the 21st century by providing that the electronic Federal Duck Stamp is valid for the entirety of the hunting season
While the CSC’s successes in Congress are significant, much of the policy that directly affects fish and wildlife management happens at the state level. Whether it comes in the form of decisions on state fish and wildlife agency funding, thwarting bills that would be detrimental to the sporting-conservation community, or other issues (regardless of the state you call home), decisions that affect you are made in your state’s legislature and by the Governor’s cabinet. Recognizing this, inspired by the success of the CSC, and 15 years after it’s launch, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation sought to build a complementary network that could influence state policy as effectively as the CSC has shaped federal policy.
In 2004, the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses was launched as an umbrella entity for state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses across the country. These caucuses, made up of bipartisan state legislators who share an interest in outdoor heritage, band together under NASC to share ideas, coordinate strategies, and amplify their collective impact. Today, the NASC network includes sportsmen’s caucuses in all 50 states, with nearly 2,300 state legislators participating. To put that into perspective, that is nearly 1/3rd of all state legislators in the country. By fostering communication and interaction between and among state legislators, sportsmen’s groups, industry, and media, the NASC and state sportsmen’s caucuses are the core of the legislative front protecting and advancing hunting, angling, recreational shooting, trapping, and professional fish and wildlife management in state legislatures.
CSF’s team of policy professionals (who are sportsmen and women themselves), working closely with the NASC network, accomplished some major feats just last year alone, including:
- Safeguarded 50+ million acres of habitat and public access
- Opened new Sunday hunting opportunities on nearly 30 million acres
- Engaged on a record-breaking 458 policy items
- Secured 198 pro-sportsmen victories Protected $60+ million in sportsman-generated conservation funding
These victories at the state level are more than just numbers; they directly impact the places where we, as sportsmen and women, hunt, fish, and recreate. By influencing policy where it hits closest to home, the NASC network is critical to conservation and America’s 55 million sportsmen and women.
Yet, even with federal and state lawmakers engaged, one key part of the governance puzzle remained: the governor’s office. Governors are often the last line of defense against bad policy, and the last hurdle before good policy is enacted. Governors across the country often influence state fish and wildlife agencies and regulations, helping shape how conservation priorities are carried out. This makes having governors who value conservation and the positive impacts of sportsmen and women critical to protecting and promoting our time-honored traditions.
So, in 2009, the bipartisan Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus was established by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation to foster communication among governors who share a commitment to sportsmen’s heritage. The GSC provides a forum for governors to exchange information, coordinate policy approaches, and signal support for initiatives benefiting hunting, angling, and recreational shooting. Moreover, GSC members often work together with the leadership of their respective state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses to set a pro-sportsmen agenda and build consensus around priorities.
Because governors operate at the helm of executive branches, the GSC often plays a pivotal role in bringing policy initiatives “across the finish line”, turning legislative priorities into enacted priorities. Like the CSC and NASC, the GSC is bipartisan. Members include governors from across the United States who represent both major political parties and share common ground on outdoor-related issues. As this is written, there are 29 governors who are members of the GSC. That means that nearly 60% of the governors in this incredible country are involved in the GSC and hold a shared commitment to the time-honored traditions that you love most. That is monumental for our community and is something CSF is truly proud of.
On top of being the final line of defense and offense in the states, CSF works with members of the GSC, other governors, and state fish and wildlife agencies every year to gather proclamations for National Hunting and Fishing Day. These proclamations aren’t just pieces of paper, they are an acknowledgement of the remarkable role that sportsmen and women play in conservation efforts across the country- including through the provision of the vast majority of the funding that state fish and wildlife agencies rely on to carry out their missions and put conservation on the ground. This acknowledgement matters, especially in a time where public support for our outdoor pursuits is waning. Raising awareness of our unmatched conservation legacy has never been more important.
At the end of the day, all of this work, whether in Congress, state legislatures, or the governor’s office, comes back to those quiet mornings on the water, the bugle that echoes through a canyon at first light, and the lessons learned along the edge of a river or field. CSF and its networks exist so that these moments are not threatened by political gridlock, political pendulum swings, or short-sighted policy. Every victory we earn is with sportsmen and women in mind.
None of this would be possible without the incredible vision of former Congressmen Richard Schulze and Lindsay Thomas. Schulze, who passed away recently at the age of 93, and Thomas shared a bipartisan commitment to protecting America’s outdoor heritage when they founded the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation in 1989. Their partnership showed that dedication to conservation transcends party lines, and their work laid the foundation for the CSF’s mission today. Schulze’s recent passing is a profound loss to CSF and the sporting-conservation community, but his legacy lives on in every policy victory, protected acre, and outdoor tradition maintained through CSF’s networks.
What has been built here is more than a series of caucuses or legislative wins; it is a living testament to Schulze and Thomas’s vision. By connecting federal, state, and gubernatorial leaders, CSF ensures that hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting traditions are protected not just for today but for generations to come. For sportsmen and women, this means our voices are heard where it matters most, so that our children and grandchildren can inherit a world as rich in wildlife and opportunity as the one that shaped us.
In a world where it feels like sportsmen and women are put last and not valued in the ways we should be, what we want every sportsman and woman to know is this: someone is standing up for you every single day. So, when you’re in a tree stand at first light or casting a line into your favorite river, know this: your voice is being heard, your traditions are being defended, and you are not alone.
The outdoors you cherish has champions in every capital and corridor. Your passion is our purpose, and we will never stop defending it.