By Chris Horton, Midwestern States Senior Director
On May 8, the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted their annual barbeque luncheon in the Lieutenant Governor’s apartment of the historic Pentagon Barracks. Louisiana Co-Chairs Senators Francis Thompson and Gerald Long, and Representatives Clay Schexnayder and Gene Reynolds, welcomed more than two dozen legislators as well as members of the Louisiana sportsmen’s community to the event.
“Louisiana is known as the Sportsmen’s Paradise, and for good reason,” said Sen. Thompson. “Hunting and fishing are such a huge part of our way of life and our economy. It’s important that we come together to preserve those traditions.”
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Chris Horton and Bee Frederick, along with Ed Penny of Ducks Unlimited and David Cresson of Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Louisiana, provided an update on some of the federal policy issues that Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) are working on this session, including: the Modern Fish Act; Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act; and the 2018 Farm Bill.
“We all know how important hunting and fishing are to this state,” said Rep. Schexnayder. “It’s equally important that Members of Congress hear from Louisiana sportsmen’s community on national policies that impact our hunting and angling heritage in the state.”
Louisiana’s more than 900,000 hunters and anglers spend around $1.7 billion each year on their pursuits, highlighting the reason Louisiana is known as the “Sportsmen’s Paradise.”
The event was sponsored by CCA Louisiana, Ducks Unlimited, and Quail Forever.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
