Why It Matters: Though hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife (including by trapping) have long been our heritage, dating back to before the Europeans first arrived in North America, only recently has the “right” to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife come into question. 24 states have already successfully provided their citizens with a right to hunt, […]
Why It Matters: Bringing hunter safety education classes into schools offers kids a chance to learn the fundamentals needed to safely participate and enjoy time outdoors in a controlled, safe, and familiar environment. The experiences that they gain can encourage them to become annual hunting and fishing license holders, where they will join in funding […]
Why It Matters: South Carolina, like many other southern coastal states, continues to see dramatic increases in new residents. Protecting access to quality public land hunting areas should be top of mind for policy makers in South Carolina, especially as populations increase and private land hunting opportunities become harder to come by. Efforts to establish a no net […]
Why It Matters: As hunting participation has generally been on the decline in recent years, access to quality hunting ground is often cited as a leading barrier to hunting participation. These challenges can be exacerbated when access and opportunity are governed by conflicting rules established by multiple agencies, causing confusion among would-be participants. Efforts to codify the state’s fish and wildlife agency as the sole rulemaking and […]
Why It Matters: As the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has covered on many occasions, Massachusetts and Maine remain the only two states in the country with an outright ban on Sunday hunting. On March 19, 2026, Governor Maura Healey, flanked by agency brass and even renowned conservationist Jeff Corwin of The Corwin Experience and Animal Planet fame, announced that her administration seeks to repeal the long-standing prohibition […]
Why It Matters: The South Dakota legislative session came to a close in early March. Legislators in the Mount Rushmore State introduced their fair share of legislation that would have had an impact on sportsmen and women. With the close of the session, legislators were successful in passing suppressor clarification legislation, a legislative priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). Highlights: The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation was active […]
Why It Matters: The 2026 legislative sessions in Oregon and Washington recently concluded, delivering a mix of victories and setbacks for sportsmen and women amid competing priorities and tight budgets in both states. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), Washington and Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucuses, and coalition partners helped secure protection and funding in some areas while defending against threats. Staying actively involved with lawmakers, agencies, and […]
Why It Matters: The 2026 general legislative session has kicked off in the “Sportsman’s Paradise”, and legislators have wasted no time in introducing dozens of bills impacting wildlife and fisheries. Among those are reining in the commercial menhaden industry, expanding recreational hunting opportunities, protecting sensitive data from public records requests, and much more. Highlights: Louisiana is known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise” for […]
March 18, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed four legislative priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF): the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act, the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support (MAWS) Act of 2026, the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025, and the Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act. Thanks to the active work of Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s […]
Why It Matters: Though hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife (including by trapping) have long been an American tradition, dating back to before the first Europeans arrived in North America, only in recent decades has the “right” to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife come into question. To establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, twenty-four states have […]
Why It Matters: Exposing young people to the fundamentals of our time-honored traditions is essential in recruiting the next generation of hunters. Bringing hunter safety education classes into schools offers a controlled and safe environment for students to learn the fundamentals needed to safely participate and enjoy our favorite pastimes and continue funding conservation through the […]
Why It Matters: Whether it’s the funding of conservation today or enabling the next generation of sporting license buyers, there are bills moving through the Tennessee General Assembly that would benefit the sporting-conservation community both short and long-term. Hunters and anglers generate the vast majority of state-level conservation funding through the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of […]