News Category: Hunting

Why It Matters: Hunting is the preferred tool for wildlife management, as it is the most effective, cost-efficient, and socially acceptable method of maintaining healthy wildlife populations. It is imperative that policies are guided by science-based principles and that hunters are provided opportunities to be active participants in conservation. Highlights: In April, the Congressional Sportsmen’s…

Why It Matters: On Tuesday, August 26, New York Assembly Bill 8330 (AB 8330) and Senate Bill 6360 (SB 6360) were signed into law, which has normalized crossbows. Effective immediately, crossbows are permitted during the full archery season and onerous size requirements on width and maximum peak draw weight are removed from New York statute….

Why It Matters: The Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) Commission’s August 21, 2025 meeting finalized regulations for the for the 2025-2026 hunting, fishing, and trapping seasons, along with considerations of several land and water projects shaping both management and public access plans for the coming year. Highlights: The Commission took the Future Fisheries Improvement…

Why It Matters: The duck hunting season in Nebraska and South Dakota is right around the corner. Duck hunters in these states have two options when it comes to bag limits when they are registering for their Harvest Information Program numbers. The two-tier option aims to address the issue of declining duck hunter numbers and…

Why It Matters: As efforts to bolster hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation across the country ramp up, bringing basic hunter education to the classroom serves as an excellent avenue to support the next generation of sportsmen and women. It is the next generation of hunters and anglers that will help sustain critical conservation funding needed…

Why It Matters: State wildlife agencies have a responsibility to protect access to public hunting lands and fishing access points, but not all states are mandated by statute. Hunting Heritage Protection Acts, or “No-Net-Loss,” ensure that, if public land used for hunting and fishing is ever sold or used for some other purpose, equal or…

Why It Matters: Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a mentor to introduce them to hunting and teach them everything they need to know. To help teach new hunters, many state fish and wildlife agencies offer classes or mentored hunting opportunities. These opportunities can lead to recruiting new hunters, who will be encouraged to…

Why It Matters:  For the first time since October of 2015, sportsmen and women in Florida will have the opportunity to throw their name in the hat to draw a coveted black bear tag and participate in a black bear hunt. Re-establishing a black bear season in Florida has been a priority for the Congressional…

Why It Matters: The American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), driven by sportsmen and women, funds the vast majority of the critical wildlife and habitat programs throughout the United States. However, many Western state fish and wildlife agencies rely not only on ASCF funding but also supplemental funding from their state’s general fund. In states…

Why it matters: With many hunting seasons in the Northeast coming into focus in the next few weeks, sportsmen and women going afield should brush-up on new laws and regulations that could change their approach to the ’25-’26 hunting seasons. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) was on the frontlines of advancing pro-sporting legislation and stopping…

Why It Matters: Legislatures that meet year-round still have outstanding opportunities to enact policies that benefit sportsmen and women. In Wisconsin, reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund would continue to provide hunters and anglers with access to the State’s storied fish and wildlife resources, while creating a new hunting season for sandhill cranes would help farmers…

Why It Matters:  During their meeting on August 13, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have the opportunity to re-establish a black bear hunting season for the first time in a decade. If the vote is favorable, Florida sportsmen and women will have the opportunity to pursue a species in which their conservation…