News Category: Hunting

Why It Matters: Following relentless efforts from anti-hunting organizations, a bill that sought to prohibit hunters from participating in contests or tournaments was revived after it missed a key legislative deadline. The bill threatens traditions that sportsmen and women have long enjoyed while simultaneously seeking to manage wildlife issues legislatively rather than vesting the appropriate…

Why It Matters: When game populations are at a point where limited, regulated hunting opportunities are necessary for their management, state fish and wildlife agencies often develop a lottery system in which sportsmen and women apply for a limited number of tags or permits. In utilizing a lottery, states are able to manage the demand…

Why It Matters: College can be an incredibly challenging time financially for many students, which presents a real barrier for them purchasing a hunting, trapping, or fishing license while in school. If young adults cease their participation in hunting and angling for 4 years while other interests are blossoming, there is real potential for them…

Why It Matters:  Our four-legged canine companions can play a crucial role in many aspects of our sporting traditions, including in the tracking and recovery of wounded game. Exhausting all available resources when tracking and recovering game is one of the cornerstones of hunting that ethical sportsmen and women share, so the use of tracking…

Why It Matters: Sunday hunting bans are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical and antiquated laws that were initially designed to encourage church attendance. At the time when blue law restrictions were first put in place, other activities that were illegal on a Sunday included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic…

Why It Matters: With the release of the conservation.gov website and the beta-version of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, sportsmen and women, and all Americans have a clearer idea of what the Biden Administration is considering “conserved” as it relates to the America the Beautiful Initiative. Fortunately, the information contained in the Atlas is…

Why It Matters: Bills that seek to prohibit hunters from participating in contests or tournaments threaten traditions that sportsmen and women have long enjoyed, as well as legitimate conservation methods of controlling predator and invasive species – namely coyotes. Most importantly, these bills attempt to legislatively manage wildlife issues rather than vesting the appropriate decision-making…

Why It Matters:  Thanks to the conservation management efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and their partners, utilizing funding generated in large part by hunters through the American System of Conservation Funding, data supports establishing a highly regulated hunting season for Louisiana black bears. This will provide sportsmen and women, who are…

Why It Matters: Introduced on January 12, 2024, Vermont Senate Bill 258 (S. 258) – An act relating to the management of Fish and Wildlife – proposes to transfer the authority to adopt rules for the taking of fish, wildlife, and fur-bearing animals from the Fish and Wildlife Board to the Department of Fish and…

Why It Matters: Caucus-driven Delaware House Bill 271 (HB 271) passed both the House and Senate unanimously and is now awaiting Governor John Carney’s signature for enactment. HB 271 removes game birds from the list of species prohibited from Sunday hunting within the First State. Delaware’s definition of game birds includes waterfowl, rails, wild turkeys,…

Why It Matters: The acquisition of hunting and fishing licenses should not be an overly complicated process. However, as license frameworks evolve over time and more licenses are added, it is easy for hunters, anglers, and trappers to become confused when trying to ensure that they are properly licensed. Fortunately, sportsmen and women in the…

Why It Matters: Currently, if you go game bird hunting in Maryland and Delaware, you can only do so Monday-Saturday. Maryland House Bill 778 (MD HB 778) seeks to remove the legislative prohibition on Sunday migratory game bird hunting (waterfowl and dove), while Delaware House Bill 271 (DE HB 271) seeks to remove the Sunday…