Why It Matters: With dove season marking the official start of fall hunting across the Great Plains, sportsmen and women look forward to hitting the fields for one of the most popular and accessible bird hunts. Dove hunting provides exciting action, generous bag limits, and an opportunity for new hunters to experience their first hunt….
Why It Matters: Seemingly innocuous bills can sometimes carry significant unexpected consequences for law-abiding sportsmen and women. Currently, California Assembly Bill 519, which has moved through both chambers with wide support, is one such example that has some members of the sporting-conservation community concerned. On the surface, the bill reads as an anti-puppy mill effort,…
Why It Matters: The “Sportsman’s Paradise” has seen several different pieces of legislation and regulations cross the finish line thus far in 2025. From committing funding to revitalize one of the most historic waterfowl hunting areas in the state, to incentivizing private landowners to enhance wildlife habitat, expanding black bear hunting opportunities, modernizing primitive firearms…
Why it Matters: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) provides important hunting and fishing opportunities across the country. Despite the importance that FWS lands, particularly through the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) and the National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS), play for sportsmen and women, there are often inconsistencies between state and federal regulations, as…
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…