Why It Matters: Within striking distance of crossing the finish line on a multi-year effort, the Michigan Senate’s unanimous passage of a Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) priority bill to allow hunter education and firearm safety to be taught in schools for credit towards graduation aims to introduce young people to firearm safety, the great outdoors,…
Why It Matters: Last week, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced the Missouri Conservation Commission’s initial approval of proposed hunting season dates for the 2026-27 season. This announcement included several major changes to Missouri’s deer season framework compared to recent years. A few days later, MDC Director Jason Sumners issued an open letter announcing…
Why It Matters: Mississippi was the first state in the nation to implement a Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). Their DMAP program went statewide in the 1980s, which became wildly successful and has resulted in Mississippi having one of the most robust white-tailed deer herds in the country. Ironically enough, Mississippi is the only state in…
Why It Matters: The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is the Keystone State’s wildlife conservation experts and is entirely funded by sportsmen and women-generated dollars. Currently, the PGC has a purchasing cap of $400/acre for land, which in 2025, is extremely hard to come by – especially in more urban areas. House Bill 1811 seeks to…
Why It Matters: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that impacts members of the cervid family including deer, elk, caribou, and moose. This highly transmissible neurological disease is always fatal to infected animals, complicating wildlife management efforts. While there is currently no evidence that CWD can be transmitted from deer to humans, the CDC does not recommend consuming meat from known CWD-positive…
Why It Matters: Black bears present hunters with the opportunity to get afield in pursuit of one of the most storied big game animals in the country, both past and present. Simultaneously, black bear hunters generate valuable conservation funding dollars through the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding…
Why It Matters: Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has long provided land acquisition and habitat management opportunities that benefit sportsmen and women through increased public access and improved habitat conditions. With the program set to expire in 2026 and no funding included in the current state budget, this legislation is critical to avoid a lapse in…
Why It Matters: Each year, legislatures and state fish and wildlife agencies make changes to states’ hunting rules and regulations. This is why it is vital that you check your state’s hunting regulations prior to going afield to ensure you are not violating the law and potentially finding yourself with a citation from a game…
Why it Matters: With the deer hunting season in full swing across the country, state fish and wildlife agencies recommend hunters get their deer tested for Chronic Wasting Disease. Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a fatal, degenerative disease occurring in both farmed and free-ranging deer, elk, caribou, and moose. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation encourages…
Why It Matters: For hunters, access alone does not lead to a satisfying experience. The quality of the habitat on the land being accessed, whether public or private, often determines whether a day afield ends with close encounters with the target species or, ideally, a punched tag. As the original conservationists and responsible stewards, it…
Why It Matters: There have been several issues impacting hunters and anglers in Florida so far in 2025. Everything from saving one of the most popular trophy bass fishing lakes in the world, re-establishing a black bear hunting season, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission restructuring, powers of game wardens, and more were on the…
Why It Matters: On October 21, 2025, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a hearing featuring 55 bills, many of which would have a substantial impact on sportsmen and women’s access and opportunities, both in potentially good and bad ways. At least six bills addressed opening Sunday Hunting, multiple bills want…