Why It Matters: It is no secret that hunter participation rates are declining across the country. While it may oftentimes go unrecognized, hunter safety education courses offer young and new hunters the opportunity to learn proper firearm safety and safe hunting practices to take afield. Hunter safety programs serve to keep hunters safe while in …
Misguided Hunter Education Repeal Bill Introduced in Kentucky Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislative efforts to offer discounted or no-cost licenses for certain demographics, most commonly veterans, continue to be increasingly common across the country. It is no different in the Great Plains, as Nebraska has introduced several bills that would offer both discounted and no-cost licenses for resident and nonresident veterans that, if passed …
CSF Recommends Amendments to Discounted and Free License Bills in Nebraska Read More »
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: Oregon’s hunters, anglers, and trappers have long played a vital role in funding conservation and wildlife management efforts throughout the state. Under the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), a unique “user pays – public benefits” structure, Oregon’s sportsmen and women generate tens of millions of dollars each year for the Oregon …
Why It Matters: Law-abiding hunters and recreational shooters have long played a vital role in funding conservation through various wildlife management nationwide. Recently, state legislatures have begun proposing state excise taxes in addition to the existing manufacturer-level taxes already being paid under federal law. Under the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), a unique “user …
State Firearms and Ammunition Excise Taxes Proposed in WA & NM Read More »
Why It Matters: While the 118th Congress has found it challenging to reach agreements and pass bills, there are a few pieces of legislation making their way through the process that are strongly bipartisan and stand a higher-than-average likelihood of becoming law before this Congress adjourns later this year. Among those are two Congressional Sportsmen’s …
CSF Supported Bills to Recruit Anglers and Protect Habitat Heard in House Read More »
Why It Matters: The committee passage of the EXPLORE Act, the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act, and the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act marks an important step in the advancement of these priority bills for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). These bills seek to improve outdoor recreational access and to enhance fish and …
House and Senate Committees Each Pass CSF Priorities Read More »
Why It Matters: Every year bills are introduced that would allow individuals to purchase a free or heavily discounted hunting and/or fishing license. Legislators tend to target deserving groups, such as first responders or veterans. However, if passed, these bills could have a significant impact on conservation funding for their respective state’s fish and wildlife …
Bill to Safeguard MDWFP Funding Brought Back to the Table Read More »
Why It Matters: Currently, in Delaware, Sunday hunting for game birds is prohibited. Delaware’s definition of game bird includes waterfowl, rails, wild turkeys, pheasants, quail, chukar, and doves, amongst others. House Bill 271 (HB 271) removes game birds from the list of species prohibited from Sunday hunting within the First State. While the passage of …
Delaware House Bill 271 Seeks to Lift Sunday Game Bird Hunting Prohibition Read More »
Why It Matters: Bobcat populations have steadily increased in the Hoosier State, yet there is not currently a season in place for sportsmen and women to harvest the elusive predator. Active, science-based wildlife management, which often relies on regulated harvest by sportsmen and women, is critical to the continued success of conservation in Indiana. Highlights: …
CSF Supports Legislation to Establish Bobcat Season in Indiana Read More »
Why It Matters: The 2022-2023 winter was hard on ungulate populations, especially mule deer herds in Southeastern Idaho. In fact, record levels of winterkill were recorded across the western states in 2023. One strategy being utilized to help these herds recover is a temporary closure of shed hunting in two Idaho regions as the state …
Shed Hunting Paused in Idaho to Protect Wintering Herds Read More »
Why It Matters: With declining wetland habitats, severe drought, increased predation, and other challenges, waterfowl populations are not as robust as waterfowl hunters and others would like to see. For example, mallard ducks are down 23% from their long-term average, a sign of the struggle associated with breeding success. However, there are well-established practices such …
HEN Act Would Boost Waterfowl Populations Across the Nation Read More »
Why It Matters: Introduced as a way to honor certain groups of people, often veterans, legislative efforts to provide free or discounted hunting or fishing licenses continue to crop up around the Midwest, and across the country. While seemingly a harmless way to thank those who served our country, discounted licenses are a double-edged sword …
The Oprah Effect: Even More Free or Discounted License Bills Proposed in the Midwest Read More »
Why It Matters: Introduced on January 3, 2024, New Hampshire House Bill (HB) 1148 seeks to amend the current process and prerequisites in which a Fish & Game Commissioner is nominated and approved. With the proposed changes to RSA 206:2 Appointment of Commission the nominating process would make nominees for an open seat public by …
Here We Go Again… NH Bill Seeks to Seat Non-Sporting Citizens to Board of Commissioners Read More »
Why It Matters: Hunting and fishing are integral components of many Southern states’ traditions. This is reflected in the legislature, where several states support firearm ownership and use, dedicated conservation funding, and several other pro-sportsmen measures to ensure that outdoor sporting traditions are protected for generations to come. However, there is still much more work …
Conservation Policy Trends We Expect to See Moving in the Southeast This Year Read More »
Why It Matters: For years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has collected recreation fees at most public-use facilities on Corps properties around the country, including boat ramps. Instead of using those fees for the upkeep or improvement of those boating access sites, the fees have been diverted to the general treasury of the …
Why It Matters: Legislation seeking to restrict is the lawful ownership and use of firearms is often eventually used as a vector of attack for issues more directly related to hunting, just as restrictions on hunting are often used as a vector of attack against firearms. Our issues are fundamentally intertwined, given that firearms of …
Anti-Gun Legislation to be Introduced in New Mexico Read More »
Why It Matters: While hunting and fishing license exemptions for qualified individuals or groups are well-intentioned, they threaten conservation funding for state fish and wildlife agencies through both the direct loss of license sales and the loss of matching federal funds through the Pittman-Robertson (PR) and Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux (DJ) Acts. State fish and wildlife agencies depend …
New Year, New Threats to Conservation Funding in Kentucky Read More »
Why It Matters: With hunter participation rates declining across the country, the Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus enters 2024 with a partial fix on the docket: requiring that a model hunter safety course be created for schools to offer as an elective. Exposing students to firearm safety and hunting practices aims to recruit more young hunters …
Classroom to Crosshairs: Michigan Seeks to Include Hunter Safety in Education Curriculum Read More »
Why It Matters: The use of ballot initiatives to ban hunting and dictate wildlife management practices, circumventing the regulatory process that provides the opportunity for input by professionals, for revisions, and considerations of broader impacts within the Colorado’s overall science-based management plan. These initiatives can allow wildlife management decisions to be made based on emotion …
Second Ballot Initiative Filed in Colorado to Ban Mountain Lion and Bobcat Hunting Read More »
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