Why It Matters: On September 23, 2023, sportsmen and women across the nation celebrated National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD). This year, Governor Brian Kemp was one of 40 governors that signed proclamations commemorating NHFD. As the original conservationists, sportsmen and women make immense contributions to conservation funding and the economy in Georgia and across …
Governor Kemp Gives Special Recognition to the Sportsmen and Women of Georgia Read More »
Why It Matters: A petition to initiate rulemaking around wolf-livestock conflict was taken into consideration by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Commission at their meeting on October 28, 2023. The rules proposed by petitioners would have hindered WDFW’s ability to properly manage wolves in Washington State, slowing recovery of the species while …
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission Denies Wolf Rulemaking Petition Read More »
Why It Matters: While some states are attempting to limit or ban hunting mountain lions, Nebraska is creating more opportunities for hunters to hit the fields and attempt to harvest a mountain lion. Hunting has long been a time-honored tradition of sportsmen and women, and increasing the opportunity to hunt big game helps to continue …
Mountain Lion Hunting Opportunities Expanded in Nebraska Read More »
Why it Matters: To date, the Pittman-Robertson Act has generated over $15 billion in critical funding to conserve wildlife, improve recreational shooting and hunting access, fund hunting education programs, and support other programs that are vital to our hunting and recreational shooting heritage. Building on this foundation, the Tax Stamp Revenue Transfer for Wildlife and …
Why it Matters: Introduced earlier in 2023, Massachusetts House Bill 849 and Senate Bill 590, Acts Prohibiting the Sale of Fur Products, seek to prohibit the sale of fur products in the Commonwealth. With cowhide, lambskin or sheep skin, or pelts used in taxidermy excluded from the definitions of “fur” and “fur product,” the remaining …
Massachusetts Seeks to Prohibit the Sale of Fur Products Read More »
Why It Matters: Thanks to the efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), the Louisiana black bear was delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2016. Since then, black bear numbers have continued to climb, presenting a challenge for the state that it has not faced in decades – balancing black bear …
Louisiana Moves One Step Closer to Authorizing a Black Bear Season in 2024 Read More »
Why it Matters: The 2023 legislative sessions have brought several key changes to deer seasons in the Great Lakes region this year. Knowing the changes that have taken place to your state’s hunting laws and regulations is imperative to a successful season. Highlights: Although deer season is only a brief time of the year, legislation …
Does and Don’ts: Deer Season Updates in the Great Lakes States Read More »
Why It Matters: Similar for anglers in the Gulf of Mexico, red snapper are an extremely popular reef fish in the South Atlantic. However, federal stock assessment models suggest they are being overfished in the region, yet the population abundance is higher than it has ever been and continues to increase. Needless to say, the …
Red Snapper Act Advances in House, Opportunities for Better Management May Be on Horizon Read More »
Why It Matters: From sled teams visiting trapping lines deep in the Alaskan tundra, to hunting and fishing camps accessed by small planes, the rugged sportsmen and women venturing out into the Alaskan wilderness have long played a vital role in the state’s history and industry. As has already occurred in many states, development and …
Sportsmen and Women: Alaska’s Past, Present, and Future Read More »
Why It Matters: There are seven federal agencies under four different cabinet-level secretaries that have some degree of jurisdiction and regulatory authority over what hunters, anglers, and boaters can or cannot do on navigable waters. The MAPWaters Act recently introduced in the Senate will require certain federal agencies to pool their regulatory data into one …
Why It Matters: On October 18, 2023, members of the Massachusetts House introduced MA House Bill (HB) 4139 An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, formally House Docket (HD) 4607, formally HD 4420 which the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) reported and engaged on in July of 2023 and throughout the Summer Recess. HB 4139 is an aggressive …
UPDATE: Massachusetts House Advances Sweeping Gun Control Package to Senate Read More »
Why It Matters: Regarded as the most successful model of wildlife conservation in the world, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation can be credited for countless conservation success stories ranging from the current white-tailed deer abundance to the resurgence of the wild turkey. A large part of its success is attributed to the core …
Tennessee Seeking Comments on Draft Deer and Turkey Management Plans Read More »
Why It Matters: Formalizing official Advisory Councils to state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses provides Caucus members with a direct line to their outdoor sporting constituency that can deliver invaluable insight to policy as it relates to conservation and our shared outdoor sporting heritage. As Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Members rotate in and out of the legislature, Advisory …
New Advisory Council Formed in Partnership with Nevada Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Read More »
Why It Matters: Building on the Midwest’s recent themes surrounding voluntary conservation opportunities for private landowners, Arkansas’ recent investment of $3.5 million in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s 2023 Conservation Incentive Program highlights the steps that states are taking to promote the conservation of our nation’s public trust resources on private property. In states …
It Just Comes Natural: Arkansas Invests in Private Lands Conservation Read More »
Why It Matters: For the last handful of years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has conducted an effort known as the Hunt Fish Rule, which has largely been a positive effort to expand access for sportsmen and women. However, in recent years, the number of acres expanded for hunting and fishing opportunities under the …
FWS Finalizes Hunt Fish Rule – Mixed Bag for Sportsmen and Women Read More »
Why it matters: The Chesapeake Bay is one of the largest estuaries in the United States, boasting its infamous brackish (partially salty, partially fresh) waters deriving from the Atlantic Ocean and 64,000-square-miles of watershed from its neighboring states. The Bay is known for many things, but it is well recognized for its importance as the …
New Survey of Young Striped Bass Continues to Point to Trouble for Atlantic Fishery Read More »
Why It Matters: The sportsmen’s community in Washington State has supported WDFW’s conservation efforts since its inception. Unfortunately, with recent Commission appointments, the hunting and angling community has seen our input discounted. In fact, several on the Commission have frequently proposed naming wildlife (or “non-human life”) as stakeholders of the Commission. It is important that …
Why It Matters: The Louisiana black bear is one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories in Louisiana in recent memory. Louisiana has not held a black bear hunt in the state since the late 1980s. However, there are now harvestable surpluses of black bears in specific Bear Management Areas (BMAs). With the increase in populations …
Louisiana Black Bear Season Could Be on the Horizon Read More »
Why it matters: Year after year, the cost associated with natural resource management, as with all things, continues to increase. Given the “user pays – public benefits” framework of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), ensuring that license prices keep up with inflation helps state fish and wildlife agencies continue their work of providing …
Much Needed License Fee Increases Coming to the Great Plains Read More »
Why It Matters: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an always fatal neurologic disease caused by an environmentally resilient, infectious protein called a prion that infects both farmed and free-ranging cervids. CWD was first discovered in Colorado during the late 1960s and was subsequently detected in wild deer in 1981. While CWD was first detected in …
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