Why It Matters: The use of dogs is not only a deep-seated component of our hunting heritage, it is also a critical tool in the toolbox of science-based wildlife management. A petition brought before the Arizona Game and Fish Department Commission (Commission) sought to ban hunting with hounds in Arizona, which would have severely limited …
Why It Matters: The wildfires in Western North Carolina, worsened by debris from Hurricane Helene, reinforce the need to actively manage forests to reduce fuel loads and improve forest resiliency. Litigation to spur a forest plan amendment is a continuation of coordinated efforts to stop forest restoration and wildlife habitat improvement work on the two …
Why It Matters: Though relatively few people are familiar with the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, 2025 marks the 75th Anniversary of this important program and the greatest fish and aquatic resource conservation story ever told. Without it, there would be far fewer places to launch a boat, piers to fish from, or …
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is! – The Angling and Boating Community Has For 75 Years Read More »
Why It Matters: Oregon House Bill 3932 pushes to ban beaver trapping on certain public lands, threatening a vital wildlife management tool under the pretext of conservation. This bill could disrupt ecological balance and waterway health, ignoring science for the sake of restrictive ideology. Highlights: HB 3932 appears to be part of a broader campaign …
Beaver Ban: Oregon HB 3932 is a Clear Attack on Trapping Read More »
Why It Matters: Efforts to promote and conserve our sporting heritage today stand to benefit sportsmen and women for generations to come. Whether that is revolutionizing fisheries management or recruiting the next generation of hunters, proactive efforts today will last for well into the future for all Georgians. Highlights: On February 13, Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s …
2025 Georgia Legislative Session Comes to a Close Read More »
Why It Matters: For the continued success of our time-honored outdoor traditions, it is critical to secure policies that provide increased access and opportunity for hunters to remain engaged in their outdoor pursuits regardless of age or injury, as well as offering additional avenues for new hunters to be introduced to the stand or blind. …
Why It Matters: Introduced on March 25, 2025, Maine Legislative Docket 1230 (LD 1230), a bill that seeks to repeal the 72-hour waiting period on firearms transfers, currently sits in the Joint Committee on Judiciary where it awaits action. In 2024, LD 2238 was hurriedly passed in an attempt to” do something” after the tragic, …
Attempt to Abolish 72-Hour Waiting Period on Firearm Transfers in Maine Read More »
Why It Matters: Governed in-part by the notion that wildlife management decisions and regulations be decided using the best available science, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is regarded as the most successful model of wildlife management in the world. Careful and strategic game management decisions coupled with funds generated as part of the …
Big Time Big Game Opportunity on the Horizon for North Carolinians Read More »
Why It Matters: In 1923, Connecticut enacted a prohibition on the ability to hunt on a Sunday. On March 24th, over a hundred years later, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and fellow conservation partners testified in front of Connecticut’s Joint Committee on Environment to repeal all remaining statutory prohibitions on hunting on a Sunday (House …
Blue Laws Still a Barrier for Hunting in Connecticut Read More »
Why It Matters: When most people think of Nevada they think of Las Vegas or Reno. But the truth of the matter is, Nevada contains some of America’s most beautiful country. From the rocky, sage brush covered low desert, to the high, lonesome, snow-covered mountain peaks, Nevada’s diverse landscape is filled with equally diverse wildlife …
Heating Up in the Desert: Several Bills on the Move in Nevada Read More »
Why It Matters: Virginia Senate Bill 848 (SB 848) would have increased the minimum age for purchasing a modern sporting rifle (and “assault firearms”) to 21 years old and Senate Bill 1181 (SB 1181) would have made the sale, manufacture, purchase, or transfer of a modern sporting rifle (and “assault firearms”) that were made after …
Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Vetoes Anti-Gun Bills in Virginia Read More »
Why It Matters: The Department of the Interior (DOI) is a critical federal department for sportsmen and women by serving as a significant facilitator of access and overseeing a wide array of conservation programs. Specifically, the roles of DOI Deputy Secretary and Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are critical positions that …
CSF-Supported DOI Nominees Begin Confirmation Process Read More »
Why It Matters: The American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) is a consortium of 52 of the nation’s leading hunting and wildlife conservation professionals, among other entities, that work to build unity and consensus around the most pressing issues facing sportsmen and women and wildlife. Every four years, AWCP develops a collective set our federal priorities …
CSF Hosts Policy Briefing on Capitol Hill with Key Partners to Convey Priorities Read More »
Why It Matters: The South Dakota legislative session saw its fair share of sportsmen-related legislation. Fortunately, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), working with partners and the South Dakota Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, was able to defeat bills that could have led to a transfer of funds from the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks and a …
Two Additional Policy Wins Notched in South Dakota as Session Adjourns Read More »
Why It Matters: The western states have been long celebrated by the outdoor community as being a mecca for outdoor recreational opportunity thanks in part to the vast amounts of state and federal land open to the public. Over time some states have become segmented into a patchwork of public and private land. This leads …
Wyoming Corner Crossing Ruling Upheld by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Read More »
Why It Matters: Whether they are aware of it or not, sportsmen and women support the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding through the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and other related outdoor sporting goods. Manufacturer-level excise taxes collected on these products are funneled directly back into conservation. 2nd …
Why It Matters: Hunters in Maryland can continue to use the ammunition of their choosing for hunting game species in the “Old-Line State”. Maryland House Bill 741 (HB 741) and Senate Bill 634 (SB 634) contained a provision that would require the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out …
Going, Going, GONE! Maryland’s Lead Hunting Ammo Ban Killed at Crossover Read More »
Why It Matters: Without active management, forest health and wildlife habitat will decline as insects, drought, and other stressors reduce stand vigor while the risk for severe wildfire will increase, threatening nearby private lands as well as the winter range habitat that the wildlife management area provides for big game species important to Montana’s hunters …
CSF Supports Habitat Improvement Project on Montana Wildlife Management Area Read More »
Why It Matters: Firearms have long been one of the most important tools for participating in our outdoor traditions. Recognizing this, the Nebraska legislature is considering two bills that would respectively protect firearm purchasers from having their firearm and ammunition purchases tracked while also protecting the firearm industry from discriminatory business practices. Highlights: Nebraska Legislative …
Nebraska Legislation Protecting Firearm Retailers and Consumers on the Move Read More »
Why It Matters: Though hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife (including by trapping) have long been our heritage, dating back to before the first Europeans arrived in North America, only recently has the “right” to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife come into question. To establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, 24 states have …
Right to Hunt and Fish Gets Committee Hearing in Maine Read More »