Why It Matters: Though hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife (including by trapping) have long been an American tradition, dating back to before the first Europeans arrived in North America, only in recent decades has the “right” to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife come into question. To establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, twenty-four states have now amended their constitutions to give their citizens a right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife and to continue a consumptive, yet responsible, use of natural resources. New Hampshire now has such an opportunity and looks to become the 25th state to codify this right.
Highlights
For generations, New Hampshire families have passed down the traditions of hunting and fishing – early mornings in the woods, quiet moments on the water, and lessons that connect us to the land and to each other. This year, we have a rare opportunity to protect those traditions for our children and grandchildren by enshrining the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife in the New Hampshire State Constitution.
Let’s start with what CACR 15
does not do:
If the citizens of the Granite State get the opportunity to vote in November to codify the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife by traditional methods and successfully amend the state constitution, will sportsmen and women be allowed to hunt 24/7, 365? NO. All seasons, rules, regulations, and statutes concerning the New Hampshire Fish and Game (NH F&G), the NH F&G Commission’s rule-making authority, private property rights, and trespassing laws stay the same, and nothing changes.
Will CACR 15 passage void private property rights and trespass law? No. Per RSA 635:4, landowners are allowed to post property and exclude others.
Will the passage of CACR 15 force the state to institute a bobcat season? No. The Amendment only codifies the citizens’ right to hunt and fish. Seasons, bag limits, and rule-setting still reside with the NH F&G Commission, and a legislative act would still have to occur to bring about a bobcat season, signed into law by the Governor.
Will CACR 15 passage legalize poaching? No. All laws enforced by the NH F&G Law Enforcement Division remain intact, with Conservation Officers able to execute their mission and process criminal offenses and offenders.
Could traditional methods mean anything? No. “Traditional methods” is what is a legal means of take at the time of passage.
What does CACR 15 do? Well, as stated, it would codify the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife by traditional methods. The ripple effect creates a funding source in perpetuity via license sale, which NH F&G depends on to fulfill their mission. Due to the “user pays – public benefits” American System of Conservation Funding (AFSC), license revenue is matched with federal dollars via the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson) and the Sportfish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux). Without this primary funding source, NH F&G would cease to exist as citizens know it, and mission delivery would fail to be delivered. CACR 15 will protect the primary funders of conservation in the Granite State from attacks by deep-pocketed anti-hunting groups, both national and in-state. It further protects New Hampshire’s sportsmen and women, who are, via their pursuits, the preferred practitioners of wildlife management per the North American Model of Wildlife Management.
In short, CACR 15 has nothing but an upside for conservation, habitat, wildlife management, and the protection of our deep-rooted sporting culture and traditions in the Granite State. CACR 15 respects and works in concert with property rights, landowners, and Fish and Game laws.
The
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) looks forward to working with the New Hampshire Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, members of the General Court, in-state and national partners, neighbors, and the over 232,000 license holders of New Hampshire to get CACR 15 to the ballot in November.
