The Honorable Thad Cochran, former Senator and U.S. Representative from Mississippi, passed away on Thursday, May 30. Cochran, who served more than 45 years in Congress, was a Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member and avid sportsman. He staunchly supported numerous pro-sportsmen’s conservation bills throughout his tenure in Congress, including the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act, the Modern Fish Act, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation reauthorization, the Hunter and Farmer Protection Act, among others. He also served on the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee.
“A family relative, dear friend, fellow hunter and angler, and my former boss – Senator Thad Cochran – championed the conservation and sportsmen’s agenda since he was elected to Congress in 1973. Cochran grew up hunting and fishing in Mississippi and valued the important lessons and experiences people gain from being outdoors. He consistently represented the interests of hunters, anglers and gun owners by supporting policies that protected our Second Amendment rights, promoted conservation, especially on private lands, minimizedburdensome or unnecessary regulations and expanded public access to federal public lands,” said James L. Cummins, Executive Director of Wildlife Mississippi and a Vice-President of the Boone and Crockett Club. “While we won’t chase trout, turkeys or ducks again together, I will constantly be reminded of the legacy he left each and every sportsmen throughout Mississippi and our nation. He was giant”
Senator Thad Cochran is joined by Governor’s Sportsmen Caucus member Phil Bryant, CSF Board Member Simon Roosevelt, and James L. Cummins and for the ground breaking of the Theodore Roosevelt Visitor Center at the site of Roosevelt’s famous 1902 Mississippi bear hunt that gave the world the Teddy Bear and fair chase hunting.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
