On February 17, the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) hosted their annual fish fry in Jackson. The annual dinner, held in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), brings together sportsman-legislators, MDWFP staff and members of the state’s sportsmen’s community to discuss important issues and support the state’s rich hunting and angling traditions.
The event featured a program by Preston Pittman of Pittman Game Calls and was enjoyed by Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Republican Chair Governor Phil Bryant, over 40 legislators and many members of the sportsmen’s community in Mississippi.
Governor Bryant noted, “As an avid outdoorsman and Republican Chair of the bipartisan Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus, I am excited about the opportunity to lead other like-minded state executives from around the country in supporting hunting, angling, and conservation issues.”
The Caucus, chaired by Senators Philip Moran and Angela Hill, and Representatives Scott Bounds and Shane Barnett, is the largest bipartisan legislative caucus in the Mississippi State House. In addition to strong Caucus leadership, former Caucus Co-Chair Representative Herb Frierson now sits on the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council. The Caucus is a consistent presence in the statehouse and works alongside the MDWFP and stakeholders to protect and advance sportsmen’s issues in the state. Mississippi will serve as the host-state for the 2016 Annual NASC Sportsman-Legislator Summit to be held in Biloxi.
“The Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus has long been an advocate for state fish and wildlife management objectives and ensuring that our traditional rights as hunters and anglers are protected, said Representative Bounds. “We are extremely pleased to be hosting the 2016 NASC Summit and look forward to showcasing the Mississippi Gulf Coast to our friends from around the country this winter.”
CSF would like to extend a special thank you to MDWFP for preparing the food and more than 20 corporate and private sponsors who made the event possible.
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?
