American System of Conservation Funding Summary For over 80 years, sportsmen have played an integral and unique role in providing the vast majority of conservation funding in the United States through a “user pays — public benefits” structure in which those who consumptively use the resource pay for the privilege, and in some cases the …
Summary In some areas, deer populations have exceeded population management goals, leading to increased deer-related damages in the amount of $2 billion annually. Recently, popularized alternatives in population control, such as sterilization and contraception, are costly and to date have not been proven effective for managing free ranging populations. Hunting continues to be the most …
White-tailed Deer Management: Hunting as a Preferred Management Tool Read More »
Summary In most states, fish and wildlife agencies are the entities best equipped to address fish and wildlife management issues within their respective borders. Recent efforts have been made to undermine state fish and wildlife management authority by placing greater authority under federal or local jurisdiction poses a serious threat to the future of state-based …
Summary The first residential hunting licenses were introduced in 1895 and were considered widely successful in creating funds for the newly established state fish and wildlife agencies. Despite having jurisdiction over the fish and wildlife within the state, the overwhelming majority of state game agencies have little control over setting the price of licenses, permits, …
State Agency Authority to Set License, Permit, and Tag Fees Read More »
Summary The red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico is managed by the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council (Gulf Council) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). Once considered “overfished” from the late 1970’s through the early 2000s, the red snapper population has turned the corner and …
Summary Classified as a nuisance species in many states and not native to the Americas, feral swine cause significant damage to our natural resources and negatively impact agricultural production across the country. Recent research highlights the growing negative impacts feral swine can have to our water, plants, wildlife communities (both game and non-game) and their …
Summary One of the primary motivations for many individuals to hunt and fish is to provide food for themselves and their families and friends. Many hunters take advantage of opportunities to donate to one of the many game meat donation programs operated by various charitable organizations. Though there exists a well-established tradition of nourishing others …
Summary Revenue from sporting licenses is a crucial element for funding state fish and wildlife agencies’ conservation efforts across the nation. However, well-intentioned programs to offer free and discounted licenses to certain qualified individuals/groups have the potential to reap deteriorative effects on the agencies’ budgets. To prevent the loss of sportsmen-generated dollars for conservation funding, …
Reimbursement to Fish and Wildlife Agencies for Free and Discounted Licenses Read More »
Summary Outdoor sporting goods tax holidays offer sportsmen and women an opportunity to purchase the equipment they need tax free while at the same time benefiting conservation programs through increasing sales of firearms,ammunition, and other items that are subject to federal excise taxes. Gun sales soared (650% increase in one day) on the first ever …
Summary As with many Constitutional protections, the court system has created carve-outs and exceptions to the Fourth Amendment, one being the Open Fields Doctrine. This doctrine holds that the expectation of privacy provided by the Fourth Amendment does not extend to “open fields” or other wooded properties, regardless of whether a property is posted with …
