State: IL

Why It Matters: Although hunters are at home in the field or woods, they must still be aware of what happens in the halls of their state government. Changes and updates to hunting laws and regulations can impact the pursuit of sportsmen and women’s favorite species, and hunters must stay on top of those changes…

Why It Matters: Hunters are the backbone of conservation and to continue carrying that banner, new sportsmen and women must be exposed to the woods and fields. However, as fewer folks dress themselves in camouflage and orange, there are fewer to pass on our time-honored outdoor traditions to new generations. Allowing schools to instruct safe…

Why It Matters: Although victories may be secured during regular sessions, Governors in some states may call veto sessions, in which the legislature has the opportunity to pass additional priorities. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) successfully advocated against the passage of a bill in Illinois that would have prohibited hunters from organizing contests to take…

Why It Matters: Each year, state legislatures around the country introduce and consider bills that would hinder sportsmen and women from partaking in our time-honored outdoor traditions. Oftentimes, those bills would also interfere with state fish and wildlife agencies’ authority to follow science-based management principles. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) works to thwart the passage…

Why It Matters: Following relentless efforts from anti-hunting organizations, a bill that sought to prohibit hunters from participating in contests or tournaments was revived after it missed a key legislative deadline. The bill threatens traditions that sportsmen and women have long enjoyed while simultaneously seeking to manage wildlife issues legislatively rather than vesting the appropriate…

Why It Matters: Bills that seek to prohibit hunters from participating in contests or tournaments threaten traditions that sportsmen and women have long enjoyed, as well as legitimate conservation methods of controlling predator and invasive species – namely coyotes. Most importantly, these bills attempt to legislatively manage wildlife issues rather than vesting the appropriate decision-making…

Why It Matters: Allowing the use of small-bore shotguns such as the .410-bore and 28 gauge to take turkeys expands the hunting opportunities available to youth, smaller-framed, or otherwise recoil-sensitive hunters. As these smaller shotguns are entirely effective at ethically harvesting turkeys, allowing their use may very well create new lifelong turkey-chasers, which is critical…

Many sportsmen and women depend on federal lands managed by agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for access to activities like hunting, fishing and recreational shooting. As these agencies develop strategies to manage federal lands, it is critical for those who support these activities…

“No-Net-Loss” of public lands has become increasingly important to ensure access to public lands and waterways for current and future generations of sportsmen and women. Sometimes referred to as “Hunting Heritage Protection Acts,” these policies limit the loss of access to hunting and fishing opportunity by establishing a minimum acreage of publicly- owned areas open…

Concerned about the uncertainty that 30×30 policies may pose for hunting and fishing access, the sportsmen’s community issued the Hunting and Fishing Community Statement on the 30 by 30 Initiative. This statement recognizes and embraces the overlap between the sportsmen’s community’s collective work to conserve fish and wildlife species and their habitats and the establishment…