Several states have passed legislation that allows non-resident, full-time college students to obtain hunting and/or angling licenses at the same price as state residents. The intent of these bills are to increase hunter and angler recruitment and retention within a subset of sportsmen and women which are especially prone to being restricted from hunting due…
Recreational fishing is widely accepted as a wholesome and non-controversial lifetime outdoor activity with numerous positive benefits. By sanctioning angling as a recognized sport, athletic associations and schools provide opportunities for students and families who might not otherwise participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities. Due to its wholesome and non-controversial nature, recreational fishing is widely recognized…
The vast majority of states throughout the nation offer an online component of the hunter’s safety course, which provides potential hunters a way to receive their hunter safety certification at their own pace. By offering new hunters an easy and efficient way to gain hunter safety certification, more people will have the opportunity to begin…
Why It Matters: On September 29, 2023, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted testimony in opposition to New Hampshire House Bill 512 (HB 512) – An Act Exempting Firearms Manufactured in New Hampshire from Federal Laws and Regulations. HB 512, if passed, is very likely to result in an unintended and consequential diminishment to the…
Why It Matters: On September 23, 2023, the sporting community celebrated National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) across the country. Thanks to the efforts of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CFS) regional and federal staff, 38 Governors and the President of the United States, issued proclamations commemorating the day. In New England alone, Governor’s Sportsmen’s Caucus…
Why It Matters: New Hampshire Fish and Game’s biennial rule making session took place earlier this year with many new proposals sent to and approved by the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR). Included in the rules package are new opportunities for Granite State bear hunters. Beginning in 2024, bear hunters will now be…
Why it Matters: After a record setting spring turkey harvest of 5,725 birds in 2022, New Hampshire’s spring turkey hunters took 5,580 birds in spring 2023. According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s turkey biologist, Allison Keating, this past spring marks the fifth consecutive year that the spring turkey harvest exceeded 5,000 birds….
Why It Matters: New Hampshire Senate Bill 15 (NH S 15) and House Bill 221 (NH HB 221) seek to improve New Hampshire’s sporting community’s relationship with private landowners while at the same time protecting private property rights of the state’s sportsmen and women. Both bills are the culmination of years of negotiations between in-state…
Why It Matters: In July 2021, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter of support with recommendations to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) relative to the originally proposed Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) Recreational Hunting and Fishing Plan. To the hunting conservation community’s surprise, the final plan…
Why It Matters: Federal Duck Stamps are required to pursue many birds, including waterfowl and woodcock, which are popular in New Hampshire. There exists a great deal of variation across the states regarding the method by which these stamps are purchased. Although an electronic receipt or confirmation of purchase is valid under federal law, lack…
Why It Matters: With the new year kicked off, legislatures across the nation are gearing up for busy sessions in the months ahead. Your contacts at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation are hard at work tracking policies relevant to hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and trapping, and will continue to operate alongside the pertinent sportsmen’s caucuses within…
Recent advances in technology, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), which can assist in the tracking and taking of game, have posed an ethical debate within the hunting community. Legislators and sportsmen should be mindful of Fair Chase issues and, on a state-by-state basis, determine if legislation is warranted to ensure hunting is practiced ethically…