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…
Why It Matters: Trapping is unique in that it is used in many facets of wildlife management, from population control to human-wildlife conflict resolution, to data collection. Modern restraining traps have been particularly critical in conservation efforts by allowing state agencies to capture and relocate endangered species. The regulations developed by state agencies for trapping…
Why It Matters: Search and rescue (SAR) operation funding varies state-by-state, but for those in which sportsmen-generated dollars are used to cover the associated costs, the result is a loss in funding otherwise designated towards conservation and wildlife management. States with more remote areas that are difficult to access may accumulate significant costs as a…
Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies are instrumental in setting the frameworks that result in the successful conservation and management of a state’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Sportsmen and women (including hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers) have played a crucial role in funding conservation efforts in the United States for over…
Contact: Joe Bachar, Coordinator, Northeastern States Why It Matters: Firearm suppressors increase safety for sportsmen and women taking part in shooting activities. Contrary to popular belief, suppressors (also known as “silencers”) do not completely silence firearms, rather they serve to reduce the sound signatures of gunshots to minimize the risk of hearing damage. Although suppressors…
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Highlights On January 14, the New Hampshire House Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee convened for a hearing on legislation, that if passed, would implement restrictions on the sporting dog community. Exactly one-month prior to this hearing, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter of opposition…
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Highlights Why it Matters: Across the nation, dogs play a crucial role in the hunting community. Whether tracking game, pointing and flushing upland birds, or retrieving downed waterfowl, they serve as a valuable asset to sportsmen. Working with dogs is a cherished part of the hunting tradition for…