Policy & Legislation

President Joe Biden launched his first salvo at curbing gun violence this month with a slate of six executive orders aimed at regulating gun ownership, addressing mass shootings, and installing new leadership in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. In a speech announcing the orders...

Most trapping on public lands in New Mexico will become illegal if the governor signs SB 32, the “Wildlife Conservation & Public Safety Act.” The bill passed by the legislature last week with a one-vote margin, and if signed it would prohibit leghold, body-gripping, and cage traps, as well as snares...

For the first time since 1869, public lands will be open to hunting on Sundays in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State had been one of four states with outright hunting bans on Sunday, but that ends on Aug. 1, 2021. One hundred forty years after the 1869 “blue law” banned hunting on the Sabbath, the...

Representative Mike Simpson, Republican of Idaho, released a massive infrastructure proposal on Feb. 6 that would fundamentally restructure Pacific Northwest shipping and energy with the goal of rehabilitating Idaho’s remaining wild salmon and steelhead runs. Realizing a decades-long dream of...

Editor’s note: this article was amended on Feb. 4 following a hearing in committee. A new bill in the Montana legislature would guarantee up to 60% of all non-resident deer and elk tags to hunters sponsored by an outfitter. On Jan. 25 State Senator Jason Ellsworth of Hamilton introduced SB 143 and...

California State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco has dropped his bill to end bear hunting in the state after mass protest online and organized opposition from numerous industries. As the COVID pandemic continues to ravage the state, Wiener believed “this isn’t the time to focus on this right now...

As black bear populations continue to climb past historic levels in California, a state senator introduced a bill to permanently ban bear hunting in state. On Monday, Jan. 25, Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco brought forth S.B. 252, the “Bear Protection Act,” which would abolish bear...

Last week we told you about how Brandon Butler’s cabin was burned. This is our follow up to that article. The southeastern Missouri man arrested Jan. 16 for allegedly torching a cabin in retaliation for a poaching complaint has a 17-year criminal history. His rap sheet includes burglary, poaching...

Faced with several years of dismal steelhead returns and even worse predictions this year, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in early December announced a suite of new angling regulations meant to reduce impacts on fish while preserving fishing opportunity. Among those regulations are...

Much as the quickest way to a lover’s heart is through their stomach, the surest way to help nonhunters accept hunting is through meat from deer, elk, and other wild game. Whether it’s Steven Rinella serving venison to a roomful of nonhunting New Yorkers, or a Swedish hunter substituting a moose...

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a margin of 310 to 107. This historic bill now moves to the desk of President Trump, who tweeted in favor of the bill today and is expected to sign it into law. This legislation, which has been called the biggest thing...