The Sportsmen's Voice | Hunting, Fishing and Conservation Advocacy with Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

The future of hunting depends on working lands, sound wildlife management, and sportsmen willing to make their voices heard. Healthy forests, productive farmland, and accessible wildlife habitat do not happen by accident. This week on The Sportsmen’s Voice, we examine how the economics of working lands shape conservation outcomes, from timber markets and agricultural pressures to habitat restoration and private land development. Drawing on Kent Keen’s reporting for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the discussion explores why thinning forests, prescribed fire, conservation easements, and Farm Bill programs matter to hunters and anglers. When small-diameter timber markets disappear or property taxes push landowners to sell, the consequences extend beyond the property line. Wildlife habitat suffers, outdoor recreation opportunities shrink, and once-open landscapes can be lost to development for good. The conversation also covers California’s proposed Bobcat Conservation and Management Plan and its public comment period, New Jersey’s regulated black bear hunt, record youth deer harvests in Illinois, and the role of sportsmen-driven conservation in reaching audiences beyond the hunting community. With elections approaching, there is a clear message for hunters, anglers, and conservation advocates: wildlife policy depends on public engagement, informed voting, and sustained support for science-based management. Learn how conservation funding, responsible land management, and legislative advocacy work together to protect wildlife populations, preserve hunting opportunities, and keep working lands productive for generations to come. Follow the show for more weekly hunting, fishing, and conservation policy conversations. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter   Follow The Sportsmen’s Voice wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1705085498  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your hunting and fishing rights are shaped at the ballot box, but too few sportsmen show up to vote. Conservation policy doesn't stop at the water's edge or the end of deer season. Decisions made in state legislatures and at the ballot box shape the future of hunting, fishing, and access to the outdoors. This week, The Sportsmen's Voice examines a Pennsylvania proposal designed to make sportsmen's voices harder to overlook. Kaleigh Leager joins the show to discuss legislation introduced by Pennsylvania Senator Greg Rothman that would allow eligible residents to register to vote when purchasing a hunting or fishing license. Modeled after the Motor Voter Act, the proposal aims to remove a common barrier to civic participation and give hunters and anglers another opportunity to engage in decisions affecting their outdoor traditions. The conversation explores the numbers behind the initiative, including estimates that roughly 30% of eligible Pennsylvania hunters are not registered to vote. With sportsmen's issues ranging from wildlife management and conservation funding to hunting access and legislative protections, the discussion highlights why participation matters beyond the field and the stream. Leager also explains how the voluntary registration process would work and why the proposal is part of a broader, nonpartisan effort to strengthen sportsmen's engagement in public policy. Beyond Pennsylvania, this week's conservation news includes federal support for venison donation programs, potential solutions to lost conservation funding, recognition for Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation leadership, and three pro-sportsmen bills advancing in California. Follow the show for more weekly hunting, fishing, and conservation policy conversations. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter   Follow The Sportsmen’s Voice wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1705085498  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunday hunting restrictions are disappearing, but some states are still fighting to keep hunters out. The fight over Sunday hunting continues across the East Coast, with North Carolina and South Carolina among the last states maintaining some restrictions on when hunters can take to the field. Connor Barker joins the conversation to break down where the issue stands, what recent federal action means for state wildlife agencies, and where hunters could see meaningful changes during upcoming legislative sessions. The discussion examines President Trump’s executive order encouraging states to expand Sunday hunting opportunities on state and federal lands, along with the practical challenges of turning that directive into actual hunting access. Barker explains the specific restrictions still affecting North Carolina hunters, including the Sunday firearm ban from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., while outlining opportunities for expanding Sunday hunting on South Carolina game lands. Waterfowl hunting presents another complicated piece of the debate. The conversation digs into the misconception surrounding compensatory hunting days and why opening Sundays does not necessarily mean extending the overall season. Beyond Sunday hunting, the show also covers new investments in big game habitat, wildfire emissions legislation, moose hunting in New Hampshire, changing trapping regulations in Colorado, and expanded hunting and trapping access on Michigan public land. For hunters and anglers following conservation policy, the message is clear: access, opportunity, and wildlife management decisions made today will shape the seasons of tomorrow. Follow the show for more weekly hunting, fishing, and conservation policy conversations. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter   Follow The Sportsmen’s Voice wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1705085498  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colorado’s wildlife future is heading to the ballot, with hunting and fishing at stake. Colorado has become a major battleground in the national debate over hunting, fishing, wildlife management, and the role of sportsmen in conservation. Chris Dorsey and Brent Miller join Fred Bird to unpack Colorado’s proposed constitutional right to hunt and fish, the growing use of ballot initiatives to shape wildlife policy, and what the debate could mean for hunters and anglers beyond the state. They examine how ballot-box campaigns can bypass traditional legislative processes, why the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation remains central to the conversation, and how hunting and fishing contribute to habitat, wildlife, and rural economies. The conversation also explores a challenge facing the outdoor community: reaching people who do not hunt or fish. Dorsey discusses lessons from previous wildlife campaigns, the power of emotion and storytelling, and why conservation messaging needs to connect with audiences far beyond traditional sportsmen. From mountain lion management and elk hunting to fishing, public lands, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation, the discussion looks at how conservation stories can reach the mainstream. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of the policy debate, the arguments surrounding constitutional protections for hunting and fishing, and the broader conservation infrastructure funded and supported by America’s hunters and anglers. Follow The Sportsmen's Voice for more weekly conversations on hunting, fishing, conservation, and outdoor policy. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: ⁠www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunters and anglers have a bigger seat at the table as federal conservation policy takes shape. Federal hunting and conservation policy takes center stage as the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation continues its long-standing role representing hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and conservationists in Washington. The episode leads with CSF Senior Vice President and COO Taylor Schmitz joining the newly established Federal Hunting and Conservation Advisory Council, giving the sporting conservation community a direct opportunity to help inform federal decisions affecting wildlife conservation, hunting, recreational shooting, and public access. The conversation also examines why consistent representation matters as federal agencies shape the future of America’s outdoor traditions. The latest conservation news also covers National Hunting and Fishing Day 2026, including 45 gubernatorial proclamations as well as a legislative Resolution from New York and a legislative Citation from the New Jersey Senate and Assembly, recognizing the economic and conservation contributions of sportsmen and women. Other updates include progress on South Atlantic red snapper management, collaborative fisheries policy work along the Columbia River, and legislation addressing cormorant impacts on fisheries and fish stocking programs. There is also a look at conservation funding beyond traditional license fees and federal Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funding, along with fall fishing opportunities across the Great Plains. The episode closes with a look ahead to Colorado’s constitutional right to hunt and fish and the upcoming election coverage surrounding the measure. Follow the show for more weekly hunting, fishing, and conservation policy conversations. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter   Follow The Sportsmen’s Voice wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1705085498  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices