NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY 2025: PRESIDENT TRUMP AND A RECORD-BREAKING 45 STATES CELEBRATE SPORTSMEN AND WOMEN AS AMERICA’S CONSERVATION CHAMPIONS

(September 29, 2025) – Washington, D.C. – On Saturday, September 27th, the nation came together for National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) to honor America’s 55 million sportsmen and women for the remarkable role they play in conservation efforts across the country. Established by Congress in 1971 and first observed in 1972, NHFD is held every fourth Saturday in September to recognize our treasured outdoor traditions and to celebrate the many positive impacts sportsmen and women have on conservation, our economy, and society at large.

Since 2015, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has worked with the Administration and Governors to secure proper recognition for NHFD. This year, CSF broke a record in this decade-long charge, securing a presidential proclamation from President Donald Trump and 44 gubernatorial proclamations, alongside legislative recognition in New York, which formally recognized the day and its significance. The proclamations highlight not just the cultural legacy of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation, but also the critical contributions to fish and wildlife conservation, habitat management, and rural economies from sportsmen and women.

“For nearly a century, America’s sportsmen and women have proudly shouldered the weight of funding conservation in this incredible country,” said CSF President and CEO Jeff Crane. “Their commitment to wildlife and habitat conservation isn’t just tradition; it’s leadership in action. Sportsmen and women invest time, money, and passion in a way that continues to shape the future of our natural resources for the better. That impact is profound and National Hunting and Fishing Day stands as a powerful tribute to honor it.”

Sportsmen and women are conservation, powering the most effective conservation funding model in the world – the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). Through excise taxes, license fees, and other contributions from hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, trappers, and the industries that support them, billions of dollars have been invested into state-led wildlife conservation and habitat restoration. These dollars directly support fish and wildlife management efforts that benefit all Americans, not just those who hunt and fish.

National Hunting and Fishing Day honors this unmatched legacy, raising awareness about these vital contributions, while encouraging more people to experience the outdoors and take part in conservation through time-honored sporting traditions. Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, MO serves as the official home for National Hunting and Fishing Day and Bass Pro Shops across the country also host events.

For more information on National Hunting and Fishing Day, please visit www.NHFDay.org, and for a list of  the proclamations that were issued this year please visit National Hunting and Fishing Day – Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

FUNDING THE FUTURE OF OUR OUTDOOR PURSUITS: MICHIGAN LICENSE FEE RESTRUCTURING PACKAGE VOTED OUT OF APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

ARTICLE CONTACT: BOB MATTHEWS

Why It Matters: Revenue generated by sportsmen and women purchasing their licenses and tags is the foundation of the American System of Conservation Funding. However, as years pass, the costs that state fish and wildlife agencies incur while carrying out their missions exceed the revenue generated from these license and tag purchases, and legislatures must sometimes revisit the fee structure to ensure that natural resources are properly managed.

Highlights:

• Michigan Senate Bills 276 and 277 were voted out of the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee last week.
• The bills were championed through the bipartisan leadership of Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Senator John Cherry and Senator Jon Bumstead.
• The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Assistant Manager, Midwestern States Bob Matthews testified before the Committee in support of the bills, which ensure that hunting and fishing license and tag fees are sufficient to cover the increasing costs of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ work.

For the second time this legislative session, CSF provided oral testimony in favor of two Michigan bills that are designed to bolster revenue for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to carry out its mission of managing the state’s storied fish and wildlife resources. Michigan Senate Bills 276 and 277 were introduced and championed by Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Senator John Cherry and Senator Jon Bumstead. The bills increase the fee for various hunting and fishing license fees, while keeping the cost for residents to hunt and fish in Michigan below the regional average compared to other states.

Sportsmen and women are the backbone of conservation funding in America, but without any adjustments to license and tag fees in more than a decade, the operational costs of the DNR have outpaced the revenue that Michigan hunters and anglers produce.  The DNR faces increased costs in staffing; fish raising, transportation, and stocking; habitat management; enforcement of fish and game laws; and providing public access infrastructure. A summary and analysis of the proposed increases can be found here.  However, even with these modest adjustments, Michigan would remain one of the least expensive states for residents to hunt and fish in the Great Lakes region.

Further, the package would alleviate an unintended technical hang-up that prohibited the state agency from being reimbursed for discounted licenses, even though the mechanism has been in place for decades. Reimbursing state fish and wildlife agencies for the revenue lost from these discounts is another CSF policy priority, which serves to lower participation barriers for deserving groups without sacrificing conservation funding.

CSF applauds the bipartisan leadership that the Caucus Co-Chairs have demonstrated with these bills, and will continue to support the legislation as it makes its way to the Senate floor for consideration by the full legislative body.

CSF ADVOCATING FOR DEDICATED CONSERVATION FUNDING IN TENNESSEE

ARTICLE CONTACT: CONNER BARKER

Why It Matters: Sportsmen and women in Tennessee and around the country continue to step up to the plate to fund professional, science-based fish and wildlife management. Dubbed the original conservationists, hunters and anglers provide the vast majority of conservation funding in North America through the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). Through the revenue from sporting license sales and excise tax revenue from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs, sportsmen and women pay their way and then some when it comes to the use of our public trust resources.

Highlights:

• On December 6, 2024, the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission (TFWC) voted to increase most hunting and fishing license prices by 28%, among other adjustments.
• On June 18, 2025, the license fee increase approved by the TFWC in 2024 was eventually withdrawn from consideration before the Joint Government Operations Committee, following several commitments by members of the Committee to seek alternative, dedicated funding for wildlife conservation.
• Last week, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), alongside 31 other sporting-conservation partners, submitted a coalition letter to Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus member Governor Bill Lee expressing the urgent need for dedicated and sustainable funding for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

No different than you and me, state fish and wildlife agencies must constantly adjust to today’s economic realities and challenges that drive up the cost of mission delivery. A significant part of this constant economic pressure centers around demands necessary to run a well-functioning, full-staffed, efficient, and mission-driven agency tasked with being stewards of our public trust resources.

Although hunters and anglers always have and will continue to fund conservation through the purchase of sporting licenses and matching federal funds, as the cost of doing business continues to increase for state fish and wildlife agencies, states should consider additional dedicated funding streams to support wildlife conservation. Several Southeastern states, like Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, have invested in their respective state’s wildlife conservation efforts by creating unique streams of dedicated conservation funding.

The TWRA relies almost entirely on funding generated from sportsmen and women to support its mission. Despite receiving very little funding from the General Assembly, the economic contribution of hunting and fishing in Tennessee is a staggering $2.4 billion. Additionally, Tennessee ranks 15th nationally in funding generated through the ASCF with over $78 million generated at the hands of sportsmen and women. Tennessee has an impressive track record of leveraging dollars generated from sportsmen and women with professional, science-based wildlife management to produce ample opportunities for hunters and anglers in the Volunteer State. A sustained, dedicated source of funding for the TWRA to complement the significant investment already made by sportsmen and women would only benefit the state’s public trust resources that we all enjoy.

CSF is proud to be working closely with partners in Tennessee on this important initiative and looks forward to continuing the push for dedicated funding into the 2026 legislative session.