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

A decades-long hunting battle nears victory as conservation wins stack nationwide. Momentum is building for hunters, anglers, and conservation advocates across the country. This week’s Sportsmen’s Voice Roundup covers a major development in Massachusetts, where Sunday hunting legislation is closer to becoming law than ever before. After key provisions were stripped from the Governor’s budget proposal earlier this year, lawmakers revived and unanimously advanced measures that would expand hunting opportunities, increase access for working hunters, allow broader crossbow use during archery season, and modernize outdated setback requirements. Listeners will hear why this legislation matters not only for deer management and public health concerns like Lyme disease and Alpha-gal syndrome, but also for the future of hunting access in one of America’s most restrictive states. The conversation also dives into encouraging wild turkey harvest numbers across the Southeast. Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana all reported exceptional spring turkey seasons, highlighting the ongoing success of wild turkey conservation and restoration efforts. Additional updates include the latest on South Atlantic red snapper management, California legislation supporting hunter safety during archery seasons, and how free fishing days across the Great Lakes region continue introducing new anglers to the water. If you care about hunting access, wildlife management, turkey hunting, recreational fishing, and the policies shaping the future of the outdoors, this is a roundup you won't want to miss. Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations shaping the future of the outdoors. 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

A major win for hunters in Tennessee collides with rising policy fights over hunting, trapping, and outdoor traditions nationwide. Momentum for hunting and fishing access continues across the country, but not without resistance. This week’s roundup breaks down the policy battles shaping the future of the outdoors, from hunter education in schools to constitutional protections for hunting and fishing. Tennessee delivered a major victory for the hunting community as legislation allowing hunter education courses in public schools cleared the legislature and now awaits the governor’s signature. The proposal would allow students in grades 5 through 12 to complete their hunter safety education during school hours, earning academic credit while learning firearm safety, wildlife conservation, and responsible outdoor participation. For young hunters, it creates a new pathway into the field and strengthens the future of the hunting tradition. Elsewhere, the fight proved tougher. A push to add the right to hunt and fish to the New Hampshire constitution fell just short in the state legislature after a close vote and a heated debate over wildlife policy and outdoor heritage. Despite the setback, the coalition behind the effort mobilized hunters, anglers, trappers, conservation groups, and unexpected allies across the state. The episode also looks west, where Colorado’s proposed ban on the commercial sale of wildlife fur advanced despite strong opposition from conservation advocates who argue the move ignores science and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. From turkey hunting season kicking off in the South to legislative fights affecting hunters nationwide, this conversation explains what these policy developments mean for sportsmen and women in the field. Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing 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

A radical ballot initiative could criminalize hunting, fishing, and farming across Oregon overnight. A sweeping ballot proposal in Oregon is raising alarm across the hunting, fishing, and agricultural communities. Initiative Petition 28, known as IP 28, would remove long-standing legal exemptions within the state’s animal abuse statutes. Those exemptions currently protect lawful activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife management, livestock production, pest control, and veterinary research. If the initiative reached the ballot and passed, those activities could be classified as criminal acts. Nearly a million hunters and anglers in Oregon would suddenly face legal risk for participating in traditional outdoor pursuits. The measure would also affect commercial fishing, cattle ranching, dairy production, and the everyday practices that support local food systems. The conversation digs into how IP 28 is structured, why its supporters continue pushing the proposal despite long odds, and how the initiative fits into a broader national strategy targeting hunting and fishing traditions. There is also a close look at the economic and conservation impacts. Removing legal protections for wildlife management could disrupt the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the funding system that supports habitat, game management, and fisheries science. Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of what IP 28 actually proposes, how ballot initiatives move forward in Oregon, and why hunters, anglers, and conservationists across the country are paying attention. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A sweeping ballot initiative could outlaw hunting, fishing, and wildlife management in Oregon. Oregon’s IP 28 is more than another anti-hunting proposal. It is a direct attempt to eliminate exemptions within the state’s animal cruelty statutes, effectively banning hunting, angling, trapping, ranching practices, and even common wildlife management tools. If passed, the measure would restrict predator control, criminalize certain animal husbandry practices, and severely limit the ability of biologists to manage species through science-based conservation. Supporters are nearing the signature threshold required to place the initiative on the 2026 ballot. If certified, Oregon voters will decide whether consumptive use of wildlife and livestock production remains legal under state law. That includes everything from elk hunting and bass fishing to pest control and prescribed wildlife management. This conversation goes far beyond one state. Ballot box biology has reshaped wildlife policy before, and IP 28 could serve as a blueprint for similar efforts nationwide. Hunters, anglers, landowners, and conservation advocates need to understand what is at stake and why unified engagement matters. This is a critical moment for the sporting community and the future of science-based wildlife conservation. Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing 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