Matt MacLeod for SPLIT REED
Need to Know
859 hunting and fishing opportunities are being opened or expanded across 2.3 million acres of federal land by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
147 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries are being positively impacted by this expansion which will allow avid sportsmen and women across the country better access to previously restricted lands.
This ruling increased the total number of units in the National Wildlife Refuge system open to public hunting to 430, and the total number of those open to fishing to 360.
The decision also serves to continue an effort to match refuge hunting and fishing regulations more closely to the regulations of the state in which the refuge is located.
Good to Know
Notable first-time hunting openings:
Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge, Wyoming – Open upland game and big game hunting.
Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge, Florida – Open migratory bird, upland game, and big game hunting and sport fishing in alignment with state regulations.
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada – Open migratory bird, upland game, and big game hunting.
John W. and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska – Open migratory bird, upland game, and big game hunting.
Jordan River National Fish Hatchery, Michigan – Open migratory bird hunting (duck, geese, coot, snipe, rail, woodcock, dove, and crow), upland game hunting (rabbit, squirrel, coyote, fox, bobcat, raccoon, opossum, skunk, weasel and woodchuck), and big game hunting (whitetail deer, bear, and wild turkey) for the first time.
Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Washington– Open migratory bird, upland game, and big game hunting.
Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona – Open migratory bird, upland game, and big game hunting.
Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon – Open migratory bird hunting.
Fun to Know
This ruling is the single largest expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities by US Fish and Wildlife Service history.
Hunting, fishing, and outdoor sports create about $156 billion in economic activity around the U.S. every year.
Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia – Open alligator hunting for the first time.
Fish and Wildlife Service Final Rule
