The Trump administration is seeking to expand hunting and fishing across national parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas by rescinding many existing restrictions on federal lands.In January, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed agencies of the U.S. Department of the Interior to remove what he called “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers” to hunting and fishing. Agencies must also justify any restrictions they want to keep.“Expanding opportunities for the public to hunt and fish on Department-managed lands not only enhances conservation outcomes, but also supports rural economies, public health, and access to America’s outdoor spaces,” Burgum wrote. “The Department’s policy is clear: Public lands and federally managed lands should be open to hunting and fishing unless a specific, documented, and legally supported exception applies.”
What changes can occur in gardens?
According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the order applies to 55 National Park Service sites in the lower 48 states.Its review found that some locations have already begun lifting restrictions on hunting platforms that damage trees, training hounds, using vehicles to recover hunted animals and hunting along trails.
Specific changes to the park include:
- Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts can allow fishing during the spring and summer
- Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Texas could allow hunters to clean animals in park pools
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana can allow alligator hunting
The move comes as hunting participation in the United States continues to decline.According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census data, only about 4.2% of Americans over the age of 16 identified as hunters in 2024. This has reduced revenue for state wildlife agencies that rely on hunting license sales and taxes on guns and ammunition.Hunting advocates and conservative policymakers are looking for ways to keep hunting active by expanding access to public lands, creating more hunting opportunities, and encouraging women and children to participate.
Current hunting access on National Park Service lands
Hunting is already permitted on about 51 million acres of National Park Service land across 76 sites, though only about 8 million acres are in the contiguous United States, the rest mainly in Alaska.Hunting is permitted at 213 sites.While national parks generally follow state hunting and fishing laws, they often add stricter local rules to protect the safety of visitors and wildlife, including restrictions on hunting near trails or buildings.These rules were developed through years of public discussion and collaboration, said Dan Wenk, former superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and former NPS deputy director of operations.“The process doesn’t seem to get in the way of a lot of things with this administration,” Wenk said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “This was not a big problem at all. I would like to know what problem we are trying to solve. Then I can understand the costs it would take to solve it in terms of resources and visitor safety.”Eileen Leslie, former chief of the National Park Service’s Biological Resources Division, also criticized the move, saying it weakens science-based management.“I don’t want to take my young grandchildren into a park unit only to have a hunter drag a mangled elk they shot across the visitor center parking lot. And I don’t want to go into a restroom where hunters are cleaning their game,” Leslie said in a text message to the AP. “There is a time and a place for hunting, trapping and fishing…
But this does not mean that every place should be open to every activity, especially at the expense of others and the degradation of our public resources.
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The Ministry of Interior defends the matter
Interior Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Pace called it “a common-sense approach to managing public lands.”Any closures or restrictions required for public safety, legal compliance or resource protection will remain in place, she said.“For decades, sportsmen and women have been some of the most powerful stewards of our public lands, and this ensures their access is not unnecessarily restricted by outdated or overly broad restrictions not required by law,” she said.Hunting and conservation groups that support expanded access applauded the order. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership said it supports wildlife management and outdoor traditions. Ducks Unlimited also supported the move, saying: “This process will streamline federal regulations, make them more consistent with existing state rules, and provide more access to public lands for outdoor recreation.
Thank you, Secretary Burgum, for prioritizing America’s hunters and fishermen.”