Today the House Natural Resources Committee passed H.R. 2834, the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act. This bill would protect fishing, hunting and recreational shooting on federal lands.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s (USSAF) prestigious 2011 William L. Searle Lifetime Achievement Award has been awarded to Helen K. Groves of Baird, Texas.  Mrs. Groves has been a stalwart supporter and advocate for sportsmen and women across the country.

If you feel you are being squeezed as a hunter or angler, you are not alone. More and more hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers are facing more restrictive laws, less access, reduced opportunities, and fewer options.

From coast to coast, hunters in 40 states have been joined together recently for one purpose—to hunt doves. Dove seasons have opened from Virginia to California, and hunters have gone afield to hunt fast flying mourning doves.

Hunting and fishing opportunities will become a priority on 440 million acres of federal public lands under the newly proposed “Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act” introduced today by Reps. Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Dan Boren (D-OK).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a proposal to provide additional hunting opportunities on 10 National Wildlife Refuges. 

The lengthy battle over hunting access on dozens of units of the 100 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge system has ended—and hunters can declare VICTORY!  In April 2011, federal Judge James S. Gwin ruled for sportsmen across America by granting summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other defendants while denying a lawsuit aimed at closing hunting on National Wildlife Refuge System parcels.

It is critical that sportsmen and sporting dog owners contact their state senators and ask them to vote no on House Bill 1451.

Legislation that would allow searches of homes of the owners of sporting dog breeders without probable cause, or even a search warrant, is one step closer to becoming law.  House Bill 1451, the so-called “puppy mill” bill introduced by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D- Houston), has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.  No hearing dates have been set. 

Local, state, and national groups continue to sign on to an effort to defeat a Texas House Bill that could put many sporting dog and hobby breeders out of existence.