The state of American conservation is strong. This was abundantly clear at the 54th annual Safari Club International (SCI) convention in Nashville, Tennessee, that occurred last month.
Music City was bustling with thousands of hunters and conservationists – including celebrities, federal lawmakers, and even Donald Trump Jr. The convention broke records not only with attendance, but with a record-setting bid on an $800,000 Alaska hunt with President Trump’s oldest son. I must say: witnessing this moment firsthand was incredible. You had to be there to experience it.
Two prominent elected Republicans – Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke – were also honored as Governor and Federal Legislator of the year, respectively, by SCI for defending and championing hunting rights. And the Tennessee legislature declared February 18, 2026, Safari Club International Day in the Volunteer State.
When I last covered the show in 2024, the political landscape was vastly different. The mood at the show was more somber. The Biden-Harris administration adopted subtle yet painful regulations undermining hunting and fishing access on millions of public land acres out West. Gradual lead ammunition and tackle phaseouts on national wildlife refuges (NWRs) were adopted. Public lands access for recreational shooting sports opportunities was severely limited in states like Utah and Colorado. In summary, the last administration failed to implement a No Net Loss policy – one that SCI vigorously defended and fought for.
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Fast forward two years later: A pro-sportsman Trump administration is back for a second time. Optimism is higher. There are sportsmen helming the Department of the Interior in Secretary Doug Burgum, Director Brian Nesvik at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and elsewhere. Hunting and fishing have been prioritized, again, on national wildlife refuge lands through Secretarial Order 3447. A Make America Beautiful Again Commission to “conserve America’s natural beauty and expand outdoor recreation opportunities” was established in honor of upcoming America250 festivities. Last month, the USFWS announced a $1.2 billion haul in 2025 for conservation funding generated by fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and related activities through the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration program – bringing total U.S. conservation funding, since 1937, to an impressive $31 billion. All in the midst of America’s current energy production boom.
While federal conservation isn’t threatened in the short-term, the battle now heads to the states. That’s why the International Order of T. Roosevelt, among many hunter-conservation groups, is actively working to codify the right to hunt and fish in more states. As of this writing, 24 of 50 U.S. states protect the right to hunt and fish. These are constitutional amendments adopted by voters at the ballot box during major elections. New Hampshire was poised to be the next state to put this measure to a vote in November, but efforts appear to have stalled there as New Hampshire House Constitutional Amendment 15 (CACR15) failed to clear the House of Representatives on March 11.
But Kenia Link, IOTR’s national engagement director, told me that 10 other states are debating whether or not to adopt similar amendments this legislative session. No state has adopted the right to hunt and fish since the 2024 U.S. presidential election, after Florida voters approved the amendment by a 67.3 percent to 32.6 percent margin.
“We'd really like to hit that 25 mark and be halfway there. I think that'll be a really exciting time for us at IOTR, especially after setting sort of the blueprints of how to do it in Florida,” Link said.
In blue states, attacks on the outdoor way of life are widely apparent. Here at Townhall, I’ve dedicated columns to exposing groups like Wildlife for All that seek to remove hunters, anglers, and gun owners from conservation efforts altogether.
Oregon could soon approve a ballot measure called Initiative Petition 28 – the awfully-named Oregon PEACE Act – that would ban all fishing, hunting, farming, and ranching activities in the state. The language, mind you, is terrifying: “IP28 prohibits any activity—other than self-defense and veterinary practices—that intentionally injures, kills, or sexually violates an animal, many of which are currently legal because they are exempt from our animal cruelty laws.”
California approved a controversial mule deer culling effort on Catalina Island, despite widespread opposition from both hunting and animal welfare organizations.
And despite sportsmen and women sounding the alarm on fur bans, the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission voted 6-4 on March 8 in favor of a petition to restrict the sale and barter of this sustainable resource. This move will have negative downstream effects on a multitude of industries – including fly fishing.
Attacks on hook and bullet activities, sadly, aren't exclusive to America. Looking across the pond to our friends in the United Kingdom, threats to trail hunting and proposed lead ammunition prohibitions threaten the sporting way of life there, too.
That’s why hunter-conservation organizations like Safari Club International matter and will have staying power for years to come.
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