News

Four pheasant hunters in Vermont

Angling, Firearms & Ammunition

November 21, 2025
In this season of gratitude, we give thanks for another year outdoors, for time well spent with loved ones, for meals gathered from the land and waters we all share, and for the generations of foresight that made this abundance possible.
Biologist stands on bow of boat holding net to catch snakehead during survey.

Angling, Research

November 18, 2025
With funding from the Sport Fish Restoration Act, Virginia DWR has been collecting data and building one of the most expansive long-term snakehead research repositories to understand how the non-native fish are interacting with Virginia fish communities. The species has established itself in creeks, rivers, and even reservoirs through illegal introductions.
Three adult chinook salmon swim in shallow water

Angling, Management, News

September 29, 2025
In California’s Central Valley, along the Merced River, the low rumble of bulldozers signals renewal. Crews are returning clean, sorted gravel to the riverbed, rebuilding spawning habitat that salmon and steelhead have relied on for thousands of years.
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Angling, Firearms & Ammunition, News, R3

September 26, 2025
Established in 1972, National Hunting and Fishing Day is a reminder of how hunters and anglers helped build the foundation of modern wildlife management in America. Outdoor pursuits like hunting and fishing, away from the hum of traffic and the grind of full calendars, connect people with nature. And this connection carries with it a responsibility.
Empty firing line shows updated wooden shooting benches and range berm in the background

Archery, Firearms & Ammunition, News

August 28, 2025
Alaska's newly revamped Hank Harmon Public Range reopens after a long-anticipated modernization effort. Three thousand miles east, Maine’s Fryeburg Shooting Facility underwent a complete rebuild of its own. Though separated by four time zones, these two facilities share a common purpose of providing free, public access to safe, well-maintained target shooting spaces.
shark swimming on artificial reef

Angling, News

August 14, 2025
Beneath the Atlantic surface, concrete pyramids, stripped subway cars, and massive steel skeletons of vessels lie purposefully placed across the ocean floor repurposed into bustling undersea metropolises. These are artificial reefs, human-made sanctuaries giving new life to marine ecosystems and new opportunities for anglers. 
Target shooters stand at a range shooting line awaiting targets.

Firearms & Ammunition, Multistate Conservation, News, R3

August 6, 2025
In a world where attention spans are short and the world is moving faster than ever, there's still something grounding about nocking an arrow or steadying a shotgun at a target. Target shooting is more than a pastime, it is a connection to discipline, community, and the outdoors. Yet, this pastime takes a concerted effort of recruiting new participants, retaining those already involved, and reactivating those who’ve set their gear aside.
River otter released from crate while community and biologists look on.

Management, News, Trapping

July 28, 2025
Once a familiar sight across America’s waterways, river otters dwindled across much of their native range by the mid-20th century. Today, cleaner waterways, conservation professionals supported by Pittman-Robertson funds, and an evolving understanding of resource management has allowed river otters to reclaim their place in ecosystems.
Menominee sturgeon survey michigan dnr

Angling, News

June 27, 2025
Six feet in length and tipping the scales at over 200 pounds, adult lake sturgeon once swam the tributaries of the Great Lakes in great seasonal spawning migrations—prehistoric giants returning home. A century ago, rivers ran thick with them. But their numbers fell as water fouled, dams rose, and populations were overfished.
Pono fishing with child

Angling

June 6, 2025
Hawaiʻi is a space where culture, nature, and sustainability are woven together. At the heart of this connection is the ancient Hawaiian concept of living pono — a word that translates to righteous or proper. In the context of fishing, pono is a way of life that speaks to a deep responsibility to respect and protect natural resources that have nourished the islands for generations. Across the Hawaiian Islands, Sport Fish Restoration funds are being used to support fisheries and foster the principles of pono fishing.
Wafwa fly fishing in idaho

Angling

June 6, 2025
This year, the Sport Fish Restoration Act turns 75. This milestone marks three-quarters of a century ensuring that sport fish populations and aquatic habitats are healthy, sustainable, and accessible for all. No other funding method has had the same longevity, consistency, and significance for fisheries management in the United States.
The 2025 Women’s Trapping Workshop participants pose for a group photo during their three-day trapping education experience.

R3, Trapping

May 13, 2025
Trapping is about more than catching furbearer animals, the centuries-old pursuit is also about understanding ecosystems, practicing conservation, and preserving knowledge that has been used to keep landscapes in balance. Trapping practices continue being passed down through generations and today a growing number of new outdoor enthusiasts are taking an interest in the pursuit. Many newcomers are getting involved in trapping through workshops and courses hosted by state fish and wildlife agencies.