It's still hot here in Virginia, folks. Yuck. Fall is right around the corner, but I worry it may die of a heat stroke before it can get here.

One of the key stories in this edition of The Hunting Wire is NSSF's - NSSF Welcomes USFWS Expanded Hunting Opportunities on Public Lands.

Why? Because the use of our land is long overdue. Public land is just that - public.

With more access comes more responsibility. The land is public, and so is the stage for us to demonstrate our positive impact on our communities. But remember, our actions also shape public opinion. Peter Churchbourne's article , "Why Public Opinion of Hunting Matters," is a powerful reminder of the influence we hold in shaping the future of hunting.

Yes, we have more access now. It can help us, or it can hurt us. The choice is ours.

Jay Pinsky
Editor - The Hunting Wire & The Archery Wire
jay@theoutdoorwire.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, welcomes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) announcement that more opportunities will be opened for sportsmen and women to hunt and fish on National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). The USFWS announced that 53 new hunting and fishing opportunities across 211,000 acres on 12 NWRs are being added to the 400 existing NWRs and 35 wetland management areas where hunting and fishing opportunities already exist.

“This announcement of more and expanded hunting opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges is an accomplishment all the firearm industry celebrates, along with all outdoorsmen and women,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “It has long been the goal that hunting opportunities should be opened on public lands and made available to the public. They are the public land owners and the ones who are vested in seeing these hunting opportunities benefit sustainable wildlife conservation. The firearm industry is particularly proud of the conservation investment made by firearm and ammunition manufacturers through the federal firearm and ammunition excise taxes that are the primary driver of wildlife conservation in America.”

NSSF welcomes USFWS’s recent announcement embracing voluntary pilot programs to educate hunters about alternative ammunition options for hunting. Hunters and recreational marksmen should be free to choose the ammunition that will best serve their needs for ethical and efficient harvesting of wildlife. NSSF is disappointed, however, that today’s opening of additional big game hunting opportunities will restrict the use of traditional ammunition. Wildlife management decisions should be based on sound scientific field data. Restrictions on the use of traditional ammunition should only be imposed where the sound science establishes a wildlife population decline caused by hunters’ use of traditional ammunition and there is no other less-costly remedial measure available to effectively address the issue. Today’s “Hunt-Fish” rule does not set forth such science that would justify restricting the use of traditional ammunition on the newly opened big game opportunities.

NSSF is proud that the firearm and ammunition industry has invested over $27.38 billion, when adjusted for inflation, to wildlife conservation in America since 1937 through the Pittman-Robertson federal firearm and ammunition excise taxes. These taxes, paid by the manufacturers, are dedicated solely for the conservation of wildlife, the habitats in which they thrive, hunter education and construction of new, or expansion of existing recreational target shooting ranges to promote safe and responsible firearms skills, handling and ownership. These 10 to 11 percent excise tax dollars collected for the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act are specifically designated to be used by state wildlife agencies for conservation and related purposes. Collectively, purchasers of firearms and ammunition, hunters and the industry are the greatest source of wildlife conservation funding.

In 2024, USFWS apportioned over $1.6 billion to the states for wildlife conservation projects, of which $944 million was sourced from Pittman-Robertson excise taxes paid by firearm and ammunition manufacturers.

About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.

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NSSF Media contact:
Mark Oliva
202-220-1340

By Scott Stuhr

Where do Olympic athletes have their start? Whether you are watching TEAM USA compete for gold inarchery, pistol, rifle, or shotgun, several athletes credit 4-H for their start. 4-H Shooting Sports programs are in almost every corner of the United States, built at the county level. This grassroots effort makes the shooting sports project available to youth who, one day, may be representing the United States at the Olympics.

Looking back just three years ago at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, James Hall shot for Team USA inpistol. According to the USA Shooting website, “Hall started shooting at a local 4-H Club with his three younger brothers. Shooting sports quickly evolved to involve the entire Hall family, as his mom helped coach the club for many years.” This type of involvement is typical in the 4-H programs where youth start with a spark of wanting to shoot, then quickly leads to mentoring newbies, followed by leadership positions within the club as Hall describes.

The 4-H program is set up to advance athletes with club competitions, county contests, statechampionships, and eventually the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships. As the athlete progresses so does their network of more competitors shooting at their level, and introduction to new coaches who can help them achieve their next step towards a medal.

Emilio Carvalho on the Men’s Trap team for USA Shooting, says he was raised in a small farming community, of Tranquillity, California. It all began for Emilio in 4-H shooting sports at the age of nine yearsold. He started with American trap, and after competing at the SCTP, CYSSA, and ATA events, his love for shotgun sports was solidified.``

In the rifle program, Sagen Maddalena of Groveland, California, qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games: Women’s Air and Smallbore Rifle. Like many other Olympians, she credits family along with 4-H for her early interest. “Sagen began shooting with her local 4-H club, which taught her organization and her grandpa, whotaught her patience. Having got her start as a high-power shooter, Maddalena quietly emerged on the scene as one of the top contenders in Air Rifle,” according to the USA Shooting page.

For 4-H alumni, growth and a hopeful future doesn’t stop on the range. 4-H members are purposely taught life skills along with shooting skills preparing them for a career in the industry. Ashley McAllister, upon being hired as Competitions Manager for USA Shooting, credits not only being a rifle athlete for her wealth of knowledge, she also credits her success to her beginning, “shooting with a local 4-H club when she was just 10 years old.”

4-H has a proven track record of helping youth thrive once that spark is lit inside of them to develop a love of the 4-H shooting sports project. Due to 4-H’s influence of having a place to belong, the opportunity to develop independence and master their skills under a caring adult volunteer, and an avenue to practice generosity, 4-H members are a winning combination for a future Olympic athlete. If you have a youth who is already dreaming about shooting at the Summer Olympics, a local 4-H club focused on the shooting sports projectcan provide them with the team, coach, equipment, range, and support to work on making that Olympic dream a reality as early as age nine.

To learn more about 4-H Shooting Sports, go to https://4-hshootingsports.org/

For information on becoming a supporter of 4-H Shooting Sports, or anything else related to 4-H Shooting Sports, please contact Scott Stuhr, at coordinator@4- hshootingsports.org