The Trump administration is directing managers of national parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas across the country to significantly reduce hunting limitations, sparking concerns about public safety and wildlife conservation.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed a directive in January instructing federal agencies to eliminate what he called “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers” to hunting and fishing activities, while requiring justification for any restrictions they wish to maintain.
“Expanding opportunities for the public to hunt and fish on Department-managed lands not only strengthens 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 and federally managed lands should be open to hunting and fishing unless a specific, documented, and legally supported exception applies.”
The directive affects 55 locations in the continental United States overseen by the National Park Service, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Site administrators have already removed bans on tree stands that harm vegetation, dog training for hunting, using motorized vehicles to transport harvested animals, and hunting near recreational trails, based on an NPCA analysis of updated site rules conducted after the organization learned about the order.
Specific changes include extending the hunting period at Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts into spring and summer months. At Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Texas, hunters would be permitted to process their harvested animals in public restrooms. Meanwhile, alligator hunting would become permissible at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana.
The directive comes amid a continued decrease in hunting participation as the nation becomes more urbanized. Federal data from the Fish and Wildlife Service and Census Bureau shows only approximately 4.2% of Americans over age 16 identified as hunters in 2024, reducing funding for state wildlife departments that depend on license fees and taxes from firearms and ammunition sales.
Supporters of hunting and conservative officials have pursued various strategies to maintain interest in the activity, including outreach to women and youth, establishing seasons for additional species, and increasing hunter access to government-owned property.
Currently, hunting is permitted on roughly 51 million acres managed by the National Park Service across 76 locations, though only about 8 million of those acres are in the continental United States, with the remainder in Alaska. Fishing is authorized at 213 locations. Park Service sites generally follow state hunting and fishing rules but can implement additional restrictions to ensure public safety and protect natural resources, such as prohibiting firearms use near trails or facilities.
Dan Wenk, who previously served as Yellowstone National Park superintendent and National Park Service deputy operations director, explained that park administrators developed their current rules through stakeholder consultation, resulting in widespread acceptance of most restrictions. He questioned the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle this framework without extensive public input.
“Process never seems to stand in the way of many things with this administration,” Wenk said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “This was never a big issue. I’d love to know the problem we’re trying to solve. Then I could understand the costs that it’s going to take to solve it in terms of resources and visitor safety.”
Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace described the order as a “commonsense approach to public land management” in an email statement, emphasizing that necessary closures or limitations for public safety, resource protection or legal compliance would continue.
“For decades, sportsmen and women have been some of the strongest stewards of our public lands,” she said, “and this order ensures their access is not unnecessarily restricted by outdated or overly broad limitations that are not required by law.”
Peace did not respond to additional questions about whether the department conducted public outreach before issuing the directive.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which advocates for hunting and fishing access, released a statement online in January describing the order as balancing wildlife management with outdoor traditions supported by hunters and anglers. Ducks Unlimited issued a statement in March saying Burgum’s directive acknowledges duck hunters’ “vital role.”
“This process will streamline federal regulations, make them more consistent with existing state rules, and provide more public-land access for outdoor recreation. Thank you, Secretary Burgum, for prioritizing America’s hunters and anglers,” the statement said.
Elaine Leslie, former director of the National Park Service’s biological resources department, criticized Trump for undermining a well-intentioned process, arguing the order lacks scientific foundation.
“I don’t want to take my young grandchildren to a park unit only to have a hunter drag a gutted elk they shot across a visitor center parking lot. Nor enter a restroom where hunters are cleaning their game,” Leslie said in a text to the AP. “There is a time and place for hunting, trapping and fishing … but that doesn’t mean every place has to be open to every activity especially at the expense of others and degrading our public resources.”
