By Matt Hogan
CSF Conservation Policy Director

With the hunting season almost here, our thoughts have begun to drift to the season that awaits us as well as those gone by. If you’re like most hunters, you’re probably thinking about the animals you’ll pursue and the places these animals will take you. However, one thing that most hunters don’t think about at the beginning of each new season is whether they’ll be allowed to hunt in the future.

One of the groups working hard to ensure that hunting will always remain an important part of American culture and tradition is the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) is a group of U.S. Representatives and Senators who have professed their support in preserving and promoting the traditional rights of Americans to hunt, fish, and trap. Founded in 1989 as a way to thwart increasing attacks by the anti-hunting community on these American traditions, the CSC currently stands at over 200 Members in the House of Representatives and nearly 50 in the Senate, making it one of the largest organizations in the Congress.

The CSC has bi-partisan leadership in both the House and the Senate and is lead by some of the most committed and enthusiastic sportsmen in the Congress. The most important role that the CSC serves is to stand as a wall against the efforts of those who would like to end hunting, fishing and trapping in America. Since its founding, the CSC has been instrumental in preserving and protecting our American outdoor heritage. Over the years, the CSC has lead the way in preserving the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), arguably the most successful federal wildlife habitat programs ever created as well as passage of the Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act, which among other things ensures that hunting and fishing will remain priority uses of our nation’s federal wildlife refuges. The Caucus has also been crucial in making long-overdue changes to the laws governing the baiting of migratory birds, supporting federal funding of various wildlife conservation programs not to mention turning back numerous efforts of the anti-hunting community to chip away at hunting, fishing and trapping.

Members of the CSC meet regularly to receive briefing on various issues of concern to sportsmen and women around the nation. In addition, the CSC leadership issues alerts on issues as they arise.

So as you get ready to head into the forest and fields, think about the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and what they do.