Written by Justin Park|
Last updated
Pearl-clutching alert! A May 4 New York Times article took an alarmist approach to sharing details of internal Department of the Interior documents rolling back restrictions on hunting and fishing in National Parks.
The piece, titled “Trump Administration Orders Rapid End to Some Hunting Rules on Federal Lands” promised “sweeping changes” while conceding that nothing will change at the 82% of National Park Service properties where hunting isn’t allowed.
Published in the NYT's “Trump Administration” section, the news is typical of the rage bait content that’s must-click for folks that fall asleep pushing pins into their Trump voodoo doll. But for hunters and anglers concerned less with politics than they are with recreation opportunities, the proposed rule changes don’t sound like much.
Anglers on a fishing dock at Missouri National Recreational River.
What’s Proposed to Change?
The internal documents the NYT article is built upon still aren’t public, so specifics are limited to what reporter Lisa Friedman chose to share.
One head-scratching highlight is a repeal of a ban on cleaning fish and game in public restrooms at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Texas. Within Curecanti National Recreation Area in Colorado, a rule stating hunters can’t shoot “from, toward or across trails” lifted May 4th, which is when the article claims all the requested changes were ordered to take effect.
The only other specific change mentioned is eliminating a requirement for hunting dogs to be tagged in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri.
Despite predictable reader comments on the NYT article claiming “Trump wants as many {animals} killed as humanly possible. We know this,” and that President Trump “wants to go back to market hunting,” this appears to be much ado about nothing. The highlighted minor rule changes mirror earlier Interior Department moves to encourage hunting and fishing, where permitted, in National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatchery properties. Hunting is statutorily banned in most National Parks such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.
While the article claims that unnamed “critics” are upset that the rule changes were made “without studies or wide consultation about how they might affect public lands,” the author concedes later on that the original rules were created from thin air by park superintendents. Presumably without studies or wide consultation!
Hunters at Ozark National Scenic Riverways where at least one regulation has been deleted.
What Could the Impact of the Rule Changes Be?
The activities of hunters and anglers on these public lands is already subject to hundreds of state and federal regulations attempting to control their behavior in the field. While we don’t know the full list of rules eliminated, it’s unlikely these changes will have a noticeable impact on hunting behavior.
Just because there’s no longer a rule prohibiting shooting within 100 feet of a trail in Curecanti NRA, doesn’t mean we should expect a rash of hikers being shot dead in the Black Canyon area. (Shooting across any space requires assessing what’s between you and your target as well as what’s behind, and is a staple of firearm and hunter education.)
Likewise, are Lake Meredith park employees in Texas bracing for a summer full of filet knife-wielding anglers splattering the park bathroom walls with fish guts now that “Trump” has removed the rule against the practice? (One imagines the original rule being made after one very specific, appalling incident.)
What hunters understand but the pearl-clutching preservationists can’t fathom, is that safe and ethical hunting takes place nationwide despite ignorance of much of this growing pile of law, rule, and regulation, not because of it. It was already logistically infeasible to read, understand, and comply with every single hunting regulation, and enforcement is inherently limited, so the stricken hunting laws were already de facto suggestions, not essential regulatory answers to widespread problems.
There are plenty of important federal issues for hunters to engage with these days, but this latest headline appears to be a non-story safely ignored.
Justin Park is a Colorado-based writer, editor, and avid hunter with a passion for the outdoors. He contributes to leading publications such as GearJunkie, Popular Mechanics, Powder, and Men's Journal, and serves as Editor of Wild Snow. Park is deeply involved in conservation and recreation advocacy, serving as Chapter Chair of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) in Summit County. He also represents RMEF on a state recreation committee focused on proactively addressing land use conflicts.