Reinvigorating America's Hunting Heritage
Signed September 17, 2026·Donald Trump·91 FR 60289
Source
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Plain-language summary
Directs federal agencies to expand hunting, fishing, and recreational access on federal lands. Within 90 days, the Secretary of the Interior must allow hunting of non-endangered species in Castle Mountains and Craters of the Moon National Monuments. Within 180 days, the Secretaries of War, Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce must propose rules expanding hunting and shooting access, easing infrastructure restrictions, improving access to remote lands, encouraging volunteer wildlife management, permitting assistive technology on trails, and allowing traditional lead ammunition and tackle. It also orders reform of Forest Service river-access lotteries to prioritize citizens, new rules for migratory game bird hunting, and encouragement of Sunday hunting. To build future participation, it directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to clarify funding for school archery and hunter education, and tells the Interior Department and Department of Veterans Affairs to expand youth, veteran, and adaptive hunting opportunities. It further directs coordination among agencies to manage game populations and habitat, and instructs the Agriculture and Interior Departments to support donation of wild game meat to food banks and schools. The order applies to multiple federal land-management agencies and state partners.
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Claimed authority
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered
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Disposition
See: EO 13433, August 16, 2007
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The order, in full
Executive Order 14429 of September 17, 2026
Reinvigorating America's Hunting Heritage
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose and Policy. American hunters,
anglers, and landowners are the greatest
conservationists the world has ever known. Hunting
promotes healthy and robust animal populations,
conserves our beautiful wildlife for future
generations, and ensures that every American can enjoy
our rugged, diverse, and untamed frontier areas. Our
forefathers looked with awe on our vast prairies,
towering mountains, serene deserts, coastal paradises,
and rushing rivers. That same awe motivates millions of
Americans to invest billions of dollars and countless
hours into stewarding our land and conserving our
wildlife.
Despite this legacy, accessing Federal lands for
hunting has never been harder. Hunting opportunities in
our Nation have declined due to the Federal
Government's regulatory overreach, confusing and
inconsistent access policies, and heavy-handed
restrictions on hunter education and recruitment
efforts. Reform of these restrictions is long overdue.
It is therefore the policy of my Administration to
reinvigorate, protect, and expand America's hunting
heritage to benefit our people and our land.
Under this order, American hunters, anglers, and
landowners will reclaim our Nation's wilderness. My
Administration, keeping our promise to Make America
Beautiful Again, will conserve and protect America's
natural resources by stewarding Federal lands and
promoting cooperative federalism. We will apply a
presumption of accessibility to federally managed
lands, and the next generation of Americans shall once
again have the opportunity to share in our Nation's
rich sporting heritage.
Sec. 2. Expanding Access to Federal Lands. (a) Within
90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the
Interior is directed to allow for the hunting of
species that are not subject to 16 U.S.C. 1533 within
Castle Mountains National Monument, established by
Proclamation 9394 of February 12, 2016 (Establishment
of the Castle Mountains National Monument), and within
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve,
established by Proclamation 1694 of May 2, 1924
(Craters of the Moon National Monument), and expanded
by various Acts of the Congress and Proclamations, most
recently Proclamation 7373 of November 9, 2000
(Boundary Enlargement of the Craters of the Moon
National Monument). I have determined that
appropriately managed hunting would not put the objects
of historic and scientific interest that these
monuments protect at risk.
(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Interior, the
Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce
shall, consistent with applicable law, propose
modifications to policies or regulations that prohibit
or restrict access to lands under their respective
jurisdictions, with the exception of national parks and
national monuments other than as set forth in section
2(a) of this order, to:
(i) expand Federal hunting, fishing, shooting, and other land access
opportunities for recreation, including by generally allowing for hunting
unless a specific closure is justified by local resource conditions, except
within national parks;
(ii) allow for the construction, repair, and maintenance of infrastructure
that provides access to Federal land for the purposes of outdoor recreation
and wildlife management;
(iii) improve public access to difficult-to-access Federal lands and waters
by prioritizing practical access opportunities, including voluntary access
easements, land exchanges, cooperative agreements with States and local
governments, and other tools that respect private property rights;
(iv) encourage the use of qualified volunteers to manage wildlife
populations and invasive species, consistent with 54 U.S.C. 104909;
(v) authorize the use of assistive technology on access trails and hunting
locations; and
(vi) permit the use of traditional lead ammunition and tackle.
(c) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Agriculture shall review high-demand
Forest Service-administered river access lotteries, and
shall initiate the reform of such lotteries to
prioritize United States citizens, including prior
unsuccessful applicants, and prohibit the use of
automatic computer entries into the lotteries.
(d) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Department of the Interior shall propose regulations
improving the administrative process for authorizing
seasonal migratory game bird hunting. These
improvements shall continue to engage the Flyway
Councils as full partners and shall take special
consideration of annual surveys, applicable guidance,
and history.
(e) Within 365 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of the Interior shall encourage State fish
and wildlife agencies to promote and expand Sunday
hunting opportunities on State and Federal lands.
Sec. 3. Growing a New Generation of Hunters. (a) Within
90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of
Labor and the Secretary of Education shall issue
guidance to clarify the permissibility of Federal
education funding for archery and hunter education
programs in schools.
(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of the Interior shall, through the use of
existing Federal funding and authorities, identify
additional opportunities and incentives to assist
States in cultivating the hunting tradition among
American youth and veterans.
(c) The Department of Veterans Affairs shall
prioritize, to the extent permitted by law, grants to
support outdoor hunting and fishing opportunities in
its Adaptive Sports Grant Program.
Sec. 4. Promoting Robust Game Species Populations. The
Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Interior, and
the Secretary of Agriculture shall coordinate with
State agencies to align management practices and
conservation plans to promote the growth of game
species populations through the:
(a) voluntary removal or reduction of barriers to
wildlife movement and habitat connectivity;
(b) reduction of invasive species, habitat
degradation, disease, and other factors contributing to
population declines;
(c) targeted management of predators, competing
species, and other population-limiting factors;
(d) use of prescribed fire, vegetation management,
water development, grazing, agricultural practices, and
appropriate habitat-management tools; and
(e) voluntary agreements with private landowners
and agricultural producers.
Sec. 5. Increasing Wild Game Donation. (a) The
Secretary of Agriculture shall issue guidance
supporting State-based wild game venison donation
programs, including through the Emergency Food
Assistance Program.
(b) The Secretary of the Interior shall encourage
State wildlife agencies to use Pittman-Robertson funds
to manage hyperabundant populations of
wildlife, especially whitetail deer, including through
activities that facilitate the donation and processing
of wild game meat for consumption in schools and food
banks.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law, including Executive Order 13443, and
subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies,
instrumentalities, or entities, its officers,
employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) The costs for publication of this order shall
be borne by the Department of the Interior.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 17, 2026.Reproduced from the Federal Register plain-text record, signed September 17, 2026. Typesetting artifacts are removed; no wording is changed.