WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Interior has finalized what it calls the largest expansion of hunting and sport-fishing opportunities in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service history, opening or expanding access across refuges and hatcheries in 32 states.
Under the final rule, more than 92 million acres — over 95% of National Wildlife Refuge System lands — are available for hunting. The department says the action creates 1,488 new hunting and sport-fishing opportunities across 111 field stations, including 107 national wildlife refuges and four national fish hatcheries.
Interior defines an “opportunity” as the ability to hunt or fish a specific species at a specific location.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum framed the expansion as part of the Trump administration’s push to reduce federal barriers and give hunters and anglers greater access to public lands.
“America’s hunters and anglers now have something significant to look forward to in the fall as we plan to open and expand hunting and fishing opportunities nationwide,” Burgum said.
The rule also establishes first-ever hunting or sport-fishing opportunities at 14 refuges and three hatcheries. Interior says the changes include expanded access for upland game, migratory birds, big game and sport fishing at locations that were previously closed or more limited.
Cutting Federal Red Tape
The expansion is also part of a broader Interior Department effort to simplify federal hunting and fishing regulations.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is making more than 1,000 modifications to existing regulatory provisions, with the goal of better aligning federal rules with state fish and wildlife regulations. Interior says the changes are intended to reduce confusion for hunters and anglers while preserving conservation requirements.
The department followed that action with another change on Aug. 27, finalizing a streamlined process for migratory game-bird hunting seasons. Instead of repeating federal rulemaking every year, the Fish and Wildlife Service will establish seasonal conditions through annual hunting memoranda while continuing to use biological data to determine harvest levels.
Conservation Still Applies
The expansion does not mean every acre of refuge land can be hunted without restriction.
The Fish and Wildlife Service says hunting and fishing remain subject to station-specific rules and can only be allowed when they are compatible with each refuge or hatchery’s conservation mission.
The National Wildlife Refuge System currently includes 573 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts, drawing about 71 million visitors annually.
Interior also points to the economic role of outdoor recreation. Fish and Wildlife Service data cited by the department says more than 39.9 million Americans fish and 14.4 million hunt, contributing more than $144 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
Why It Matters
The final rule gives the Trump administration a major public-lands policy win heading into the fall hunting season.
It also signals how Interior under Burgum is approaching federal land management: more recreational access, closer alignment with state rules and fewer federal procedural barriers, while maintaining the department’s statutory conservation responsibilities.