Trump Administration Pushes to Expand Hunting and Fishing on National Parks

In January, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered the National Park Service and Interior agencies to remove “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers” to hunting and fishing on federal lands. The directive covers 55 sites in the lower 48 and retains restrictions only when a documented legal exception applies. Changes include extending the Cape Cod Seashore hunting season, allowing kill-cleaning in bathrooms at Lake Meredith Recreation Area, and permitting alligator hunting at Jean Lafitte Historical Park.

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Hunting participation fell to about 4.2 % of U.S. adults over 16 in 2024, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Census data. Declining license revenue has driven policymakers to seek broader public-land access and new demographic outreach for the sport.

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Secretary Doug Burgum issued the order. Critics include former Yellowstone superintendent Dan Wenk and NPS biological resources chief Elaine Leslie. Interior spokesperson Elizabeth Peace defended it, while Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Ducks Unlimited praised it. Order applies to 55 NPS sites; hunting is permitted on about 51 million acres across 76 sites (about 8 million acres in contiguous United States) and fishing at 213 sites.

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The Interior Department called the order a “commonsense approach to land management,” noting safety-related closures will remain where needed. Burgum said expanded hunting and fishing “strengthens conservation outcomes” and benefits rural economies and health. Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership called the move a balance between wildlife management and outdoor traditions, and Ducks Unlimited praised streamlined regulations and focus on hunters and anglers.

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Former NPS officials say the order bypasses collaborative process. Dan Wenk questioned the directive’s purpose and warned of safety costs. Elaine Leslie warned that unrestricted hunting could lead to disturbing scenes, such as hunters dragging gutted elk across parking lots, and argued that hunting, trapping and fishing should not be allowed everywhere at the expense of other visitors and public resources.

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The Interior Department’s response was a brief email, offering no details on public outreach or safety assessments tied to the order. Critics note the lack of a transparent process for evaluating impacts on wildlife, visitors, and resources.

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• “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,” — Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior

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• “Process never seems to stand in the way of many things with this administration,” — Dan Wenk, former Yellowstone superintendent

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• “For decades, sportsmen and women have been some of the strongest stewards of our public lands,” — Elizabeth Peace, Interior Department spokesperson

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• “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.” — Elaine Leslie, former NPS biological resources chief

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