In broad moves that must be making anti-hunting activists irate, the South Carolina legislature ratified H.3872, known as “The Hunting Heritage Protection Act.” This bill, which was passed unanimously by both state chambers, directs the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to avoid reducing the amount of acreage of department-managed hunting and fishing lands. The state DNR must adopt policies to make sure there is no net loss in public hunting lands. Also, it requires the DNR to submit a report each year showing that the amount of state lands open to hunters and fishermen has not decreased.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed H.3872 into law on May 15. The requirement will take effect July 1, 2027.
Meanwhile, both during President Donald Trump’s (R) first administration (2017-2021) and in his current administration, federal agencies have taken actions to increase or propose increasing hunting access on federal refuge lands.
For example:
- In 2019, the Trump administration expanded hunting and fishing opportunities on 77 national wildlife refuges and aligned many refuge regulations more closely with state hunting rules.
- In 2020, the Trump administration proposed opening or expanding hunting and fishing on more than 2.3 million acres across over 100 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries.
- In 2025, the Trump administration finalized additional expansions at several refuges and hatcheries.
- In May 2026, the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced what they described as the largest proposed expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities in agency history, as more than 1,450 new or expanded opportunities across 107 national wildlife refuges and four fish hatcheries in 32 states were announced. The proposal would make roughly 95% of refuge-system lands available to hunters.
“The proposal would make more than 92 million acres, or over 95% of National Wildlife Refuge System lands, available for hunting, marking a significant milestone in expanding public access to America’s lands and waters and reinforcing the Administration’s commitment to outdoor recreation, conservation and rural economic growth,” says a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release from May 26.
Through a series of regulatory changes and refuge-access expansions that opened or expanded hunting on millions of acres of federal lands, the Trump administration has again acted to allow hunters to manage wildlife populations and to seek to bring home meat from the wild.
It might sound obvious to note that these changes would not have occurred under the watch of anti-hunting and anti-gun legislators, but it is worth noting how important it is not to hide in the woods; after all, the coming Midterm Elections could also impact how wildlife is managed.
