By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 18, 2026 – President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Thursday aimed at expanding hunting and recreational fishing opportunities on federal lands and waters — policy changes that have particular interest in Alaska, where federal agencies manage more than 60% of the state’s land.
Trump signed the orders during a Rose Garden dinner attended by more than 100 hunters, anglers and representatives from outdoor organizations and businesses, including Bass Pro Shops, Ducks Unlimited, the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also attended.
“President Trump deserves credit for standing up for America’s hunters and recognizing that hunting is not merely recreation — it is a way of life, a conservation tradition and, for many Alaskans, a vital means of putting food on the family table,” said Bernadette Wilson, the leading Republican candidate for governor.
The first order, “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage,” directs federal agencies to move toward an “open unless closed” policy for hunting on most federally managed lands. National parks and most national monuments remain excluded.
Within 180 days, the departments of Interior, Agriculture, Defense and Commerce must propose changes to regulations or policies that restrict hunting, fishing, shooting and other recreational access. The order says closures should generally be supported by specific local resource conditions.
The same agencies are directed to propose changes permitting traditional lead ammunition and fishing tackle on lands under their jurisdiction.
While that provision won’t repeal every existing restriction on lead ammunition or tackle, agencies must still review their policies and, where necessary, go through the regulatory process before restrictions can be made.
The order is principally aimed at reversing Biden-era rules affecting eight National Wildlife Refuges. In 2023, the US Fish and Wildlife Service adopted a phased prohibition on lead ammunition and fishing tackle at those locations, with the final restrictions scheduled to take effect by Sept. 1, 2026.
The Biden Administration’s nationwide ban on lead shot for waterfowl hunting was not overturned.
Within 90 days, the Interior Department must allow hunting of species not protected under the Endangered Species Act in California’s Castle Mountains National Monument and Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.
The order also directs agencies to improve access to federal land through road and trail construction, voluntary easements, land exchanges and agreements with state and local governments. It encourages the use of qualified volunteers for wildlife and invasive-species management and calls for expanded use of assistive technology for hunters with disabilities.
Interior is instructed to encourage Sunday hunting where state law allows it. Some states still have laws prohibiting hunting on Sundays. The Agriculture Department must support state programs that process and donate wild game to schools and food banks.
The order also addresses declining participation among young hunters. The departments of Labor and Education must issue guidance clarifying whether existing federal education money may be used for school archery and hunter-education programs.
Interior must identify existing federal tools and incentives that states can use to promote hunting among young people and veterans. The Veterans Affairs Department is also directed to prioritize eligible grants supporting adaptive hunting and fishing programs.
Those provisions use existing federal authorities and available funding rather than creating a new congressionally funded youth-hunting program.
The hunting order follows an Interior Department action announced in August that opened or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities across more than 92 million acres of the National Wildlife Refuge System in 32 states.
Trump’s second order, “Restoring American Saltwater Angling and Recreation,” directs federal agencies to review regulations affecting saltwater anglers, boaters, charter operators and coastal businesses.
The Commerce Department has 180 days to review federal guidelines issued under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, including guidelines governing optimum yield and the scientific information used in fishery-management decisions.
For Alaska, where commercial and recreational fisheries are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, changes to federal data standards and permitting policies could affect how NOAA and federal fishery councils evaluate recreational harvests and allocate fishing opportunities.
The administration also plans to move away from some traditional mailed-in paper surveys used to estimate recreational catch and effort. NOAA is being directed to evaluate mobile applications and other electronic reporting systems that could provide more timely information to federal fishery managers.
Other provisions call for faster and longer-term permitting, removal of regulations considered unnecessarily burdensome to marine recreation, and expanded artificial-reef and habitat programs using decommissioned offshore platforms where legally and environmentally appropriate.
The orders establish deadlines and an administration-wide policy favoring greater hunting and fishing access; they do not, by themselves, open every federal property or erase every existing restriction.
