A consortium of conservation and hunting organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, issued caution about a California bill that would open the door to introducing grizzly bears into the state. SB 1305 established a state policy framework for doing so and directs the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to begin planning for it. 

Proponents cite a feasibility “study” as a core reason to place grizzly bears in California. Yet, the first page of its documentation highlights its bias: “This study was supported and published by the California Grizzly Alliance, whose goal is to recover grizzly bears in California.” 

CDFW maintains that the agency lacks funding and resources to make it happen. The state currently faces a 21-billion-dollar budget deficit. 

“Reintroducing grizzly bears potentially into places where people live, recreate and raise livestock would likely necessitate further management of human-wildlife conflicts, which is already extremely challenging with the animal species that are here — notably mountain lions, wolves, black bears and coyotes,” Peter Tira, CDFW spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times. 

The study suggests placing grizzlies in northern California, the same part of the state where CDFW lethally removed four problem wolves because of repeated livestock killings. Local government officials also declared a state of emergency there because of the growing wolf population and its impacts. 

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation expressed extreme concern by signing a letter with 18 other hunting and conservation organizations: “The return of the grizzly bear is often framed as an aspirational conservation goal rooted in California’s history and cultural symbolism. However, wildlife policy decisions of this magnitude must ultimately be guided not by symbolism or nostalgia, but by sound science, practical management considerations, and the realities faced by the communities that must live with the consequences of those decisions. When evaluated through that lens, SB 1305 raises serious concerns regarding ecological feasibility, public safety, wildlife management priorities and long-term fiscal responsibility.”  

Hunt 2 Conserve opposes the legislation as it is not grounded in ecological necessity, but rather in a philosophical vision about what some believe California’s landscape should represent. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Jim Peaco/NPS) 

The National Park Service (NPS) is expanding opportunities for qualified volunteers and permitted participants to help remove invasive and overabundant species at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana and Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.  

“This is hunters performing a public service that the taxpayer would otherwise be paying for,” an NPS employee, who asked to not be named, told Outdoor Life. “I think that’s a big deal. It’s not going to be for everyone, but it may be a model for resource management on public properties that can’t support traditional models of public hunting.” 

The announcement is in line with Secretarial Order 3447 for effective governance and responsible stewardship, including expanding opportunities for qualified volunteers and partners to support science-based wildlife management on public lands. NPS uses a variety of management tools, including controlled hunting, trapping and targeted removal to reduce these impacts. 

These efforts support the protection of wetlands, native wildlife, cultural resources and sensitive habitats that are affected by nutria and feral hogs. Nutria is a rodent that can be two feet long and weighs 15 to 20 pounds. They look like beavers but leave behind wide-ranging negative impacts on riparian habitat including the destruction of native plants, soil structure and farm crops. Feral hogs cause an estimated $1.5 billion in damage annually by destroying plants and crops. They also prey on small wildlife like ground-nesting birds and deer fawns. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Steve Hillebrand/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is asking the state legislature for $450,000 to bring more wolves into Colorado during 2026-27. The catch is CPW does not yet know where it will get them. The request comes despite a $1.5 billion state budget deficit and would double 2025 spending on the wolf program. 

According to Colorado Politics, CPW made the ask before Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee (JBC). The JBC staff had earlier made two recommendations. One was to ask CPW for new information about its work related to wolves and the costs of preventative actions, while the other would create a new 2026-27 budget line for the program. 

“Separating wolf reintroduction expenses into its own line item could allow for increased transparency and clarity on the funds used for wolf reintroduction,” according to JBC analysis and as reported by Colorado Politics.  

Committee members chose to go with the informational request, but not creating the separate line-item. One state lawmaker objected, saying a budget line would be more transparent because it would spell out actual costs. 

According to Colorado Politics, the annual budget for the wolf program is $2.1 million or almost three times more than original 2020 estimates voters were told it would cost, while compensation is slated for $350,000 per year. In just the first three months of 2026, CPW has already paid out $724,000 in wolf-livestock compensation. 

A source for acquiring wolves remains up in the air. Colorado captured and relocated 10 Oregon wolves in late 2023 and 15 more from British Columbia in 2025. Fourteen of those wolves have since died. Oregon said it will not provide any more wolves and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) told Colorado it could only receive wolves from six western U.S. states and not Canada. The other states have also refused to provide source wolves. Should wolves be delisted in the Lower 48 states, USFWS restrictions on source wolves would be moot, but legislation to delist wolves is currently tied up at the U.S. Senate. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

When Rory McIlroy sank the winning putt to clinch the 2025 Masters Tournament, he dropped to his knees, bowed his head to the earth, sobbed with joy and then pumped his fists as he triumphantly rose while the crowd roared. The victory gave McIlroy a career Grand Slam, making him just the sixth man ever to win all four of golf’s major championships. 

Little did he know that such an exhilarating moment would eventually open the door to the golfing world discovering what he, and hunters, already know – elk is both nutritious and delicious. By virtue of his Masters championship, McIlroy earned the right to plan the menu for the 2026 Masters Club Dinner taking place April 7, 2026, at the Augusta National Golf Club, where McIlroy will try to defend his title later that same week. 

The menu includes four appetizers, a first course, a main course and dessert. Among the listed appetizers are grilled elk sliders with caramelized onion jam and roasted garlic aioli. So, why elk? 

“In the buildup to the Masters last year, I was eating a lot of elk,” McIlroy told the PGA Tour. “I didn't want elk to be the main course because I didn't know if everyone would like that … So, I'm doing grilled elk sliders, which I think is fun.” 

Fun, indeed. And yes Rory, elk is delicious, nutritious and highly sought after. According to a 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, about 700,000 hunters pursued elk the previous hunting season.  

Once again, why elk? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Database and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (see chart below), elk is extremely high in protein and low in fat, ranking ahead of pork, lamb, whitetail deer, pronghorn antelope, chicken, pheasant and duck. Of the listed species, only moose and wild turkey have a lower fat content but both of those trail elk in protein percentage. 

Go ahead and call elk what it is – the meal of champions. Just ask Rory. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo and graphic credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)

Oregon’s fish and wildlife are poised to get a financial boost thanks to the Oregon Legislature.

One week after passing in the House of Representatives, the Senate followed suit and passed HB 4134 , which raises the state’s lodging tax from 1.5 percent to 2.75 percent.

If signed into law by Governor Tina Kotek, the measure is expected to generate $37 million annually for fish, wildlife and conservation. Funding is earmarked for nine different efforts including fish and wildlife management, wildlife crossings, combating poaching, helping ranchers dealing with wolf depredations, tackling invasive species and support for outdoor recreational activities.

Aside from long-time financial support from hunters and anglers in the form of licenses, fees and excise taxes on guns, ammunition and archery and fishing equipment, the impacted programs have not had any other consistent source of funding.

About Hunt 2 Conserve

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.

Call them thieves, opportunists, bullies or just hungry meat eaters. However you label them, the presence of wolves on the same landscape not only forces their mountain lion apex predator rivals to leave meals behind but to entirely change their diets. 

New research draws on nine years of GPS data from collared wolves and mountain lions combined with field investigations of nearly 4,000 potential wolf or mountain lion kills in Yellowstone National Park. 

“When one carnivore steals a kill from another carnivore, this is a behavior that is called kleptoparasitism. So, it’s theft and it only benefits one species,” said Wes Binder, lead author of the study and Ph.D. student at Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “But what’s interesting about wolf and cougar interactions is that cougars are very proficient at hunting themselves. So, they don’t need to play this game of scavenging from other large carnivore kills because they can create those kill sites themselves...but wolves are very proficient at kleptoparasitism.” 

Binder said since elk numbers in Yellowstone declined over the last three decades, mountain lions shifted their focus from elk to deer.  

“Because deer are smaller, cougars eat them faster because it gives wolves less time to find a cougar sitting on its kill so kleptoparasitism is tied to the diet of cougars. If there’s no escape terrain nearby, then cougars run the risk of mortality from wolves in those places,” said Binder. 

The study builds on decades of research showing that wolves dominate interactions because they live in packs, while cougars are solitary. 

Click here to read the Oregon State news release and see a video as well as other imagery. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Wes Binder/Justin Duffy/Oregon State University) 

From moose, black bears and elk to small mammals, waterfowl and songbirds, Michigan is home to a plethora of all shapes and sizes of animals. It is also home to more than 10 million residents, the majority of which recognize hunting and the role it plays in conservation. 

A new survey conducted by Responsive Management shows 75 percent of residents agree that hunting is an important wildlife management tool, and 64 percent agree that hunters and anglers are concerned about protecting wildlife.  

That approval is even higher thanks to an outreach effort called the Michigan Wildlife Council, which was created in 2013. It introduced a $1 surcharge on all Michigan hunting and fishing licenses to fund a comprehensive media-based public information program promoting the role of hunters and anglers in conservation and educating the public about the benefits of hunting and fishing. 

Among residents who saw or heard messages from the Michigan Wildlife Council in the previous six months, approval of legal, regulated hunting rose to 82 percent, compared to 70 percent among those who had not seen the messages. Similarly, approval of fishing reached 91 percent among those familiar with Council messaging, compared to 79 percent among those not aware of the messages.  

These results highlight the impact of proactive communications that help people better understand how hunting and fishing support Michigan’s natural resources, economy and outdoor traditions. At a time when many states are facing challenges maintaining public support for hunting and fishing, Michigan’s experience demonstrates the power of strategic outreach based on a solid foundation of data. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources) 

It is an ongoing dilemma in northeast Oregon. Wolves developed a sweet tooth for cattle east of Baker City near the Idaho border. 

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife authorized federal agents with the U.S. Wildlife Services to kill three wolves from a pack that continues to prey on livestock. That comes after state or federal agents lethally removed four wolves over the first two months of 2026. 

After removing the breeding male, ODFW monitored the movement of three other wolves, one of which wears a tracking collar, including the breeding female and two of her pups. The animals spent their days in the forest nearby but returned to the valley during the night. 

“They’ve been very, very consistent,” Brian Ratliff, ODFW biologist, told the Baker City Herald. “We’re trying to break that pattern.” 

In 2023, the pack attacked livestock at least 10 times in the same region. Authorities killed six of the wolves including the breeding female, breaking up the pack. However, the breeding male found a new breeding female and livestock depredations began again. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Below is a news release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. In October 2025, the Sierra County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency due to increasing public safety concerns linked to the growing wolf population. Six months later, wildlife officials lethally removed four wolves for chronic livestock depredation. 

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has started a process to evaluate California’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program (WLCP).  

On Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, CDFW held an initial meeting with a group of stakeholder representatives previously involved in the development of the wolf-livestock program. 

This meeting marked the first step in a broader public process that will gather input and perspectives from key stakeholder groups involved in livestock production, wolf conservation, research and government agencies, as well as from the public in the coming year. This process will include a rancher survey to garner input, as well as a series of rancher workshops and public meetings to gather a broad base of input on any adjustments to potential future funding, if appropriated by the Legislature and Administration. 

This first meeting focused on how best to provide a public process to evaluate potential adjustments to future applications and funding opportunities. This effort relates to potential future WLCP funding, if appropriated by the California legislature and Administration. 

CDFW recognizes that the WLCP affects a wide range of interests and will work in the coming months to ensure a broad swath of ranchers, communities, and interested parties are able to provide their input. As always, CDFW welcomes input on current and potential future programs at any time at wolfcompensation@wildlife.ca.gov. 

Participants in this initial meeting included representatives from the California Farm Bureau, California Cattlemen’s Association, Western Landowners Alliance, California Wool Growers Association, Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), University of California Cooperative Extension, University of California, Berkeley, Defenders of Wildlife, the California Wolf Foundation, the California Center for Biological Diversity, Working Circle, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  

CDFW will continue working with these groups, as well as ranchers, and communities as the evaluation process moves forward. 

Since its inception as a pilot program in 2021, CDFW’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program has paid out more than $3.5 million to livestock producers whose operations have been impacted by the return of gray wolves to California. 

For more information about the evaluation process, timeline and opportunities to participate, please visit CDFW’s Wolf Livestock Compensation Grants webpage. 

(Photo credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Colorado is under siege. A well-known anti-hunting and animal rights organization has its crosshairs firmly set on the Centennial State with a goal to forcefully change the state’s proven wildlife management system and alter the lives and lifestyles of its citizens. 

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is an out-of-state litigant environmental organization based in Tucson, Arizona. Of the 208 employees listed on its website, at least 89 personnel or 43 percent of the entire staff are listed as attorneys, fellows, paralegals or with other legal designations. CBD prides itself as a lawsuit factory. It uses the courtroom to boost membership and bolster its budgetary bottom line through the payment of attorney fees (taxpayer dollars). Over the first 76  days of 2026 alone, CBD announced the filing of 42 lawsuits, petitions or complaints after filing more than 150 legal actions in 2025. 

Micromanaging wolf management 

Unfortunately, Coloradans are getting to know the CBD playbook all too well. Among its latest moves, announced on March 9, 2026, is a petition that would order Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to ensure any potential conflicts are prevented or mitigated and that the lethal removal of wolves is a “last resort.” It also requires “written, evidenced-based determinations” take place before any wolves are killed and that “predation evidence would be independent” from any claims for compensation.  

Ballot box biology – Colorado’s forced wolf introduction 

It’s no secret that Colorado has a wolf problem, and CBD plays a significant role in it! Ever since a 2020 ballot initiative, strongly supported by CBD which passed by less than two percent at the polls, the forced introduction of wolves has been messy at best or at worst, a failure according to many Coloradans. Some of the wolves introduced into Colorado were transplanted from a pack already known to kill livestock in Oregon. Those behaviors persisted at their new Colorado home.  

Since December 2023, CPW confirmed that wolves killed 57 cattle, 24 sheep, five working dogs and one llama across 10 counties as the wolf population spreads. Those numbers do not account for unconfirmed or unreported livestock depredations.  

Budget-breaking wolf-livestock payouts  

In 2025, the CPW Commission approved more than $700,000 in wolf depredation claims, more than doubling the amount budgeted by the state, according to the Coloradoan, after doling out $608,000 in 2024. As of early 2026, 14 of 25 wolves introduced into Colorado from British Columbia and Oregon died, including one that CPW intentionally removed in 2025 for  chronic livestock depredation. Given the current status, both everyday Coloradans and even politicians have called for the introduction process to stop. 

“No” is not an option 

CBD wants what it wants, no matter the process and no matter the impact on anything or anyone else. In 2022, having no success through other efforts, a group of anti-hunting organizations supported a bill from four lawmakers to ban the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and Canada lynx. (Note: hunting lynx across the Lower 48 was against the law then and remains that way today.) Due to a tidal wave of immediate opposition in the form of thousands of emails from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation members and other outdoorsmen and women, three bill sponsors then  bowed out. At its committee hearing, members rejected it on a 4-1 vote with the lone sponsor being the only vote in favor. 

In late 2023, a new political action committee headed up by a future CBD staffer, filed for a citizen initiative that again called for a ban on hunting mountain lions, bobcats and Canada lynx. Proponents gathered enough qualified signatures to place it on the November 2024 ballot. On Election Day, more than 1.6 million Coloradans decisively rejected it, including majorities in 59 of Colorado’s 64 counties.  

On that same ballot, but only for voters in Denver, was another measure supported by the same extremist crowd. Ordinance 308 sought to ban the sale of new fur products within city limits. Fifty-eight percent of Denver voters rejected it. 

Wild Fur Ban 

In March 2026, the same activist-turned-CBD-staffer behind the failed 2024 mountain lion hunting ban ignored the will of the people and pushed a petition before the CPW Commission. The entire roster of commission members have been appointed by Governor Polis, who is known for his personal and familial animal rights activism. The petition called for a ban on the sale, barter or trade of wild fur. Despite an overflow crowd of hunters, ranchers, outdoorsmen and women, and five dozen people who  spoke during the five-hour hearing to urge commission members to support CPW’s biologists, wildlife professionals and its new director who recommended the measure be rejected, the commission ignored its own wildlife agency and leadership by citing social science and personal  experience, approving the petition with a 6-4 vote during an overly confusing motion process. 

As bewilderment and unanswered questions lingered at the commission meeting, several legislators a mere 13 miles away at the Capitol, introduced a bill – supported by CBD and a group of other environmental organizations – to ban the trapping of beavers on public lands. And did so with a confusing approach by framing it as wildfire mitigation and forest management legislation. (Fortunately, the Colorado House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee killed the bill on a 10-3 vote). 

Just another day at the office for the Center of Biological Diversity. 

Hunt 2 Conserve is firmly committed to fighting extreme organizations and efforts like these that seek to limit hunting and greatly curtail conservation.

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more  information, go to hunt2conserve.org.