Two Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) members will retain their positions but will be on a short leash going forward. That is the word from Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson who sent letters to Commissioners Melanie Rowland and Lorna Smith after an investigation into their actions.

The two of them, along with fellow Commissioners Barbara Baker and John Lehmkuhl, were the focus of an inquiry about open meeting and transparency laws, public records violations and conflict of interest rules. The investigation found numerous violations including undisclosed meetings and communications with Washington Wildlife First, an animal rights group, and failure to promptly reply to public records requests. However, in the end, it did not recommend dismissal.

According to the Washington Standard, the governor’s office sent individual letters to Rowland and Smith outlining a list of “problematic behavior” leading to perceptions that “undermined impartiality and transparency.” Instruction includes treating colleagues with professionalism, prompt compliance with public records requests, stepping away from matters that may create a conflict of interest and refraining from making threats or retaliation against anyone who took part in the investigation.

Click here to view the letters sent to Rowland and Smith, whose terms both expire on Dec. 31 of this year.

Late commissioner offers advice

Victor Garcia served as a FWC commissioner for 17 months. Fighting a reoccurrence of cancer, he penned what was meant to be a resignation letter to the governor. However, Garcia died before it could be delivered. In it, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve while also offering suggestions to serve as “litmus tests” for his replacement.

“The Commission is struggling from lack of public trust, as you well know. I believe the root causes of those struggles are Commissioners and interests not fully aligned with the stated mission, but instead aiming to impose elements of their own belief systems or agendas,” wrote Garcia. “I have a hope that animal rights activists and sportsmen can come together to steward the species we all cherish through projects such as wildlife overpasses to promote predator genetic diversity in southwestern Washington. We make the greatest contribution to our natural resources when we collaborate to solve problems rather than engage in copious vanity lawsuits.”

Smith and Washington Wildlife First filed a joint lawsuit earlier this year against the director and deputy director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife claiming they made up accusations against them that caused the governor to launch the investigation.

Ferguson will name a replacement to fill Garcia’s term that runs through December 2030.

“Commissioner Garcia leaves a lasting legacy from his work on the Commission to care for the fish, wildlife and wild spaces that he was so passionate about,” said Kelly Susewind, WDFW Director.

"Commissioner Garcia loved this state, and he cared deeply for fish and wildlife,” said Jim Anderson, Commission Chair. “He was ready to do the hard work, and he will be missed.”

See Garcia’s letter in its entirety here, as published by the Northwest Sportsman.

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.

A new survey shows support for gun control continues to drop among Americans. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports finds 48% of likely U.S. voters believe the nation needs more strict gun control laws compared to 51% when asked in October 2024.A smaller number, 46%, say they would vote for a candidate who wants to ban semi-automatic firearms.

The just-released 2026 National Firearms Survey shows Americans own 461 million firearms including 40 million AR-15 rifles and 20 million similar firearms.

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled a New Jersey law banning the sale and possession of AR-15s and standard-capacity magazines is unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hold a hearing this fall to address the same issue.

“Americans aren’t merely hearing about firearms from politicians, gun control groups and television commentators anymore. They’re buying them, training with them and understanding for themselves what exercising the Second Amendment actually entails,” said Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Keane cited three other data points reported by three different organizations that show shrinking support for gun control. Below are a few others already reported by Hunt 2 Conserve that show Americans appreciate Second Amendment rights.

A Oregon State University study recently found demand to buy guns surged by 157% after Oregonians narrowly passed a 2022 ballot measure meant to implement tighter gun control protocols.

The reaction in Colorado was much the same where residents rushed to purchase semiautomatic firearms prior to a new Aug. 1 law taking effect requiring them to acquire a permit and take stake-sponsored safety training. As a result, gun sales surged by a reported 195% over the previous year.

Another survey, this one by Responsive Management, shows 72% of Americans approve of hunting with about the same percentage approving of legal recreational shooting. Further breaking down the numbers found 82% of those surveyed approve of hunting to acquire meat, 81% approved of hunting to get locally sourced food and 80% approved of hunting for the conservation of healthy wildlife population.

Hunt 2 Conserve is a strong advocate of the Second Amendment.

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.

As if high-intensity wildfires are not already destructive enough, there is now a new threat that could fan the flames in an unforeseen yet intentional and dangerous way.

On July 27, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a new Minnesota law that banned prediction markets, which are online platforms that allow people to buy and sell contracts that pay out depending on the future outcomes of weather, sporting events, elections, legislative actions, the economy and other things.

Also available to the public is the ability to buy and sell contracts related to wildfires and wildfire activity.

"That's just absolutely disgusting because of the loss that occurs from that; seems we've sunk to a new low. Whether that wildfire intersects with a community or watershed or whatnot, there's big implications," Matthew Hurteau, University of New Mexico biology professor and wildfire researcher, told KRWG public media.

The preliminary injunction ruling against the state of Minnesota favored the prediction market platforms of Kalshi and Polymarket as well as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“Prediction markets are gambling, plain and simple, and Minnesota has every right to keep predatory gambling out of our communities. We respectfully disagree with the court’s determination that the proper ‘status quo’ to maintain is one that allows predatory gambling apps to proliferate,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told Courthouse News.

Nine members of the U.S. Senate wrote a letter to the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, expressing their deep concern. They cited recent reports that Polymarket accepted more than $1.2 million in bets linked to the 2025 Palisade and Eaton fires that claimed 31lives and destroyed thousands of homes in California.

"Offering bets on destructive wildfires threatens to minimize communities’ suffering all so the rich and powerful can profit," the letter stated. "There’s also the heightened risk—according to state and local fire officials—that individuals could be tempted to commit arson in order to make sure their bets are successful. By offering contracts on fires, prediction market sites run the risk of encouraging people to influence fires that have already started, creating additional concerns around public safety and insider trading."

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 54,000 fires as of early September burned more than 8.4 million acres of forest and grassland nationwide. Those fires also took lives, destroyed hundreds of homes, forced tens of thousands to evacuate and charred or destroyed vital forest, grassland and riparian habitat relied upon by wildlife. 

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: InciWeb)

Six years of litigation concluded with a six-week trial and a 190-page ruling that highlights the binding importance of constitutional protections of hunting and fishing.

In 2020, the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina (CCA NC) along with 86 citizens, including five former members of North Carolina's Marine Fisheries Commission, filed a lawsuit holding the state accountable for failing to protect its coastal fisheries by allowing them to deteriorate and collapse.

Two years later, the Court of Appeals unanimously ruled in favor of plaintiffs that the state has “an affirmative duty” under the public-trust doctrine and the North Carolina Constitution to “preserve the people’s right to fish and harvest fish,” which includes a “duty to preserve fisheries for the benefit of the public” and a “duty to keep fisheries safe from injury, harm or destruction for all time.”

On August 17, 2026, the Wake County Superior Court applied the Court of Appeals decision as binding precedent. It cited evidence that not one of North Carolina's state-managed coastal fish stocks is currently viable.

“This ruling demonstrates exactly why constitutional protections for hunting and fishing matter,” said Brent Miller, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation vice president of policy. “These amendments are more than statements about our outdoor heritage — they provide meaningful, lasting protections for sportsmen and women."

North Carolina voters passed a constitutional amendment to protect the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife in 2018. Today, 23 other states have hunting and fishing constitutional protections: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Colorado can become the 25th state later this year. Proponents qualified a constitutional right to hunt and fish amendment for a vote in the November 2026 election. Fifty-five percent of Coloradans must vote in favor of it to become law.

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.

A new national survey shows 72 percent of Americans approve of hunting. About the same percentage approves of legal recreational shooting.

The annual Americans Attitudes Towards Hunting and Sport Shooting Report compiled survey results from more than 2,200 residents ages 18 and older across the United States.

"Regardless of their own opinions of the activities, over four-fifths of Americans agree that it is okay if other people go hunting or sport shooting in accordance with laws and regulations: 84 percent agree that it is okay for others to go hunting, and 82 percent agree that it is okay for others to go sport shooting," according to the survey, conducted by the research group Responsive Management.

Other notable findings:

• 82 percent approved of hunting to acquire meat

• 81 percent approved of hunting to get locally sourced food

• 80 percent approved hunting for the conservation of healthy wildlife populations

• Approval of hunting is highest in the Midwest (81%) and lowest in the Northeast (69%)

• Trends show an increase in approval of hunting predator species: black bear (46% in 2026 vs 42% in 2025), grizzly bear (45% vs 40%), mountain lion (42 vs. 30%) and wolf (41% vs 37%)

The survey's findings show that approval of hunting in 2026 is approximately the same as it was in 1995 while its highest recorded approval was at 81 percent in 2021.

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.

The legal fight to keep the Northern Rockies' wolf population under state management will shift to a courtroom in Missoula, Montana, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit hosts a hearing on Oct. 13.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation along with litigation partners at Safari Club International and the Sportsmen's Alliance will make oral arguments in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) decision to deny claims by animal rights and anti-hunting extremists to relist wolves.

“We have stated from the beginning, and population counts bear it out, that wolves are well above benchmark recovery levels across the Northern Rockies and continue to increase and expand their occupied range while under state management,” said Blake Henning, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation chief conservation officer. “As such, they do not warrant Endangered Species Act (ESA) considerations.”

In 2011, congress reinstated a USFWS delisting rule and prohibited judicial review of that rule, but litigant environmental organizations continue to file actions. USFWS denied their relisting petitions in 2024, but a federal judge cited technicalities and overturned the decision. RMEF, as an organization committed to scientific wildlife conservation, filed an immediate appeal maintaining resources should go toward proven, state-based wildlife management and not endless court battles.

The October wolf hearing is the latest for RMEF dating back several decades.

The Northern Rockies wolf population covers Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah.

RMEF has always maintained that state wildlife agencies should sustainably manage wolves just as they manage elk, mountain lions, deer, black bears and other wildlife in line with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model.

The court will hear oral arguments from 14 cases during its three-day stay at the federal courthouse in Missoula, including two others involving wolves. One of them is about a recent rule to remove federal protections for gray wolves while the other focuses on federal rules for the experimental population of Mexican wolves.

Hunt 2 Conserve advocates for state-based wildlife management, including predator management, and will be in attendance.

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.

Aug. 27, 2026 – A black bear entered an Estes Park home in the early morning hours, charging and scratching a woman before leaving through a window.

Aug. 21 – A black bear attacked an angler as he walked toward his vehicle southwest of Denver. The man suffered bite wounds on his legs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) used a dog team to track and euthanize the animal.

Aug. 19 – A black bear in Aspen bit a man as he slept in a city park. The man received treatment for head and facial injuries. CPW found and euthanized the bear.

Aug. 18 – A black bear entered a Steamboat Springs home in the middle of the night. When a woman tried to drive it out, the animal struck her in the face causing injuries. CPW set a trap to try to capture it.

Aug. 17 – A black bear scratched a man's arm after an encounter at an apartment complex near Eagle-Vail. CPW had received earlier reports of a sow and cubs foraging in neighborhood dumpsters and set a trap to try to catch them.

Those five bear attacks happened over less than two weeks in Colorado, with two others documented earlier in the year.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 8,672 reports of bear sightings and conflicts from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31., compared to 3,680 through August 2025. At this rate, the state is on track to have the highest number of bear reports since CPW implemented its statewide digital reporting system in 2019.

So, why are there so many more bear sightings and encounters this year? CPW cites several reasons:

• In late summer and fall, black bears enter a natural phase (hyperphagia) when they can spend up to 20 hours a day searching for food as they build the fat reserves needed to survive the winter

• Low snowpack, dry conditions, drought and wildfires reduce the availability of berries, fruits, nuts, plants and grasses

• With natural foods harder to find, bears travel greater distances, including pushing into neighborhoods where garbage, bird seed and pet food offer an easy meal

Another reason may be the size of the black bear population, reportedly ranging from 17,000 to 20,000, which is notably larger than most neighboring states.

"Ballot box biology is stupid," Rick Enstrom, former CPW commissioner posted on X. "Excellent case in point."

Enstrom made this comment in response to a recent media report about the increasing number of bear sightings in Colorado in 2026. More specifically, he is referencing a voter-approved citizen ballot initiative from 34 years earlier, introduced by anti-hunting influences and organizations in 1992, that put an end to bear hunting from March 1 to Sept. 1. Known as Amendment 10, it is recognized by many as Colorado's first ballot box biology measure. By definition, "ballot box biology" happens when wildlife management decisions are made by an often uniformed public on Election Day and taken out of the hands of professional biologists and game managers.

Colorado is one of 21 states that allow citizens to initiate statutory measures, so it is no stranger to ballot box biology at the polls. In 1996, passage of Amendment 14, instigated by animal rights groups, led to a ban on certain trapping methods. In 2020, voters narrowly approved Proposition 114, also backed by animal rights and anti-hunting groups, which triggered the forcible introduction of wolves into Colorado – a messy program with skyrocketing costs and record wolf-livestock kills. In 2024, voters rejected Proposition 127, an animal rights-backed measure to ban the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats.

To help manage its population, Colorado does have a highly regulated fall bear hunt, but it only covers several short seasons with the earliest date of Sept. 2, 2026, and the latest of Nov. 22.Some Coloradans have suggested reinstating a spring bear hunt to reign in the population, but that would require the legislature changing the law or passing another citizen initiative, neither of which would be easy. Passage of a right to hunt and fish amendment would not re-instate the spring season.

Here are some other noteworthy numbers. When Amendment 10 passed in 1992, Colorado's black bear population numbered between 6,000 and 10,000. Today, with black bear hunting banned from March to September, it is two to three times larger. Maybe the former commissioner was on to something there.

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)

A well-known anti-hunting group filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) to stop what it calls “illegal” mountain lion hunting. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), based in Tucson, asked a court to suspend the season scheduled to begin on Aug. 21.

CBD claims the majority of lions taken by hunters from 2018 to 2024 were younger or juveniles. It also says the 340 quota for the upcoming season is too high and will lead to unsustainable population declines. 

AZGFD says there are approximately 3,000 animals across the state and uses highly regulated hunting to keep predator and prey populations balanced while reducing adverse impacts on any of those populations. Mountain lion hunting is managed by zones with harvest thresholds that close seasons when a threshold is reached. Successful hunters are required to report their harvest within 48 hours and have it physically checked by an AZGFD employee within 10 days for identification of the animal’s age and sex and collection of important biological information.

CBD has tried and failed other avenues to try to stop mountain lion hunting. Fresh off a resounding defeat at the ballot box in Colorado's 2024 election to ban mountain lion and bobcat hunting, it joined like-minded animal rights groups one month later by filing a petition calling on AZGFD to ban the use of hounds to hunt mountain lions and traditional hunting dogs for small game like squirrels and rabbits. Arizonans turned out in force to speak out against it. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission unanimously rejected the petition.

In 2017, a similar coalition of activists tried to place a measure on the Arizona ballot to ban the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats. They were not successful.

AZGFD did not comment on the lawsuit.

Hunt 2 Conserve supports sustainable and regulated hunting of mountain lions.

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: Arizona Game and Fish Department)

After Oregonians narrowly passed a ballot measure meant to implement tighter gun control protocols, a new study shows the demand to buy guns surged by 157 percent.

“It’s not particularly surprising that people go out and buy more guns when they have compelling reason to believe it’s going to become harder to in the future,” said Katie Bollman, Oregon State University College of Liberal Arts assistant professor. “But the magnitude of the increase is pretty remarkable, as is the underlying dynamic driving it.”

In 2022, by a mere 1.3 percentage points, voters passed Measure 114, which required anyone wanting to buy a firearm to get a permit from local law enforcement. The process required a photo ID, fingerprints, safety training, a criminal background check and a fee payment. The measure also made it a class A misdemeanor for manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, possessing, using or transferring magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

All that triggered action - big action.

Citing multiple legal challenges, Oregon lawmakers passed legislation delaying the measure's implementation until Jan. 1, 2028. That is, if supporters win their case in court.

In the runup to the 2022 election, demand to buy firearms rose by 14 percent. After Election Day, it surged more than 10-fold to 157 percent. Researchers estimate that by 18 months after the election, 63,000 more background checks had taken place compared to how many would have been conducted without the gun control effort.

“There are more guns in Oregon after passing permit-to-purchase than we expected to have if it had not passed,” said Bollman.

Post-election action also seems to send a message to those seeking to quash Second Amendment rights.

"This evidence underscores the paradoxical effect of gun-control policies, offering a cautionary lesson to policymakers," according to the study.

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.

Firefighters, foresters, scientists and researchers, conservation groups, local governments and a wide range of other organizations have a new ally in call to ramp up active forest management – the insurance agency. 

Through late-August, more than 50,000 wildfires burned 7.8 million acres of forests and grasslands while also claiming lives, homes and triggering evacuations across multiple states.

“The devastating wildfires unfolding across the country underscore the urgent need for Congress to pass the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act. The legislation would help reduce catastrophic wildfire risk through better forest management, hazardous fuels reduction and stronger community resilience efforts,” said David A. Sampson, president and CEO of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA). “We cannot afford to remain trapped in a cycle of disaster and recovery. Congress should act now to advance proven mitigation solutions that help protect lives, property and the long-term affordability and availability of insurance.”

APCIA joined the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and more than 40 other organizations in a letter sent to congressional leadership asking for action. 

“We urge Senate leaders to move S. 1462 or include the Fix Our Forests Act in the next appropriate legislative package to ensure this critical legislation is enacted as soon as possible,” said Sampson.

The Fix Our Forests Act is a set of reforms that help reduce the risk of high-intensity fires and better ensure public safety, simplify and expedite environmental reviews for forest management projects, promotes collaboration with other agencies, deters frivolous litigation by reversing the Cottonwood decision and encourages the adoption of science and technologies for federal land managers. Its passage would also improve wildlife habitat and overall forest health. The bill passed the House in late 2025 and a key Senate committee in 2026 but is yet to be introduced before the full Senate.

APCIA has more than 300 member groups made up of greater than 1,200 individual insurance companies. It tracks bills and advocates for insurance regulation across the nation.

Hunt 2 Conserve is a strong advocate of the Fix Our Forests Act.

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: InciWeb)