Kansas Non-Resident Hunter Access Legislation Vetoed, New Tundra Swan Tag Approved in Montana, Ontario’s Frontenac Islands Win Sunday Gun Hunting, and More

Kansas Non-Resident Hunter Access Legislation Vetoed, New Tundra Swan Tag Approved in Montana, Ontario’s Frontenac Islands Win Sunday Gun Hunting, and More

United States

Federal

America the Beautiful Act Introduced: On May 1, Senator Steve Daines, Senator Angus King, and a bi-partisan group of co-sponsors introduced the America the Beautiful Act that would invest in public land infrastructure across the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other public land agencies. The legislation would contribute $100 million per year for eight years into critical infrastructure on USFWS lands and National Wildlife Refuges. Delta continues to work towards ensuring our refuges and public lands can continue to support ducks and duck hunters.

Click here for the full release

United States Fish and Wildlife Service Annual “Hunt Fish Rule”: In a recent press release, the Department of the Interior announced this year’s rollout of the annual “Hunt Fish Rule”. In it, Secretary Burgum announced 42 new proposed hunting opportunities across more than 87,000 acres within the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System. This proposal would continue to expand hunting opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges across the United States and is an endeavor in which Delta Waterfowl has played a leading role in the past several years.

A more formal announcement with the list of refuge expansions is slated to hit the Federal Register for public comment soon.

State

Delta in the Capitols: Delta’s policy staff have remained busy throughout the last month with visits to several state capitols including Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, and California, to meet with lawmakers.

In Missouri, Delta staff and state committee volunteers met with several members of the Missouri legislature and leadership within the Missouri Department of Conservation. In Alabama, Delta joined in the Congressional Sportsmen Foundation’s legislative breakfast to discuss the organization’s work in the region and the PPR before meeting with the current Speaker of the House.

Mississippi

New Delta State Committee in Mississippi: Jeff Wardlaw, Delta’s senior manager of government affairs for the Mississippi and Central Flyways—South, was on hand for the first meeting of the newly formed state committee of Delta volunteers in Mississippi. This new committee structure will allow our policy staff to work more closely with our membership and volunteers in the state on policy issues impacting ducks and duck hunters.

Louisiana

Conservation Incentive Program Advances in the House: House Bill 564 in Louisiana is moving through the legislative process after its recent pass out of the House.

This legislation would establish the Conservation Incentive Program within the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which aims to assist private landowners in enhancing wildlife habitats and managing native species on their properties. It would also provide grants for projects such as forest stand improvement, increasing water prevalence on agricultural lands, managing private wetlands, implementing prescribed fires, and other projects that would benefit waterfowl and waterfowl hunters.

Kansas

Governor Vetoes Controversial Non-Resident Access Legislation: After legislation prohibiting non-resident waterfowl hunters from accessing certain state and federal public lands on certain days of the week narrowly cleared the Kansas House, Governor Laura Kelly ultimately decided to exercise her veto authority on the legislation.

In her veto message, Governor Kelly said, in part, “I am particularly concerned with how this bill severely limits non-Kansas residents from hunting waterfowl on public lands. More specifically, this prohibition could have a detrimental impact on the prosperity of our communities and businesses by denying the many positive outcomes from the economic activity generated by non-residents coming into our state for hunting purposes. I will not support a bill that could harm the economic vitality of rural Kansas communities across the state.”

While Delta Waterfowl remained neutral on the state public lands portion of this legislation, Delta’s staff maintained throughout the legislative process that the federal lands, particularly the National Wildlife Refuges, should have been amended out as the organization felt that the state legislature should not enact restrictions on access to federal public lands.

Montana

Governor’s Tundra Swan Bill Becomes Law: House Bill 330 creates a yearly lottery tag for pronghorns and swans in Montana. Lottery tags—sometimes referred to as “Governor’s Tags”—are separate from the traditional Montana tagging system as they can be sold at auction to support conservation in the region. This style of tag generally receives more exposure from the greater hunting community. This higher level of exposure leads to more interest in state conservation, as well as higher levels of revenue generated through tag sales. The money generated through this auction is then used in a fund to support specific habitats related to these species.

Delta’s policy team testified in support of this bill and is pleased to report that this bill was signed into law by Governor Gianforte on May 1, 2025.

Washington

Firearms Legislation: Unfortunately, HB 1163 is continuing to move through the legislature. Most recently, this bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and had a hearing scheduled for April 4.

In Washington, if an individual wants to buy, sell, or transfer a firearm, they must either possess a hunting license or prove that they have completed a firearm safety program. House Bill 1163 would require Washington gun owners to take an extensive firearm training course and pay a tax to receive a five-year permit to purchase firearms—even if they already own a hunting license. Even with recent amendments, this legislation remains concerning and will have negative outcomes for duck hunters in the state.

Delta’s policy team worked to add amendments to this bill to exclude current hunting license holders. Unfortunately, these amendments were not accepted, and the bill passed the Senate as written. This bill is currently at the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed or vetoed.

Oregon

Age-restriction Gun Bill: Delta Waterfowl is pleased to announce that Oregon Senate Bill 697, which sought to restrict gun possession for individuals under 21—with exemptions for military and law enforcement personnel—has been officially withdrawn for this legislative session. Delta Waterfowl’s policy team submitted multiple letters of opposition and was prepared to testify against the bill during a committee hearing on April 7, alongside other conservation organizations.

Read more about SB 697 here.

California

Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement Program: Delta’s policy team recently joined the California Waterfowl Association in a sign-on letter in support of Assembly Bill 1169. This legislation would increase the number of outdoor recreation opportunities offered through the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement Program.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s SHARE Program provides incentives to private landowners to make their property available to the public for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. The current issue with this program stems from statutory restrictions on the amount that DFW may pay participating landowners. Although the SHARE Program was created back in 2003, these payment limitations have not been changed or adjusted for inflation since they were created.

Assembly Bill 1169 would remove the landowner payment limitations and instead allow DFW to determine the appropriate amount to pay each participating landowner, while requiring DFW to contract portions of the work involved with the program to nonprofit conservation groups. Most recently, this bill unanimously passed the Assembly Committee on Appropriations on a 13-0 vote. Delta’s team will continue to monitor and support this bill as it makes its way through the legislative process.

Suggested Amendments to Sections of California Fish and Game Code: Delta Waterfowl, along with several partners, has been advocating for Assembly Bill 1520, which would make various technical and assorted changes to the Fish and Game Code—including amendments to the state’s Duck Stamp program to make it more efficient and effective.

The Duck Stamp program—which has limited funding derived from the annual sale of duck stamps required for waterfowl hunting—funds habitat, research, and other necessary projects that support waterfowl populations. A significant portion of this conservation work is done by contracting with nonprofit conservation groups that have expertise and experience in these areas.

While the Duck Stamp program benefits from certain statutory exemptions related to state contracting requirements, it does not currently enjoy the exemptions outlined in the Fish and Game Code. Specifically, the program lacks the exemption for certain conservation work—such as grading wetlands or planting waterfowl-friendly vegetation—that non-profits, public agencies, and Tribes are authorized to perform under Section 1501.5.

Without the exemption provided under Section 1501.5, time-sensitive Duck Stamp habitat projects, on state lands in particular, face higher costs and are subject to significant delays. Assembly Bill 1520 aims to extend the nonprofit contracting exemption under Section 1501.5 to Duck Stamp projects to improve these processes.

This bill passed the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife with unanimous support (13-0) and will now be considered by the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

Sustainable Groundwater Management: California Assembly Bill 929 adds the term “managed wetlands” to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In turn, this language prohibits a groundwater sustainability agency from imposing fees upon a managed wetland. An additional benefit of this bill is a sweeping commitment to the No Net Loss policy for wetlands, ensuring regulatory protections for some of the most sensitive areas in the state.

Wetlands ecosystems across California are impacted more than any other ecosystem in the state and are essential in providing more opportunities for wildlife and migrating waterfowl. Delta’s policy team recently testified in support of this bill to the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife and are happy to report that the bill passed this committee and has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for review.

Delta’s team will continue to diligently watch and support this bill as it continues through the legislative process.

Firearms—Safety Certificates: Assembly Bill 1187 is a damaging bill with potential negative ramifications for hunters. Currently, if an individual wants to buy, sell, or transfer a firearm in California, they must possess either a hunting license or a firearm safety certificate. This proposed legislation would require California gun owners to take a course and pay a tax to receive a firearm safety certificate within 60 days of entering the state, even if they already own a hunting license.

To acquire a hunting license in the United States, one must first pass a state-approved hunter education course. This course covers basic firearm usage and safety. Historically, no one has ever questioned the validity of a hunting license as proof of an individual’s firearm training. Hunters as a group are statistically the safest and most responsible firearm owners. There is no reason other than tax revenue to mandate that hunters acquire a firearm safety certificate.

Most recently, this bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations and has been placed on “suspense file” (put on pause). Delta’s policy team is currently working with the bill sponsor’s office and committee staff to ensure that hunting license holders will remain exempt from firearm safety certificates.

Canada

Federal

Canada, Federal Election: More than 19.5 million Canadians cast their ballot for the federal election on April 28, 2025, to determine who would form the next federal government. This represented approximately 68.7% of the eligible voters registered in Canada and is the highest voter turnout since the 1993 election.

At the end of the night, the Liberal Party won a minority government with 169 seats, falling three seats short of a majority government. The Conservative Party won 143 seats, followed by the Bloc Quebecois winning 23, the New Democratic Party winning seven, and the Green Party winning one seat.

Provincial

 Ontario

Meeting with Minister Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources: On Monday, April 28, Delta’s policy team traveled to Queen’s Park to meet with Ontario’s newly appointed Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Mike Harris, and his staff.

Minister Harris was appointed Minister of Natural Resources on March 19. To have met with the Minister so quickly after his appointment is a tremendous reflection on Delta Waterfowl’s presence and reputation in Ontario. Delta’s team was incredibly pleased at the opportunity to have extensive discussions with him on vastly important files such as the “municipal crisis” hunters are continuously facing, dealing with municipal bylaws, the vast potential of programs like the hunter apprentice license, and provincial investment in HunteR3 initiatives.

Delta’s team looks forward to collaborating with the Minister and his staff in the future.

Township of Georgian Bay, Discharge of Firearms By-law Review: Earlier this month, Delta’s team was informed that the Township of Georgian Bay was in the process of reviewing and discussing a newly revised draft discharge of firearms by-law. Delta’s staff connected with Georgian Bay’s Supervisor of Municipal Law Enforcement and had a robust discussion on the reasoning for the review and anticipated process timelines and also began to coordinate meeting plans to further discuss the draft bylaw and offer our feedback and recommendations.

The draft bylaw went to the townships Committee of the Whole meeting on May 6, where, after much discussion, direction was given to staff to plan and host a public meeting to gather feedback from the residents of Georgian Bay before ultimately bringing a revised draft back to council.

Delta Waterfowl’s team will continue to be engaged in these discussions and looks forward to meeting with township staff to provide input. Georgian Bay is now the 16^th municipality in Ontario that Delta Waterfowl has engaged with over the last 18 to 24 months.

Township of Frontenac Islands, Sunday Gun Hunting (SGH): Delta’s team is extremely pleased to report that on Thursday, April 10, the Township of Frontenac Islands was approved and added to the official Sunday Gun Hunting map produced by the Ministry of Natural Resources. This update would have generally occurred on April 1, but because of the recent provincial election, the final approval and subsequently updated map was delayed.

Frontenac Islands now officially becomes the 196^th municipality in southern Ontario to have approved SGH.

New Brunswick

Atlantic Migratory Game Bird Technical Committee Meeting: On April 23, Delta staff participated in the spring Atlantic Migratory Game Bird Technical Committee meeting. Due to the federal election, the Government of Canada was operating under the Caretaker Convention, meaning that the Canadian Wildlife Service was only permitted to provide updates on proposed programming for the 2025 year and highlights from any work completed up until the time of the meeting. This excluded any discussion on regulatory (or proposed) amendments and the committee’s terms of reference occurred.

As a result, the meeting was condensed to one day. Delta is now in the process of planning an evening Zoom meeting with our Atlantic chapters to share relevant updates from the meeting.

Nova Scotia

Meeting with Member of Legislative Assembly, Marco MacLeod: On May 5, Delta’s team was invited to participate in a meeting with the Member of Legislative Assembly for Pictou West, Marco MacLeod. The meeting was originally scheduled by one of our chapters who subsequently extended the invitation to our policy team. It was a great first introduction where Delta seized the opportunity to discuss key priorities for Nova Scotia including Sunday hunting, the introduction of a hunter apprentice license, and provincial investments in HunteR3 programs and initiatives.

Delta’s team is looking forward to continued discussions with MLA MacLeod as we seek to remove barriers for duck hunters in Nova Scotia.