Shrinking hunting population draws aggressive response from Trump administration

By Chris Eger

Zinke’s order directs those in charge of some 500 million acres of public lands to research opening more access to hunters and anglers (Photo: Katie Theule/USFWS)
President Trump’s Interior Secretary on Friday released a management plan to expand hunting, fishing and increase outdoor recreation opportunities on federal lands.
Secretary Ryan Zinke signed Secretarial Order 3356, six pages of marching orders to the sprawling Department of Interior citing federal law and a 2007 Executive Order from President George W. Bush designed to boost flagging “sportsmen conservation ethic” in the country. The move comes days after a five-year survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported the number of hunters drop from 12.5 million in 2006 to 11.4 in 2016 although the general population rose by more than 30 million in the same period.
“The more people we can get outdoors, the better things will be for our public lands,” said Zinke. “As someone who grew up hunting and fishing on our public lands – packing bologna sandwiches and heading out at 4 a.m. with my dad – I know how important it is to expand access to public lands for future generations.”
Among the steps outlined in the order is for the Bureau of

Source: Guns.com