Yesterday, May 25, the Sportsmen’s Alliance and our hunting coalition partners filed comments against a proposed rule to restrict hunting and training with dogs on the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge in Vermont. This is the latest in an ongoing saga that began in 2021 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a final hunting and fishing plan (HFP) for the refuge that restricted hunting with dogs on Putney Mountain and eliminated the summer dog training season during June and July. These restrictions had not been included in the proposed rule issued by FWS earlier in the year, a clear violation of notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. In response, the Sportsmen’s Alliance filed suit against FWS in September 2022 with the Vermont Bearhound Association, the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the Vermont Traditions Coalition.

The proposed rule commented on yesterday was FWS’s attempt to avoid liability by “mooting out” our lawsuit with the issuance of a new draft HFP, once again with the dog hunting and training restrictions in place. Please read the coalition’s full comments by clicking on the link below.

READ THE OFFICAL SPORTSMEN’S ALLIANCE
COMMENTS HERE!

 

About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.