Hunting rules for federal sites are getting stripped by the dozens, and it's happening fast. Internal Interior Department documents reviewed by the New York Times show that the Trump administration has instructed 76 national recreation areas, seashores, and wildlife refuges to immediately roll back a wide range of restrictions on hunting and trapping. On the chopping block are bans on firing across trails and cleaning game in restrooms; requirements that hunting dogs wear tags; limits on artificial lights and permanent stands; and protections for certain species, including reptiles at Louisiana's Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's April 21 memo says only rules required by law or truly needed for safety or resource protection should remain. Major parks like Yellowstone, the Everglades, and the Grand Canyon, where hunting is barred by statute, remain unaffected. The Interior Department calls the move a "common-sense" effort to expand access for hunters and anglers, arguing that every change was carefully reviewed.
Conservation groups and some former park officials say the order, which expands on previous efforts, appears rushed, bypasses public input and environmental analysis, and could violate the National Park Service's 1916 mandate to keep resources "unimpaired" for future generations. "For major changes, the National Park Service must consult the American public and ensure these actions align with the best science," Stephanie Adams, wildlife program director for the National Parks Conservation Association, says in a statement. Some park superintendents are resisting changes near busy trails and visitor centers, calling basic firearm limits nonnegotiable safety measures, per the Times.
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