The Sportsmen's Voice | Hunting, Fishing and Conservation Advocacy with Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation cover art

The Sportsmen's Voice | Hunting, Fishing and Conservation Advocacy with Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

The Sportsmen's Voice | Hunting, Fishing and Conservation Advocacy with Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

By: Fred Bird | Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation
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 Fred Bird hosts The Sportsmen's Voice, a podcast from the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation dedicated to conservation, hunting, and fishing advocacy. Join us as we explore key issues in hunting, fishing, outdoor access, gun rights and wildlife management. CSF exists to inform, influence and defend policies that protect and promote our outdoor traditions. Listen in as Fred delivers the most important news and explores the most pressing topics in the hunting, fishing, gun rights and outdoor heritage spaces.Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Episode 66 | Who Pays for Conservation? Michigan’s Fight for Wildlife Funding and Access

    Episode 66 | Who Pays for Conservation? Michigan’s Fight for Wildlife Funding and Access
    Feb 5 2026
    License fees, fish hatcheries, and hunter education collide in Michigan’s high-stakes conservation debate. Michigan’s outdoor heritage runs on a model many hunters and anglers take for granted: user-funded conservation. Michigan DNR Deputy Director Shannon Lott and State Senator John Bumstead pull back the curtain on how hunting and fishing license dollars actually keep fisheries stocked, wildlife managed, and public lands open. The discussion centers on Michigan’s long-overdue license fee restructuring and why it matters now more than ever. Rising costs have put pressure on fish hatcheries, Great Lakes stocking programs, and wildlife management budgets that are funded almost entirely by sportsmen and women. When license revenue falls short, the ripple effects show up fast, from threatened stocking cuts to deferred maintenance on state lands relied on by hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists. With fewer legislators holding hunting or fishing licenses, education has become critical. From the role of Sportsmen’s Caucuses to the importance of maintaining agency authority grounded in science, the episode highlights how conservation policy is shaped long before it reaches the field. A major focus lands on Hunter Education in schools and why early exposure to firearm safety, conservation funding, and outdoor traditions matters for the future of hunting, fishing, and public access. Take a candid look at who pays into the system, who doesn’t, and why protecting this funding model is essential for Michigan’s outdoor economy and way of life. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • TSV Roundup Week of February 2nd, 2026

    TSV Roundup Week of February 2nd, 2026
    Feb 4 2026
    From classrooms to statehouses, the future of hunting access is being decided right now. State legislatures are moving fast, and the decisions being made right now will shape hunting and fishing access for decades. This nationwide conservation roundup breaks down the most important policy fights affecting sportsmen and women, from the Southeast to the Great Plains. The conversation opens with Tennessee’s push to expand hunter education opportunities by allowing schools to offer voluntary hunter safety courses for grades five through twelve. The discussion explores why early exposure to hunting ethics, firearms safety, and wildlife management matters, and how similar efforts have already gained bipartisan support in states like Georgia and Michigan. Out West, attention turns to Wyoming, where proposed legislation could affect transferable landowner tags, the use of tracking dogs for wounded game, and funding structures for state fish and wildlife agencies. These policies directly influence elk hunting access, fair-chase recovery practices, and long-term conservation funding. In the Northeast, Massachusetts presents a major opportunity with potential Sunday hunting rollbacks and expanded crossbow inclusion during archery season. The stakes are high for whitetail deer management, Lyme disease concerns, and giving working families more time afield. The roundup closes in the Midwest, covering Kansas efforts to reimburse wildlife agencies for discounted licenses and an Iowa proposal aimed at increasing political participation among hunters and anglers through voter registration. For anyone who hunts, fishes, or cares about protecting outdoor traditions, this episode connects policy to real-world impact and explains why showing up at the state level has never mattered more. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter Follow The Sportsmen’s Voice wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1705085498 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • Episode 65 - Public Lands Under Fire: Policy Battles Shaping America’s Wildlife Future

    Episode 65 - Public Lands Under Fire: Policy Battles Shaping America’s Wildlife Future
    Jan 29 2026
    Behind closed doors, lawmakers decide the future of hunting, fishing, and access to public lands. Host Fred Bird sits down with a panel of seasoned policy experts to unpack one of the most consequential issues facing hunters and anglers today: the fight over public lands and wildlife management. This isn’t surface-level debate—it’s a clear-eyed look at how decisions are actually made, who influences them, and why sportsmen need to pay attention long before legislation hits the headlines. Joined by CSF’s Sr VP Taylor Schmitz, and Delta Waterfowl’s Chief Policy Officer, John Devney and VP of Government Affairs, Cyrus Baird, the crew breaks down the recent public lands battle and explains the formal process that governs how federal lands are managed, from National Wildlife Refuges to multi-use landscapes critical for hunting access and fishing opportunity. Listeners will gain insight into the outsized role state legislators play in shaping land use policy, wildlife funding, and access for future generations of hunters, anglers, and outdoor families. Fred and his guests also explore the growing importance of caucus networks—organized groups of lawmakers and advocates working behind the scenes to protect wildlife habitat, sustain public access, and keep conservation grounded in sound science. The discussion highlights the challenges facing the National Wildlife Refuge System, including declining awareness and the real consequences that come with disengaged communities. This episode equips sportsmen with the context needed to engage intelligently, advocate effectively, and ensure America’s public lands remain places where hunting, fishing, and outdoor traditions can thrive. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
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