New Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The rule streamlines how seasonal migratory game bird hunting is authorized in the United States. Instead of issuing federal hunting regulations every year, the Fish and Wildlife Service will issue a hunting memorandum once every three years, while still making annual decisions on harvest levels. Hunters, state wildlife agencies, Tribal governments, and federal managers are affected. The practical change is administrative: hunting opportunities and harvest limits will still be reviewed each year, but the federal rulemaking cycle becomes less repetitive and less costly.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Replaces annual federal rulemaking for seasonal migratory game bird hunting with a three-year hunting memorandum.
- Keeps annual decisions on harvest levels based on bird populations, habitat conditions, and existing decision frameworks.
- Allows the Service to update the memorandum sooner if the annual review shows changes are needed.
Obligations
What this law requires
The Fish and Wildlife Service must issue a migratory game bird hunting memorandum once every 3 years instead of promulgating annual Federal hunting regulations for this authorization process.
The Fish and Wildlife Service must continue making annual decisions on migratory game bird harvest levels, even though the hunting memorandum is issued on a 3-year cycle.
The Fish and Wildlife Service must update the migratory game bird hunting memorandum sooner than 3 years if changes are prescribed by its decision frameworks.
Interested parties must submit significant adverse comments by July 27, 2026, for those comments to affect whether the direct final rule takes effect without further action.
If significant adverse comments are received, the Fish and Wildlife Service must publish a Federal Register notification before the rule’s effective date either withdrawing all or part of the rule or issuing a new final rule responding to the comments.