	Introduction

Several issues related to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal and state lands are addressed in various bills in the 113 th Congress. Hunting and conservation have been linked since the advent of federal wildlife legislation, such as the Lacey Act of 1900 (the first federal wildlife law, making it a federal crime to ship game killed in violation of one state's laws to another state) or the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (regulating the killing, hunting, buying, or selling of migratory birds). Controversy exists about exactly what hunting, fishing, or shooting sports currently are allowed on federal land and when. This report focuses on the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 ( S. 2363 ), now pending in the Senate. Among other things, it covers land management priorities for hunting, trapping, fishing, and recreational shooting on various categories of federal lands; changes to the duck stamp program; recreational shooting; imports of polar bear trophies; hunting waterfowl over baited fields; and funding for land acquisition to support hunter access. S. 2363 would permanently authorize the electronic issuance of duck stamps. States would apply to the Secretary of the Interior for authority to issue the electronic stamps, under a procedure specified in the section. 718a, which requires waterfowl hunters to purchase the duck stamp. Polar Bear Import Permits

Before May 15, 2008, when the listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) took effect, it was legal under U.S. law to import polar bear trophies legally taken in Canada. After that date, import was not allowed. Instead, it refers to the Sporting Conservation Council, which was established a year earlier by the Department of the Interior. Section 201 of S. 2363 would amend the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCF) by directing that the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture prepare priority lists to identify land or rights-of-way acquisition projects where access to federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes currently is "significantly restricted." National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Act

Section 204 of S. 2363 would amend the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act.
For several years, the House and Senate have been considering various approaches to improve hunting and recreational fishing opportunities both on and off federal lands. The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 (S. 2363) is pending in the Senate, and addresses many of the same topics considered by recent Congresses.
Hunting, fishing, and conservation have been linked since the advent of federal wildlife legislation. Among early examples are the Lacey Act of 1900, the first federal wildlife law, which made it a federal crime to ship game killed in violation of one state's laws to another state, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which regulated the killing, hunting, buying, or selling of migratory birds. Today's controversies concern, among other things, exactly what hunting, fishing, or shooting sports should be allowed on federal land, and when. S. 2363 seeks to increase the priority of hunting, trapping, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal lands.
S. 2363 would also address the issuance of import permits to trophy hunters who legally killed Canadian polar bears in the months before the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act. These hunters have not been allowed to import their trophies; the bill would allow specified imports of these trophies.
The bill would amend the federal duck stamp program to allow electronic sales of duck stamps in any state that meets certain requirements for such sales. It would also allow the Secretary of the Interior to increase the price of the stamp at specified intervals. Such a change, which would provide additional funding for acquisition of waterfowl habitat, has been advocated by many waterfowl hunters for several years.
The bill also addresses somewhat related miscellaneous issues: filming permits on public lands, baiting of game birds, federal land transfers, changes to the management of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and other matters.
S. 2363 was not referred to a committee, and consequently lacks a committee report. It was placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders on May 20, 2014; on May 22, 2014, a motion to proceed to consideration of the measure was made in the Senate.