Two recent bills, S. 556 and S. 659 , address giving hunting and fishing activities a higher priority in land management. Although both bills address hunting, fishing, and other forms of outdoor recreation, S. 556 is focused on federal lands while S. 659 covers diverse topics such as the regulation of lead shot, imports of polar bear trophies, the funding of land acquisition for recreation, and the reauthorization of certain international wildlife conservation laws. The four traditional land management agencies—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS), all in the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture—do not maintain data on how many acres of land are currently open to hunting, fishing, and/or recreational shooting. Examples of agencies that limit access to their lands include the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Both are titled "the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015." In addition to its provisions affecting federal lands, S. 556 contains a provision amending the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA; 5 U.S.C. Both bills use definitions of federal land or similar terms in various sections in a manner that leaves some doubt as to the land under consideration. Issues raised during the hearing included the availability of hunting, fishing, and shooting opportunities on federal lands, particularly those of BLM and FS; the use of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to purchase lands to support access for recreation; the appropriate use of funds derived from the sale of federal land; and the effect of the bill on wilderness management, among other matters. It would create an "open until closed" management policy for federal lands. It specifies the factors a land management agency would need to consider to justify closing federal lands to hunting, trapping, fishing, or recreational shooting. Trapping currently is allowed under some circumstances on some federal lands, but the use of traps (particularly a design called leghold traps) has been controversial and is less common than traditional hunting on federal lands. The reference to trapping may be unnecessary, because the bill defines hunting to include trapping. In the case of some agency plans, those revisions may not occur for 15 years. Reports to Congress

Two provisions of S. 556 would require federal land management agencies to notify Congress of restrictions on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. Land agencies already have permit requirements for some activities mandated in Section 101. 106-206 or results in a loss to the federal government. Study of Hunting, Fishing, and Other Recreational Access to Federal Land

Section 202 would direct federal public land management agencies to study federal lands on which hunting, fishing, and other recreation is allowed but for which the public's access is difficult or nonexistent. Its provisions concern regulating lead shot and sinkers, funding shooting ranges, importing polar bear trophies, hunting over baited fields, carrying loaded arms at Army Corps of Engineers water resource project areas open to the public, and reauthorizing seven wildlife statutes. Lead shot has been banned in the United States for the hunting of migratory waterfowl since 1991 under authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act (ESA; P.L. 93-205 ). Use of Pittman-Robertson Funds for Shooting Ranges

Section 3 of S. 659 would allow territories and states to use more of the funds allocated to them under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. §669) for projects involving land acquisition, construction, and expansion of public target ranges for firearms or archery. Section 3 would amend 16 U.S.C.
Hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting, particularly on federal lands, have been the subjects of various bills for several Congresses. In general, federal land management agencies work with state fish and game agencies in setting quotas, bag or size limits, and other specifics of management. Some agencies currently open more than 90% of their acreage to hunting and fishing. Yet there has been criticism in recent years that insufficient federal land is open to hunting. In the 114th Congress, attention has focused on a pair of companion bills, S. 556 and S. 659. While both are entitled the "Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015," each addresses different issues.
S. 556 is intended to create or reinforce an "open until closed" management policy regarding these activities as well as for trapping and recreational shooting on federal lands. The bill describes criteria for federal land management agencies to consider in closing federal lands to fishing, hunting, or recreational shooting, and it directs that management is subject to existing law. Ambiguities in the text leave some doubt as to which federal lands are subject to the bill's provisions, which may result in the inclusion of lands managed by the Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Energy. Those agencies typically are not considered land management agencies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and Forest Service (FS) generally are considered land management agencies.
S. 556 would change land management practices on some federal lands and require additional or different analyses, reports, or notices. For some agencies and some of the defined activities, modification may only add or change steps in the planning process. In addition, by including trapping under the definition of hunting, the practice of trapping may be added or encouraged on federal lands where it currently is not encouraged or permitted. Other provisions of the bill specify new procedures for small film crews to operate on federal lands, permit the carrying of bows and crossbows in national parks, and set aside a portion of appropriations under the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for promoting physical access to federal lands for recreationists. The bill also would require reporting of expenditures under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA; 5 U.S.C. §504) and of payments under the federal government's judgment fund in litigation against the federal government.
S. 659 also addresses matters related to wildlife but is less focused on federal lands. It would exempt lead shot and ammunition and fishing sinkers from the provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA; 15 U.S.C. §2602(2)(B)) and allow territories and states to use more of the funds allocated to them under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. §669) for projects involving public target ranges for firearms or archery. The bill would allow hunters to import polar bear trophies taken in Canada before the species was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; P.L. 93-205). In addition, it would redefine what constitutes hunting waterfowl over a baited field and allow the possession of loaded firearms at Army Corps of Engineers projects in areas open to the public. Finally, the bill would reauthorize or amend seven statutes relating to international wildlife conservation.