Doug Burgum Opens Hunting Rules on 55 Sites — Doug Burgum Hunting Order
Doug Burgum’s doug burgum hunting order in January told multiple agencies to remove unnecessary regulatory and administrative barriers to hunting and fishing on Department-managed lands. The order applies to 55 National Park Service sites in the lower 48 states, and managers have already started loosening some restrictions.
Burgum wrote that public and federally managed lands should be open to hunting and fishing unless a specific, documented, and legally supported exception applies. He also wrote that expanding those opportunities would strengthen conservation outcomes and support rural economies, public health, and access to America’s outdoor spaces.
National Park Service rules
The order affects sites under the National Park Service’s jurisdiction, where hunting is allowed across about 51 million acres spanning 76 sites and fishing is allowed in 213 sites. NPS sites typically follow state hunting and fishing regulations, but they can add limits for public safety and wildlife resources.
After Burgum’s order, managers at various locations began lifting prohibitions on hunting stands that damage trees, training hunting dogs, using vehicles to retrieve animals, and hunting along trails. Those changes matter most where park rules had gone beyond state rules and added extra steps for hunters on federal land.
Cape Cod and Lake Meredith
Among the changes already reported, the hunting season in the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts would be extended through the spring and summer. In the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Texas, hunters would be allowed to clean their kills in bathrooms.
At the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana, hunters would be allowed to kill alligators. The order also landed at a moment when hunting participation has been declining over the long term; in 2024, about 4.2% of the U.S. population identified as a hunter older than 16.
Dan Wenk on restrictions
Dan Wenk, the former Yellowstone National Park superintendent and NPS deputy operations director, is among the people tied to the broader debate over how much discretion park managers should keep. The practical issue for hunters is straightforward: some parks are now moving from blanket limits toward narrower exceptions, but only within the 55-site footprint Burgum’s order covers.
The changes have already reached the ground at several National Park Service locations, and more parks can still revise their own rules within the order’s limits. For hunters and anglers using Department-managed land, the immediate question is no longer whether the policy exists, but which site-specific restrictions remain in place.
