President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders Friday with the intention of making it easier to hunt on federal land, including wildlife refuges.

Trump's "Reinvigorating America's Hunting Heritage" (Executive Order 14429) is asking federal land managers to reduce impediments to hunting.

"Hunting opportunities in our Nation have declined due to the Federal Government’s regulatory overreach, confusing and inconsistent access policies, and heavy-handed restrictions on hunter education and recruitment efforts," the order states. "Reform of these restrictions is long overdue."

The order specifies the federal government will apply a presumption of accessibility to federally managed lands, so, according to the order, "the next generation of Americans shall once again have the opportunity to share in our Nation’s rich sporting heritage."

The order calls on land managers to "reclaim" wilderness areas in the next 90 days to allow for hunting and specifically mentions Castle Mountains National Monument in California and Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.

"I have determined that appropriately managed hunting would not put the objects of historic and scientific interest that these monuments protect at risk," Trump pledges in the order.

It calls on the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce to propose modifications to policies or regulations that prohibit or restrict access to lands under their respective jurisdictions that are consistent with applicable law, as well as allowing for the construction, repair and maintenance of infrastructure that provides access to federal land for the purposes of outdoor recreation and wildlife management.

Other provisions include improving public access to difficult-to-access lands and waters by prioritizing practical access opportunities, including voluntary access easements, land exchanges, cooperative agreements with states and local governments, and other tools that respect private property rights. In a later "white sheet" on the topic, the administration suggests managers need to "unlock checker-boarded and landlocked parcels," which some claim is directed at the corner crossing debate. 

In late 2021, four Missouri hunters charged with trespassing for stepping over a corner of the Elk Mountain Ranch — without setting foot on private property — to hunt on public land that otherwise would be inaccessible. A Carbon County jury found them not guilty, but the ranch owner, the wealthy North Carolina pharmaceutical executive Fred Eshelman, sued them in civil court alleging more than $7 million in damages.

According to Wyofile, which has covered the story extensively, 8.3 million acres of public land in the West is landlocked and the results of the case were considered important by hunters seeking access to the checkerboard without fear of prosecution.

Some consider the executive order as the end to the debate, but there is seemingly always a lawsuit in the wings.

There are also several provisions intending to encourage hunting and fishing, like a provision to make hunting and fishing on wildlife refuges and state and federal lands on Sundays. It also encourages the use of qualified volunteers to manage wildlife populations and invasive species, reform recreation lotteries to prioritize United States citizens and prohibit the use of automatic computer entries into the lotteries, facilitating the donation and processing of wild game meat for consumption in schools and food banks, targeting management of predators, competing species, and other population-limiting factors.

Duck's Unlimited immediately fired off a letter of support for the order.

"The 'Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage' Executive Order directs federal agencies to expand public access to hunting and outdoor recreation, encourage hunter recruitment, increase wildlife management efforts, and support game meat donation programs, with the stated goal of strengthening America’s hunting traditions and conservation practices," the organization said in a public statement.

“Hunters have been our nation’s most ardent conservationists for generations, and it’s terrific to see President Trump publicly recognize that in the White House Rose Garden,” said the organization's CEO Adam Putnam. “These Executive Orders are an acknowledgment of hunters’ longstanding contributions to conservation, hunting access, sound waterfowl science, and hunter education. Our proud hunting heritage has been woven into the fabric of our great nation’s identity for 250 years, and this sort of commitment will help ensure it remains that way for future generations.”

Also showing support for the legislation, the Mule Deer Foundation applauded provisions in the order that supports improved habitat, wildlife connectivity, and access for sportsmen and women across the country.

The order directs federal agencies to work with states and partners to expand hunting and outdoor recreation opportunities while addressing several challenges facing game species and their habitat, including improving habitat connectivity, which the order termed as a “voluntary removal or reduction of barriers to wildlife movement and habitat connectivity.”

“Growing mule deer and other game populations requires healthy habitat and strong partnerships. We appreciate President Trump and his Administration’s focus on working with states, landowners, and conservation partners to address the factors limiting these herds. The Mule Deer Foundation stands ready to help deliver measurable conservation results,” said Greg Sheehan, president and CEO, Mule Deer Foundation. 

The foundation also supported the president's inclusion of language protecting the use of lead ammunition where appropriate.

The order also calls for changes in regulations that allows for the use of "traditional" ammunition in wildlife refuges, but does not specify if that means overturning regulations banning lead shot in wildlife refuges that have been in use for more than a quarter-century.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began phasing out lead shot for waterfowl hunting during the 1987-88 hunting season, realizing a nationwide ban in 1991. Since, many hunters have realized the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting was counterproductive.

Spent shotgun pellets sink into the mud in shallow wetlands and feeding areas, placing the toxic lead directly where ducks, geese, and swans forage. It also affects raptors that prey on waterfowl — especially easy targets of birds injured by hunters, but not harvested, as well as raptors feeding on gut piles left behind by hunters.

Testing of over 1,200 eagles across 38 states for a report called "Demographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles across North America," which was produced by terrestrial and wildlife biologists as well as land managers, shows that roughly 46% of bald eagles and 47% of golden eagles had chronic, repeated lead exposure in their bones.

The order comes as the administration has made several changes to federal land use regulations, including two big proposals this year. In May 2026, Trump signed an Executive Order rescinding "outdated restrictions on access to Federal lands, restoring balanced land management and reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens." And, in August, the Department of Agriculture took actions to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which limits road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on millions of acres of the National Forest System.

While the directive has been celebrated by firearm industry groups and hunting organizations, it has faced pushback from wildlife preservationists, animal welfare groups, and environmental advocates. The lead ammunition and fishing tackle provisions have been a sticking point with many organizations.

Environmental groups, including the Humane World for Animals, argue that reintroducing lead heavily exposes bald eagles, condors, and other scavengers to lead poisoning. Critics also pointed out that Trump openly admitted during his Rose Garden announcement that he "never knew this was a problem" and only included it because "attendees wanted it," the organization said in a statement late last week.