10/07/2026
Sportsmen across the state fill the woods every fall. We fill the lakes every summer. And we fill the DNR’s budget year-after-year. Yet when the time comes to make our voices heard, too many of us choose to stay home.
Politicians are constantly introducing bills that hurt our enjoyment of the outdoors. SB 276 would jack up the price of hunting and fishing licenses, and is halfway to the Governor's desk. Proposals to restrict or ban bear baiting are popping up at the state and the federal levels. Just last month, HB 6345 was introduced, which would ban the sale and use of lead sinkers and jigs.
When sportsmen don’t show up at the polls, politicians feel free to treat us like an ATM instead of a constituency. Michigan has hundreds of thousands of licensed hunters and anglers. If even a solid fraction of us voted like our seasons, our access, and our wallets depended on it, we could swing elections state wide.
We could stop fee hikes that price kids and working families out of the outdoors. We could demand science-based management. We could protect our heritage instead of watching it get nickel-and-dimed to death. If you are or you know know a hunter or angler who doesn't vote, now is the time to get involved.
Register. Make a plan. Show up. Vote like your outdoor heritage is on the ballot. Because it is.
