The Department of the Interior just changed the way millions of acres of public land work for hunters and fishermen. Instead of asking permission to access certain areas, land managers now have to explain why you can't go there.
Secretary Doug Burgum rolled out Secretarial Order 3447, which flips the script on how federal land access works. The new rule says hunting and fishing are allowed by default across Interior-managed properties unless there's a solid reason to close an area. That reason has to go through agency directors for approval, not just get decided at the local level.
This applies to land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation. Some National Park Service units that already allow hunting fall under this too. Places like Yellowstone and Yosemite that are closed by law stay closed. Bureau of Indian Affairs land on reservations isn't affected.
What Actually Changes
The order doesn't create new hunting rights that didn't exist before. Federal law already determines where hunting and fishing can happen. What changes is the mindset behind managing that access.
Before this order, the system varied wildly depending on where you were and which agency ran the land. One region might keep things wide open while another restricted access for similar terrain. The new policy aims to make things more consistent and transparent across all Interior lands.
According to sources familiar with the directive, the goal is to "eliminate needless regulatory or administrative barriers" and "expand opportunities" while maintaining coordination with states, tribes, and territories. Any proposed restrictions on access now have to go up the chain to agency directors.
The burden of proof shifted. Land managers who want to close an area need documented reasons related to public safety, legal requirements, or resource protection. Those closures need explicit justification and high-level approval.
Building on Recent Momentum
Interior has been moving this direction for a while. For the 2025-2026 season, the department already opened tens of thousands of new acres in the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System to hunting and sport fishing. Those changes brought refuge rules closer to state wildlife regulations and emphasized recreation as a core value of public lands.
Secretarial Order 3447 takes that same approach and spreads it across a much bigger chunk of federal property—roughly 480 million acres managed by Interior overall.
The department points out that recreation on public lands supports $1.2 trillion in economic output, 5 million jobs, and 2.3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. Hunters and anglers represent a significant piece of that economic impact.
What to Expect on the Ground
Don't expect dramatic overnight changes. Most federal lands are already open under existing rules. The real difference is procedural.
Closures will need better documentation and clearer reasoning. Decisions will be more predictable. Over time, this could mean fewer arbitrary restrictions and less confusion about where you can and can't hunt or fish.
Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik told media outlets last month he's already working to align refuge hunting and fishing rules with state regulations. "I've asked our folks to identify those places where more hunting can be expanded and opened," Nesvik said. "I want to align our regulations with the states because it doesn't make sense for an angler or a hunter to have one set of rules on one side of the river and when they cross the river they get a different set of rules."
Nesvik testified before a House committee on hunting and fishing access on Interior lands following the order's announcement.
The Lead Question
The order also addresses lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Lead products won't be restricted on Interior lands unless they're causing population-level harm to wildlife or conflicting with state or tribal rules.
Voluntary programs encouraging non-lead alternatives can continue. Any new initiatives will require "an evaluation of the effectiveness of the existing programs" before moving forward.
Gray N. Thornton, president and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation, called this "a tremendous first step toward improving the conservation value of public lands." He noted that concerns about lead have been "needlessly divisive" and praised the continuation of voluntary programs without blanket restrictions.
Political Context
This order comes after hunters and anglers made their voices heard during last year's budget reconciliation debates. Early versions of what became known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" included provisions to sell federal lands to offset tax cuts. That effort, pushed by Utah Senator Mike Lee, triggered strong opposition from sportsmen who depend on public land access.
Several Republican representatives broke ranks to oppose the land-sale language, which was ultimately removed from the House version of the bill. The new secretarial order seems to acknowledge the political power of the hunting and angling community.
Sources familiar with the process, who weren't authorized to speak publicly, noted the symbolic importance of the order. "Public lands managed by Interior were among the first achievements of the American conservation movement," one source said. "Since then, many of these lands have been acquired and improved with funds paid for by hunters and anglers, so it's gratifying to see those uses elevated in this order."
Of the 33 Secretarial Orders Burgum has issued since taking office, this is one of the few that directly addresses recreational use of public lands as a priority. Ten others have focused on energy development, five have relaxed or rescinded federal regulations, and others have dealt with diversity programs or historical interpretation at federal sites.
What Conservation Groups Say
Hunting organizations responded positively to the directive.
Tony A. Schoonen, chief executive officer of the Boone and Crockett Club, said in a statement: "The Boone and Crockett Club appreciates Secretary Burgum's commitment to hunting and fishing access on Department of the Interior lands through the secretary's order issued today."
Ariel Wiegard, vice president for government affairs at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, called it "a crucial step to secure the future of our hunting heritage." She emphasized that creating and maintaining access to quality habitat is central to her organization's mission.
Long-Term Impact
Whether this order outlasts the current administration remains uncertain. But there's precedent for Interior secretarial orders having staying power.
Secretarial Order 3362, signed by then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in 2018, confirmed Interior's role in conserving big-game migration corridors and winter range. That order is still in effect and continues to direct funding and agency priorities that benefit elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and other species across the West.
The "open unless closed" framework could follow a similar path if it proves effective and maintains support from both conservation groups and the hunting community.
The Bottom Line
Secretarial Order 3447 doesn't eliminate conservation protections or override laws that close certain areas to hunting. It changes the default assumption about how public lands are used.
Hunting and fishing become the baseline activity rather than the exception. For anyone who hunts or fishes on federal land, that shift represents a meaningful change in philosophy even if the immediate practical effects unfold gradually.
The order essentially standardizes what many hunters and anglers have long argued should be the case: public lands belong to the public, and access should be the norm unless there's a compelling reason otherwise.
Most BLM lands are already open. Many national wildlife refuges permit both hunting and fishing, though some have specific restrictions. The Bureau of Reclamation operates dams and reservoirs across the West that are generally open to fishing. This order brings consistency to how all these agencies approach access decisions.
For hunters and anglers, the message is clear. The assumption going forward is that you can access Interior-managed lands unless told otherwise with good reason. That's a different framework than what existed before, even if the land itself doesn't change overnight.
