For many bowhunters, it may feel like we just wrapped up a federal budget bill not too long ago. And we did. However, Congress and the Trump administration have already begun the budget process for fiscal year 2027.
For conservation organizations, the 2027 budget is shaping up to be a major victory. The administration has requested $1.9 billion annually over the next five years to address deferred maintenance projects on federal lands — and for public land hunters, that’s a big deal.
These projects will focus on access to federal lands which, for many hunters, remains a top priority. The corner-crossing debate is on fire across the country right now, but the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in 2025 only recognized it legally within the court’s jurisdiction — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma — leaving public land hunters in the rest of the country to rely heavily on continued progress for new and restored land access.
As the fiscal year 2027 budget works its way through Congress and out of committee, it will be important that we as bowhunters keep a close eye on its progress. I don’t think I need to remind anyone about Congress’s attempt to put millions of acres of public land up for sale in the budget bill passed in 2025 — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It was defeated — largely because hunters picked up the phone and contacted their representatives — but it nearly happened.
As budget talks continue to evolve, remember that our federal representatives will be negotiating across party lines and within them. We need to stay active and vigilant. This funding is negotiable, and it could be reduced — or it could come at the cost of something else, like putting public lands up for sale as a funding source.
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