BU Member Wins

Join in our fight to pass legislation that will reinstate the eligibility of federal funding for archery classes and hunter education. We’re confident that a legislative fix is in reach and needed to durably restore funding eligibility for these critical enrichment programs. You can do your part by sending a personalized message to your U.S. Representative encouraging them to support passage of H.R. 5110 the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act.

Congress passed — and the President signed — the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on June 25, 2022. The goal was to protect America’s children and reduce threats of violence across our country in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, tragedies. The very carefully crafted language was never intended to impact longstanding and successful enrichment programs like those involving archery and hunter education. Unfortunately, archery and other education programs are now deemed ineligible for federal education funding under the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation.

In an earlier Action Alert message, we asked you to contact your Congressional delegation and encourage them to reach out to Department Secretary Cardona and ask him to reconsider their liberal interpretation. In spite of an overwhelming response from members and Congressional leaders on this issue, the Department has only reaffirmed their interpretation that longstanding in-school hunter education and archery classes, including the National Archery in the School Program, are no longer eligible to receive federal funds under the BSCA. This unfortunate position will impact millions of American children enrolled in archery and hunter education programs if not corrected immediately!

This is an important issue for the entire archery community, and we must remain vigilant until its rectified. You can do your part by sending a personalized message to your United States Representative.

Had the PEACE Act made it onto the ballot this November, it would have had to receive 117,173 valid signatures, of which only 104,262, or 73.25% of the 142,347 submitted, were validated. While it still had a significant hurdle to clear, this is one of the closest calls bowhunters have had in recent times. Because this was such a significant anti-hunting initiative, Bowhunters United members, the greater bowhunting community and the rest of the hunting community truly came together to make hunters aware of this on a national level. It’s proof that when the bowhunting community speaks up together, we can bring light to issues like this and ensure maximum awareness. Although this was a state-level issue, it was crucial that it received national attention from bowhunters to grow awareness of the new threat and build a more united bowhunting community. Had it successfully made the ballot and passed; it would have set a precedent for the anti-hunting community to pursue this strategy nationally in other states. Going forward, it is our job to stay on alert, as the PEACE Act will likely rear its head in Oregon again, and only time will tell if this strategy spreads to other states.

When a ballot measure like this fails, the anti-hunting movement doesn’t stop; it just changes tactics. On another front social media influencer Jonas Black recently posted a $10,000 reward for the identity of any legal Wyoming wolf hunter who takes a member of Mollie’s Pack, a famed wolf pack that resides mostly within the protected boundaries of Yellowstone but recently denned outside the park, making its members fair game for licensed wolf hunters. Black’s goal is to take a page from the Cecil the Lion story and apply a new strategy of unmasking and harassing legal hunters, both across social media and in their personal lives. It’s a dangerous move for the anti-hunting community to unmask legal hunters, and should it become common practice, it will be crucial for the bowhunting and greater hunting community to stay strongly united and look out for each other.

It’s safe to say we aren’t short on new threats to bowhunting in today’s world. But if the bowhunting community can model and repeat its response and awareness-spreading, like the handling of the PEACE Act, these new attacks on bowhunting will continue to face an uphill battle and fall short. To stay plugged into everything impacting bowhunting, from new legislation to state and federal policies, join Bowhunters United for free.

Your voice made a difference.

A few weeks ago we sent the Bowhunters United members in Vermont an Action Alert encouraging them to stand up and make their voices heard in opposition of SB 258 and we applaud them for a job well done. “It is very satisfying to see misaligned efforts like SB 258 be soundly defeated” Dan Forster, ATA’s vice president and chief conservation officer said. “It would have had long-term negative impacts to wildlife conservation, the hunting community, and the archery industry if adopted into law.”

One of many benefits of being a BU member is we keep you informed of political, environmental and economic decisions that could directly or indirectly impact archery and bowhunting. Bowhunters United is committed to delivering tools, such as the Action Alert System, to assist you in taking action with a few simple clicks.

If enacted, SB 258 would have changed the requirements, structure and authority of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board, allowing for individuals who are philosophically opposed to hunting, angling and/or trapping to get a seat on the Board. The Board is the critically important body that decides on regulatory frameworks and other issues governing the access and harvest of wildlife in Vermont.

There was absolutely nothing positive in this bill for Vermont’s dedicated hunter-conservationists. This was an ill-advised attempt to dilute the voice of sportsman regarding future wildlife management and regulatory issues involving hunting, fishing and trapping in Vermont.

Deer hunting has a long-standing tradition, is a highly valued resource, and is a strong economic driver for Vermont and the outdoor recreation industry. We are keenly interested in maintaining strong hunting, fishing and trapping constituencies in Vermont, and we appreciate that all sportsman came together through our advocacy efforts and defeated this no-good bill.

Join Bowhunters United today for free, and you’ll receive alerts like this on items that affect your state and other national archery and bowhunting legislation.

Bowhunters United and the Archery Trade Association’s position on arrow-shooting airguns — often inappropriately referred to as “airbows” — is that they lack the basic components of standard archery equipment like a string system and limbs and should therefore not be authorized for use during archery hunting seasons. The Airgun Sporting Association, which is the trade association for the airgun industry, agrees! ASA’s “Guidelines for State Wildlife Agency Regulations” clearly conveys that “arrow shooting airguns should not be considered ‘archery’ equipment.”  These sentiments prevail among related industries, constituencies, state legislatures all across the U.S., and even on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Sportsman Foundation. 

Just by purchasing archery products, bowhunters have contributed well over 1 billion dollars in federal excise taxes since 1973 through the Pittman-Robertson Fund. Last year alone, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife received over $27 million from this fund to conduct critical wildlife activities across the state. Unlike bows and firearms, airguns, including arrow-shooting airguns, are not included in the items taxed under the Pittman-Robertson Act and do not contribute to conservation funding. Your conservation funding is at risk!   

BU and the ATA are keenly interested in maintaining one of the strongest archery deer hunting constituencies in the country and we strongly oppose the effort to include airbows in Oklahoma’s traditional archery season. 

Please join BU, ATA, and other archery hunters across Oklahoma to stop ill-conceived legislation by asking your Oklahoma legislators to VOTE NO on all legislation seeking to admit the use of airguns during archery only seasons.