TSV Roundup Week of December 21st, 2025

Michigan just changed how the next generation learns to hunt and it could reshape hunting nationwide. In this year-end edition of The Sportsmen’s Voice Roundup, Fred Bird delivers a concise but consequential policy update for hunters, anglers, and public-lands advocates across the country. The headline story comes out of Michigan, where legislation to allow hunter education in schools has passed both chambers and now awaits the governor’s signature. If signed, the program would count toward graduation credit and satisfy the classroom requirement for a Michigan hunting license an unprecedented step toward strengthening hunting heritage and recruitment. Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation's Bob Matthews joins the show to explain how this long-fought effort came together, what it means for hunter recruitment and retention, and why other states are watching closely. This conversation gets into the mechanics of hunter education, the role of conservation-minded lawmakers, and how classroom-based programs can protect access to hunting while building informed, responsible sportsmen. Beyond Michigan, the episode hits critical national updates affecting waterfowl hunting, deer management, and fishing regulations. Listeners will hear about wildlife crossings legislation that improves habitat connectivity and human safety, updates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on refuges and hatcheries, changes to Missouri’s deer seasons and CWD management, and new mandatory harvest reporting rules for North Carolina anglers targeting species like red drum and speckled trout. The Sportsmen's Voice is an insider briefing designed to keep serious outdoorsmen informed, effective, and engaged as we head into a new year of hunting and fishing policy battles. Get the FREE Sportsmen’s Voice e-publication in your inbox every Monday: www.congressionalsportsmen.org/newsletter Follow The Sportsmen’s Voice wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1705085498 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices