I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4959 
To recognize the heritage of hunting and provide opportunities for continued 
hunting on Federal public land, to protect the public’s ability to fish 
for sport, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2004 
Mr. JOHN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Resources 
A BILL 
To recognize the heritage of hunting and provide opportuni-
ties for continued hunting on Federal public land, to 
protect the public’s ability to fish for sport, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hunting Heritage and 
Fishing Preservation Act of 2004’’.
TITLE I—HUNTING HERITAGE 
PROTECTION 
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Hunting Heritage 
Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 102. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Recreational hunting is an important and 
traditional recreational activity in which 13,000,000 
people in the United States 16 years of age and 
older participate. 
(2) Hunters have been and continue to be 
among the foremost supporters of sound wildlife 
management and conservation practices in the 
United States. 
(3) Persons who hunt and organizations relat-
ing to hunting provide direct assistance to wildlife 
managers and enforcement officers of the Federal 
Government and State and local governments. 
(4) Purchases of hunting licenses, permits, and 
stamps and excise taxes on goods used by hunters 
have generated billions of dollars for wildlife con-
servation, research, and management. 
(5) Recreational hunting is an essential compo-
nent of effective wildlife management by—
(A) reducing conflicts between people and 
wildlife; and 
(B) providing incentives for the conserva-
tion of— 
(i) wildlife; and 
(ii) habitats and ecosystems on which 
wildlife depend. 
(6) Each State has established at least 1 agen-
cy staffed by professionally trained wildlife manage-
ment personnel that has legal authority to manage 
the wildlife in the State. 
(7) Recreational hunting is an environmentally 
acceptable activity that occurs and can be provided 
for on Federal public land without adverse effects on 
other uses of the land. 
SEC. 103. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) AGENCY HEAD.—The term ‘‘agency head’’ 
means the head of any Federal agency that has au-
thority to manage a natural resource or Federal 
public land on which a natural resource depends. 
(2) FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Federal 
public land’’ means any land or water that is— 
(i) publicly accessible;
(ii) owned by the United States; and 
(iii) managed by an executive agency 
for purposes that include the conservation 
of natural resources. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘Federal pub-
lic land’’ does not include any land held in trust 
for the benefit of an Indian tribe or member of 
an Indian tribe. 
(3) HUNTING.—The term ‘‘hunting’’ means the 
lawful— 
(A) pursuit, trapping, shooting, capture, 
collection, or killing of wildlife; or 
(B) attempt to pursue, trap, shoot, cap-
ture, collect, or kill wildlife. 
SEC. 104. RECREATIONAL HUNTING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
Federal public land shall be open to access and use for 
recreational hunting except as limited by— 
(1) the agency head with jurisdiction over the 
Federal public land— 
(A) for reasons of national security; 
(B) for reasons of public safety; or 
(C) for any other reasons for closure au-
thorized by applicable Federal law; and
(2) any law (including regulations) of the State 
in which the Federal public land is located that is 
applicable to recreational hunting. 
(b) MANAGEMENT.—Consistent with subsection (a), 
each agency head shall manage Federal public land under 
the jurisdiction of the agency head— 
(1) in a manner that supports, promotes, and 
enhances recreational hunting opportunities; 
(2) to the extent authorized under State law 
(including regulations); and 
(3) in accordance with applicable Federal law 
(including regulations). 
(c) NO NET LOSS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal public land manage-
ment decisions and actions should, to the maximum 
extent practicable, result in no net loss of land area 
available for hunting opportunities on Federal public 
land. 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than October 
1 of each year, each agency head with authority to 
manage Federal public land on which recreational 
hunting occurs shall submit to the Committee on 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate a report that describes—
(A)(i) any Federal public land adminis-
tered by the agency head that was closed to rec-
reational hunting at any time during the pre-
ceding year; and 
(ii) the reason for the closure; and 
(B) areas administered by the agency head 
that were opened to recreational hunting to 
compensate for the closure of the areas de-
scribed in subparagraph (A)(i). 
(3) CLOSURES OF 5,000 OR MORE ACRES.—The 
withdrawal, change of classification, or change of 
management status that effectively closes 5,000 or 
more acres of Federal public land to access or use 
for recreational hunting shall take effect only if, be-
fore the date of withdrawal or change, the agency 
head that has jurisdiction over the Federal public 
land submits to the Committee on Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on En-
ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate written 
notice of the withdrawal or change. 
(d) AREAS NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing in this title 
compels the opening to recreational hunting of national 
parks or national monuments under the jurisdiction of the 
Secretary of the Interior.