Feds Propose Less Frequent Migratory Bird Hunting Plans
Published Date: 6/26/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Fish and Wildlife Service is changing how it approves seasonal migratory game bird hunting. Instead of making new rules every year, they’ll issue a hunting plan every three years, updating it sooner if needed. This will save time and money, help States, Tribes, and hunters, and keep bird populations safe.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Three-Year Hunting Authorization Memo
The Fish and Wildlife Service would stop issuing new annual Federal hunting regulations and instead publish a Migratory Game Bird Hunting (MGBH) memorandum once every 3 years on or before February 28. The Service will still make annual biological harvest decisions and may update the memorandum sooner if needed; the change is intended to reduce complexity and costs for States, Tribes, and the hunting public.
State/Tribal Violations Become Federal
The proposal would revise 50 CFR subpart H (Sec. 20.71 and 20.72) to state that violating Service regulations or any State or Tribal migratory game bird hunting law or regulation constitutes a violation of Federal law.
States and Tribes Set Seasons
Under the proposed rule, States and Tribes would establish their own migratory game bird hunting regulations so long as those seasons fall within the Federal authorization conditions in the MGBH memorandum. The Service would stop publishing State annual hunting regulations as Federal regulations, though it may continue to publish State annual regulations as a Federal policy memorandum for up to 3 years for a few States that lack their own processes.
Memo Schedule and Public Comment
The Service would issue the MGBH memorandum on or before February 28 every 3 years and publish a notice of availability in the Federal Register with a public comment period of at least 30 days. The memorandum may be updated sooner if decision frameworks prescribe changes; for the 2026-27 season the memorandum will be available no later than August 31.
No New Species Without Rulemaking
The Service would not authorize hunting through the MGBH memorandum for any migratory game bird group or specific species that was not authorized in the 2024-25 hunting season without initiating a rulemaking. The regulations list 185 migratory game bird species and 93 species had open seasons in the 2024-25 hunting seasons.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-12951 — Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting
The Fish and Wildlife Service is changing how it approves seasonal migratory game bird hunting. Instead of yearly rules, they’ll issue a hunting plan every three years but still decide harvest levels annually. This new process saves time and money, helps States and Tribes, and kicks in August 25, 2026—unless big objections come in by July 27.
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