Under current New Hampshire law the Department of Fish and Game, which is responsible for regulating hunting in the state, is answerable to the Fish and Game Commission. Members of the Commission are nominated by "sporting club boards" that are formed by organizations that promote hunting, fishing and trapping in each county. Commissioners are required to have held a resident hunting, fishing or trapping license in at least 5 of the 10 years prior to their appointment, and have experience in a variety of relevant qualifying disciplines and activities.

House Bill 559 would eliminate the sporting club boards that nominate commissioners, shutting out fish and game clubs across the state. It also removes many of the required qualifications, making it possible for people with no vested interest in the department’s regulatory areas to become commissioners. It adds a requirement that at least one commissioner have experience in animal protection, meaning at least one animal rights activist must sit on the commission. Finally, it would strip the powers of the commission making it a purely advisory body.

Make no mistake, this is a back-door assault on our second amendment freedoms that will open the door for a radical environmentalist agenda at the Fish and Game Department, including a possible future ban on lead ammunition like the one enacted in California.

Your Help Is Needed Immediately!

1) Call or email your state Representatives, Fish and Game committee members, and Fish and Game committee chairman Dennis Abbott, and ask them to oppose HB 559 and its cynical attempt to disenfranchise hunters and sportsmen in our state.

To contact Fish and Game committee chairman Dennis Abbott, call his office at 603-271-3125.

For a complete list of Fish and Game committee members, go to

Fish and Game committee members

To find out who your Representatives are, call your town or city hall, or go to: Representatives

2) Attend the public hearing on Tuesday February 17th at 10:00AM, in room LOB 307, to voice your opposition to this bill in person.

3) Encourage your friends to join you as a member of NHFC and help preserve our rights.

http://www.nhfc-ontarget.org/Membership_Application.html

Remember to always be polite and respectful when contacting your legislators.