111 new federal hunting grounds proposed

What is being proposed

On May 27, 2026 the Department of the Interior announced a proposed rule (Federal Register Docket FWS-HQ-NWRS-2026-1223) that would open or expand public hunting and fishing access at 111 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field stations: 107 National Wildlife Refuges and 4 National Fish Hatcheries. 16 of those stations would be opened to public hunting for the first time.

The proposed changes are categorized by the federal classification system: migratory bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing. Within each category, a station can be marked as a brand-new opening, an expansion of existing access (more land, longer season, more species), or no change. Which specific species are huntable at any given station depends on state regulations.

Why this matters

National Wildlife Refuges already host millions of hunter-days per year, but most refuges are closed to hunting by default. Each opening or expansion takes years of public process. A proposal that touches 111 stations in a single rulemaking is significant — even if only a fraction make it into the final rule, this would meaningfully widen the public-land footprint for American hunters.

For deer, waterfowl, and upland hunters, the bigger picture is access. Refuges are typically state-adjacent or state-embedded public lands, often with stronger habitat than surrounding agricultural land. A new opening at a 50,000-acre refuge can change a hunter's entire season.

How to find what is changing near you

We built a tool that shows every proposed change, filterable by state, with direct links to the official station regulations:

How to submit a public comment

The FWS is collecting public comment until June 26, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Anyone can comment — hunters, anglers, conservation groups, neighbors. Comments are posted publicly on regulations.gov, so avoid including personal information you do not want published.

Open the docket on regulations.gov ↗

What happens next

After the comment period closes on June 26, FWS reviews input and publishes a final rule — typically months later. Some stations may be added, dropped, or modified between the proposal and the final. We will email subscribers when the final rule publishes with a specific summary of what changed.