Department-managed lands: wildlife areas: hunting

The law creates a dedicated, supplemental funding stream for public waterfowl hunting areas while requiring reporting on how hunting-program and land-management money is spent.

What the law does ​

• Creates the Waterfowl Management Areas Operations and Maintenance Fund for revenues from waterfowl reservation applications and entry passes at Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas.
• Uses fund money, if appropriated, for those areas’ operation, maintenance, and directly related public-hunting administrative costs.
• Requires the fund to add to, rather than replace, existing spending on those wildlife areas.
• Requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to report by October 1, 2033, on 2026–27 through 2031–32 spending, revenues, and activities at department-managed lands, broken down by location.
• Requires use of the Automated License Data System to sell consumptive-use entry permits and allows its use for nonconsumptive-use permits.
• Requires agricultural-lease revenue from department-managed lands, if appropriated, to support those lands’ management, maintenance, restoration, and operations.
• Requires annual opportunities for licensed hunters to comment on anticipated wetland floodup and habitat conditions in Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas.

Who it affects ​

• Waterfowl hunters using Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas.
• Licensed hunters participating in public-hunting program outreach.
• Visitors purchasing entry permits for department-managed lands.
• The Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Context ​

Existing agreements made before January 1, 2027, for interpretive, education, restoration, or public-access programs on department-managed lands remain valid.