WildFed Podcast — Hunt Fish Forage Food · Daniel Vitalis

The Right to Hunt with Ellary TuckerWilliams — WildFed Podcast #167

·1 hr 24 min·5 clips

Animal rights groups can recover legal fees from suing over ESA, turning wildlife advocacy into a lucrative business.

This episode of the WildFed Podcast features host Daniel Vitalis and guest Ellary TuckerWilliams from the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, discussing the political and legal protections for hunting and fishing. TuckerWilliams shares her background in natural resource management and human dimensions, which studies how to manage people to manage wildlife resources. She explains the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation works at federal and state levels to advance hunting, fishing, trapping, and science-based wildlife management through pro-sportsmen legislative caucuses. The conversation covers specific legislative threats, such as the loss of spring bear hunting in Washington state and a ban on trapping on all public land in New Mexico. TuckerWilliams notes that 23 states have amended their constitutions to include a right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, with Utah being the most recent in 2020. She describes how these constitutional amendments are a strong protective measure, as none have been successfully challenged or revoked to date. The discussion also touches on her past research, including a survey in Hawaii about establishing a non-commercial fishing license, where support increased when funds were dedicated to enforcement and resource management. An interesting insight is that opposition to regulations often stems from distrust of where the money goes, not the fee itself. TuckerWilliams emphasizes that a major part of her work is educating busy legislators on wildlife issues so they can make informed decisions. She reveals the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus is the largest caucus on Capitol Hill, with roughly 250 members. The episode highlights the constant need for vigilance, as animal rights groups focus efforts differently in each state, with significant activity in western states like Colorado and New Mexico. TuckerWilliams argues that well-crafted constitutional amendments can safeguard outdoor traditions amid demographic and cultural shifts. The tone is conversational and educational, blending personal anecdote with policy explanation. Listeners interested in wildlife policy, conservation law, and the political defense of hunting traditions will find this episode valuable. Those solely seeking stories about outdoor adventures or foraging techniques might find the legislative focus less engaging.

As heard by us

A clear look at how state politics can protect or narrow the right to hunt.

Ellery Tucker Williams steers the conversation toward the legal scaffolding that keeps hunting, fishing, and trapping in place, and the episode treats that structure as something that needs active defense.

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Why you'd press play

You want the real map of who can defend hunting rights.

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