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Washington, D.C. - September 27, 2025 - Today, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are celebrating National Hunting & Fishing Day and encouraging their 500,000 members, supporters, and partners to experience the outdoor lifestyle. The annual celebration occurs each year on the fourth Saturday of September, recognizing generations of sportsmen and women for their contributions to the conservation of our nation’s sporting heritage and natural resources. 

This year, National Hunting and Fishing Day comes on the heels of an announcement by the Department of the Interior that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be expanding hunting and fishing opportunities across more than 87,000 acres of the National Wildlife Refuge system.  

“National Hunting and Fishing Day commemorates the cherished pastimes that mean so much to all Americans,” said Marilyn Vetter, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s president and CEO. “These pastimes have been enriched for 2025 with the expansion of hunting opportunities on 42 parcels of National Wildlife Refuges across the country. We’re thankful to the USFWS and the Department of the Interior for continuing to prioritize the values of sportsmen and women throughout America.” 

One of the main goals of National Hunting and Fishing Day is to recruit new hunters and anglers by encouraging participation and increasing public awareness of the connection between hunting, angling and conservation. Through self-imposed fees and excise taxes, sportsmen and women have raised more than $57 billion — which equates to more than $100,000 every 30 minutes being raised for conservation. National Hunting and Fishing Day is the largest, most effective grassroots movement ever undertaken to promote outdoor sports and conservation. 

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever support this effort throughout the year by expanding, educating and engaging the upland conservation community through a variety of programs and initiatives: 

• During fiscal year 2025, PF & QF engaged more than 89,000 participants in education and outreach events designed to promote conservation programs and upland hunting. 
• PF & QF biologists worked with 43,653 landowners in the same timeframe to help deliver voluntary conservation and access programs, including opening more than 500,000 acres of private land to public walk-in access. This includes the organization’s popular Public Access to Habitat program which has opened 121,000 acres across SD, NE, and ND. 

“Hunting and fishing are more than just traditional pastimes, as they are also vital to the conservation of our lands and waters, our outdoor recreation economy, and our American way of life,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in a press release announcing the new USFWS-generated hunting opportunities. “The Trump administration is committed to promoting good government by reducing regulatory burdens by working with states to make access to these outdoor activities a reality for every American family.” 

About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever  

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 500,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 585,000 habitat projects benefiting 31 million acres.  

Media Contact  
Jared Wiklund 
(651) 209-4953 
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org