WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is replacing annual federal rulemaking for migratory game bird hunting seasons with a memorandum-based process, a regulatory shift intended to reduce administrative costs and give states and tribes earlier guidance while retaining yearly biological reviews of harvest levels.
Under the new system, federal hunting conditions will be established through Migratory Game Bird Hunting memoranda rather than a separate rulemaking process every year.
The Service will continue to review population, habitat and other biological data annually before determining appropriate harvest levels, according to the Department of the Interior.
Federal conditions govern issues including season dates and lengths, shooting hours, bag and possession limits, and areas where hunting may occur. States and tribes will continue setting their own seasons within those federal parameters.
The change is intended to better align federal decisions with state and tribal regulatory calendars and allow hunting seasons to be authorized earlier.
“Hunters and states should not have to navigate repetitive federal rulemaking every year when there is a faster, smarter way to get the job done,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service first proposed the revised framework in June through a direct final rule and concurrent proposed rule, allowing public comment while seeking to put the process in place for the 2026-27 hunting season.
The department said the new framework does not change the Service’s conservation obligations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act or the biological analysis used to set harvest limits.
“We will continue to make science-based harvest decisions every year while providing hunters and our partners with a more efficient and predictable process,” Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said.
After publication of the final rule, the Service plans to issue a 2026 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Memorandum setting federal conditions for the 2026-27 through 2028-29 hunting seasons.
The memorandum can be revised sooner if annual harvest assessments warrant changes.
The final rule and hunting memorandum are expected to be published in the Federal Register before the upcoming hunting season.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.