by Brian McCombie - Thursday, March 27, 2025
On the very last day of February 2025, legislation proposing a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to hunt, fish and trap passed out of both the Iowa state house and state Senate committees charged with considering the bills. Titled HJR7 and SJR7, the bills are now eligible to be taken up by their respective chambers for acceptance, rejection and/or alteration.
As noted in the text of HJR7, the proposed amendments would guarantee the people of Iowa “the right to hunt, fish, trap and harvest wildlife, including by the use of traditional methods, subject to laws enacted by the general assembly and rules adopted that promote wildlife conservation and management, that maintain natural resources for public use, and that preserve the future of hunting, fishing, trapping and harvesting wildlife.”
Additionally, “Public hunting, fishing, trapping, and harvesting of wildlife shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to eminent domain, trespass, property rights or water resources.”
Some sportsmen and women may be wondering why there are proposals to amend the state constitution for commonplace activities practiced by the people of Iowa long before it became a state in 1846. As explained by the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, which has spearheaded right to hunt and fish amendments for more than two decades, the plan is to head off future attempts by anti-hunting extremist groups to end all hunting and enshrine the right to hunt and fish by having a state constitutional RTFH amendment in place so future generations can provide for themselves and their families and continue the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
Currently 24 states have constitutionally protected RTHF amendments safeguarding hunting, fishing and other means of wildlife harvesting. Such protection is also important for wildlife conservation. As shared regularly on this NRA website, hunting and fishing license sales and the excise taxes paid by sportsmen and women generate more than a billion dollars annually for state-based conservation programs. Additionally, as the Iowa bills note, hunting, fishing and harvesting practiced by the public are the preferred means of wildlife management.
While Iowa’s proposed amendment can now be considered by the full legislature, as of this writing, the Iowa Legislature website shows no activity scheduled in either house until early April 2025.
To amend the state constitution in Iowa, proposed legislation needs to pass both the Iowa House and Senate over the course of two consecutive legislative sessions. If that occurs, the proposal is then put to Iowa voters as a ballot initiative in a general election. The proposal becomes law under the state constitution if it wins the approval of a majority of the voters.
Meanwhile, in March 2025, Maine Legislature’s Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife considered LD 820, a bill that would amend the Maine state constitution to guarantee the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife. The proposal was carried over to the next special or regular session of the Legislature.
According to WGME-TV, the CBS affiliate in Portland, Maine, LD 820 will require two-thirds support within the legislature to move forward. As with the Iowa RTHF amendment, actual ratification of the amendment to the state constitution must then receive majority support by Maine voters in the November 2025 election.
About the Author
Brian McCombie is a field editor for the NRA’s American Hunter and writes about firearms and gear for the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated. A member of the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Brian enjoys hunting hogs, shooting 1911s, watching the Chicago Bears and relaxing with his two cats.