Why Enshrining a Right to Hunt & Fish Belongs in Ohio’s Constitution

April 16, 2025

Why Enshrining a Right to Hunt and Fish Belongs in Ohio’s Constitution

Ohio is the latest state to consider a constitutional amendment—HJR 1—that would guarantee every law‑abiding citizen “the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife that are traditionally pursued.” At first glance it sounds symbolic, but cementing this right delivers very real benefits for wildlife, for working families, and for private property owners alike.

1. Wildlife Management Stays in Expert Hands

  • Science over polling results
    Deer populations, fish stocking plans, and disease surveillance are complex, data‑driven jobs. Biologists rely on harvest reports, population modeling, and peer‑reviewed studies—not 30‑second ads—to set seasons and bag limits. When the right to hunt and fish is elevated to constitutional status, it becomes far harder for well‑funded activist groups to override that science with emotional ballot initiatives (“ballot‑box biology”).

  • Flexible tools for emerging challenges
    Whether it’s Chronic Wasting Disease in deer or invasive bighead carp edging up the Ohio River, managers need the quickest, most cost‑effective method available to tamp down a threat. Regulated harvest is almost always that tool. Constitutional protection ensures it remains on the table tomorrow, even if social media sentiment shifts overnight.

2. Conservation Funding Remains Rock‑Solid

Ohio’s hunters and anglers are the state’s single largest conservation investors:

Every year Ohio’s hunters pump about $1.9 billion into the state economy through licenses, equipment, travel, and processing. Anglers add an even larger wave—roughly $5.5 billion—as they buy tackle, book charters, and rent lakeside cabins. Those dollars aren’t just retail transactions; each purchase triggers earmarked fees that flow straight into projects like wetland restorations, boat‑ramp repairs, shooting‑range upgrades, and the salaries of wildlife officers who patrol our public lands.

On top of that home‑grown investment, the federal Pittman‑Robertson and Dingell‑Johnson programs match every qualifying Ohio license dollar with as much as three dollars in federal funds. When participation stays high, that matching formula sends tens of millions of extra conservation dollars back to the Buckeye State—money that would otherwise land in the coffers of competing states.

Guaranteeing the right to hunt and fish keeps this entire user‑pay engine running smoothly. Hunters and anglers stay engaged because they know their seasons are secure, and Ohio continues to enjoy the unmatched return‑on‑investment that only this model delivers—all without raising general taxes by a single cent.

These “user‑pay” dollars vanish if hunters and anglers stay home because their pastime suddenly feels insecure. By embedding the right itself in the Constitution, Ohio guarantees long‑term participation—and the conservation cash flow that comes with it—without raising a single new tax.

3. Economic Stability for Rural & Urban Communities

Outdoors dollars circulate far beyond the bait shop. They pay line cooks at the diner, clerks at rural gas stations, and cabin cleaners at lake‑side motels. Constitutional certainty tells entrepreneurs that investing in new guide services, kayak rentals, and archery ranges is a safe bet five, ten, and twenty years down the road.

4. Respecting Private Property & Trespass Laws

One concern often raised is: “If hunting and fishing become a constitutional right, will that weaken my ability to control my land?” The answer is no. HJR 1 explicitly states that it “shall not be construed to limit the application of any provision of law or of the constitution relating to trespass or property rights.”

  • Landowners still decide who crosses their fence.

  • Hunters must still obtain written or verbal permission where required.

  • All existing trespass penalties remain fully intact—and easier to enforce because ethical sportsmen overwhelmingly support them.

In practice, solidifying the right encourages better landowner–hunter relationships: landowners know their habitat improvements (food plots, pollinator strips) will pay off in responsible harvests rather than be wasted by shifting politics, while hunters know long‑term access agreements won’t evaporate after the next election.

5. Public Safety and Quality of Life

  • Fewer Deer‑Vehicle Collisions – Regulated harvest keeps whitetail numbers in balance with available forage, reducing costly and sometimes deadly roadway incidents.

  • Food Security Programs – Venison donation networks depend on predictable seasons to supply thousands of lean‑protein meals to food banks each year.

  • Outdoor Therapy – Veteran and adaptive‑sports non‑profits schedule hunts and fishing trips months in advance; constitutional certainty ensures those life‑changing events stay on the calendar.

6. Cultural Heritage & Future Generations

Ohio’s outdoor traditions stretch from Appalachian squirrel camps to Lake Erie walleye runs. Writing them into the Constitution isn’t nostalgia—it’s a promise that future students will:

  • Learn STEM by doing (reading fish finders, calculating arrow trajectories).

  • Develop stewardship values through hunter‑education and catch‑and‑release ethics.

  • Find common ground across rural‑urban and red‑blue divides at a public pier or dove field.

Bottom Line

A constitutional right to hunt and fish is not a blank check to ignore regulations, and it does not weaken private property protections. It is a guardrail—keeping decisions on habitat, seasons, and wildlife health in the hands of credentialed professionals while locking in the user‑funded engine that pays for virtually every conservation success story Ohio can claim.

For wildlife, for working families, and for the integrity of science‑based management, enshrining this right is a smart, bipartisan step forward.