Hunting laws and regulations serve several purposes, including:

• Game Conservation: Hunting laws are in place to conserve wildlife for future generations to enjoy. These laws allow game to flourish by establishing hunting seasons that limit harvesting and avoid nesting and mating seasons, limiting hunting methods and equipment, setting “bag” limits on the number of animals that can be taken, and establishing check stations and game tag requirements to enforce the laws.

• Public Safety: Hunting laws are essential in ensuring public safety and regulating the activities of hunters on both private and public lands. Licensing and education standards aim to minimize hunting-related incidents, make hunting a safe and enjoyable activity, and meet community expectations. Illegal hunting and trespassing negatively impact rural communities and enforcement agencies. Hunting laws provide the means for legal hunters to distinguish themselves from those determined to do the wrong thing and have a deterrent effect on illegal hunting.

• Regulation of Hunting on Public Land: Public land is there for the whole community to enjoy. Hunting legislation, regulation, and conditions ensure the safety of hunters, forestry employees, and other public land users. Without these rules, safety may be compromised, and some unregulated activities may result in a serious incident.

• Maintaining Standards: Hunting laws are in place to benchmark high standards of ethical and safe practices to protect hunters and the community. To protect the integrity of the regulated hunting system, it is important to distinguish between licensed, responsible hunters and illegal hunters who do not follow the rules.

• Funding: Hunting laws ensure adequate funding for wildlife programs by collecting license fees, which annually raises millions of dollars. This funding is used to support wildlife conservation, habitat management, and research.

In summary, hunting laws and regulations are in place to manage hunting of nonmigratory game species, provide opportunities for hunting, ensure public safety, regulate hunting on public land, maintain standards, and provide funding for wildlife programs.