Texas Adds Hunting and Fishing to State Constitution

Congratulations to Texas, which just officially enshrined hunting and fishing in the state constitution with the passage of Proposition 6 in yesterday’s election!

Texans have always valued their rights to hunt and fish, particularly on private property, which makes up 95 percent of Texas hunting lands. This change to the state constitution makes that a permanent part of Texas law.

“To me, it is a better guarantee; [hunting, fishing, and the taking of wildlife] goes from a privilege to a right,” said Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator with Texas Parks and Wildlife. “We can put away our privileges, but we can’t put away our rights.”

Texas has the highest hunting population in the United States, and is also near the top for fishing, with 1.1 million hunting licenses and 2.3 million fishing licenses bought per year, Hall said. That means hunting and fishing are also big business, creating an economic impact of $87 billion and supporting more than 700,000 jobs nationwide.

By passing Proposition 6 and the other constitutional amendments, Texas residents “are creating an even better place for future generations to live, work, and raise a family,” according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Due to the passage of Proposition 6, Texas now joins the 18 other states that have added the importance of hunting and fishing to state constitutions.