Interior Department Finalizes Three-Year Cycle for Migratory Game Bird Hunting Authorizations

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will issue a memorandum authorizing seasonal migratory game bird hunting once every three years, replacing the annual rulemaking process.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 29, 2026, 2:07 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 29, 2026, 2:53 a.m. ET

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a changing the administrative process for authorizing seasonal migratory game bird hunting, according to a Federal Register document published August 31, 2026. The , issued by the and the Fish and Wildlife Service, takes effect on the same date. Under the new process, the Service will issue a memorandum to establish limits and authorize seasonal migratory game bird hunting once every three years, instead of promulgating regulations annually. The Service will continue to make annual decisions on harvest levels and will update the memorandum sooner than three years if changes are prescribed by decision frameworks. The is intended to increase efficiency, better meet State, Tribal, and Federal rulemaking constraints, and reduce complexity and costs, while continuing to meet the legal and conservation purposes of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Tribes are already authorized under a similar process.

Earlier reports

Aug 29, 2026, 2:23 a.m. ET
Interior Department Finalizes Three-Year Cycle for Migratory Game Bird Hunting Authorizations
A final rule published by the Interior Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service takes effect August 31, 2026, changing how seasonal migratory game bird hunting is authorized. Under the rule, the Service will issue a memorandum establishing limits and authorizing hunting once every three years, replacing the current annual rulemaking process. Annual decisions on harvest levels will continue, and the memorandum can be updated sooner if decision frameworks require changes.
The rule is intended to increase efficiency, reduce complexity and costs, and better meet State, Tribal, and Federal rulemaking constraints, according to the Federal Register notice (reference 2026-17733). The Service says it will continue to meet the legal and conservation purposes of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Tribes are already authorized under a similar process.
Aug 29, 2026, 2:07 a.m. ETFirst report
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Adopts Three-Year Cycle for Migratory Game Bird Hunting Authorizations
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Interior Department, has issued a final rule that changes how seasonal migratory game bird hunting is authorized. The rule, published in the Federal Register on August 31, 2026, replaces the annual rulemaking process with a memorandum issued once every three years to establish limits and authorize hunting. The Service will continue to make annual decisions on harvest levels and can update the memorandum sooner if required by its decision frameworks.
The rule is intended to increase efficiency, better meet State, Tribal, and Federal rulemaking constraints, and reduce complexity and costs, according to the Federal Register document. The Service states that the change will help it continue to meet the legal and conservation purposes of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Tribes are already authorized under a similar process.
The final rule, identified as 2026-17733, takes effect on August 31, 2026.

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Sources

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/31/2026-17733/process-for-authorizing-seasonal-migratory-game-bird-hunting

Revision history

Version 129 Aug 2026, 06:53current
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Version 129 Aug 2026, 06:23current
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Earlier reports