By Greg Wagner
National Hunting and Fishing Day is this Saturday, Sept. 26.
This is a significant day.
No, this is not just another one of those celebratory days, not by a long shot.
I grew up hunting and fishing in rural Nebraska. My hunting heritage began 57 years ago this fall as a “quail dog” for my dad and his friend Jim on our family farm in southeast Nebraska. I am eternally grateful to my dad for taking me hunting! It probably kept me out of trouble.
National Hunting and Fishing Day, the fourth Saturday in September each year, was a Joint Resolution by Congress in 1971 to acknowledge the tremendous contributions made financially and otherwise by us natural resource users toward wildlife research projects, wildlife habitat improvements, wildlife management practices and to local, state and national economies. Many of these contributions have greatly assisted rural landowners, community safety, non-game wildlife species, individual ecosystems, the environment as a whole and the protection of species from unregulated exploitation.
Collectively, hunting and fishing is a huge deal here in the Husker State. In fact, stats show we had 249,513 anglers and 187,809 hunters who purchased permits in 2025. Some 145,486, big game hunting permits were issued last year. In addition, there were 262,080 participants who enjoyed shooting sports in 2025. Overall, outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing, contributes largely to our quality of life. In Nebraska, hunting, fishing, boating, wildlife viewing, shooting sports and state park visitation are responsible for more than 24,000 jobs and have an economic impact of over $4 billion annually. It’s big business!
Hunters and anglers are significant contributors to wildlife and habitat conservation on the national scale through a system known as the American System of Conservation Funding, which relies on self-imposed fees and excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment. These contributions, which include license fees and taxes from the Pittman-Robertson Act, have generated over $57 billion for conservation efforts and are estimated to be in excess of $100,000 for every 30 minutes of time! More than 38 million Americans regularly hunt and fish. They are at the core of America’s conservation movement!
In 1972, Richard Nixon signed the first Presidential proclamation of National Hunting and Fishing Day. Now on its 54th year, National Hunting and Fishing Day is the largest, most effective grassroots movement ever undertaken to promote outdoor sports and wildlife conservation.
On a current, local level, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has proclaimed National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 26 here in Nebraska this year, supporting the hunting and fishing community.
National Hunting and Fishing Day also serves a venue for us to promote hunting and fishing as legal, wholesome, memorable outdoor activities to new audiences.
It’s funny when I think back to my early hunting days, because it’s not about the game animals I took that made such wonderful memories. It’s the crazy scenarios I remember that were part of the hunting experience.
I recall my dad and me borrowing my brother Steve’s pick-up truck and then sinking it in a shallow ravine on our farm on the way to our blind at o’ dark thirty. I recall my dad asking me, “Did you save the coffee?”
I recall the first time I left the confines and comfort of the blind and went to the bathroom in the complete darkness of the woods, where there seemed to be a thousand different sounds. Needless to say, that was the fastest bathroom trip ever!
I recall listening to Husker football games on a scratchy transistor radio while my dad vocalized his displeasure with the play calling, never mind being quiet so as not to scare the deer.
On a serious note, I recall the long discussions with my dad in our deer hunting blind. We talked about everything from relationships to politics. I fondly recall watching the sunrises and sunsets with dad without one word exchanged.
Those things are the stuff of memories.
Now, we need to help others experience grand memories in the outdoors, as well as a personal, hands-on connection to nature and the cycle of life. We, as licensed outdoor enthusiasts, must engage and pass along what we know to the folks around us, and especially to those who don’t look and act like us, on a continual basis. It is vital to the future of fish and wildlife.
Participation in activities like hunting and fishing is intensely rewarding and provides favorable segues to grow human relationships, reconnect with the environment, help landowners, bolster the economy, supply revenue for conservation and obtain fresh, free-ranging food.
National Hunting and Fishing Day also offers a good chance to thank the rural landowner who allows you to hunt and fish on their property. This is particularly important in a state such as Nebraska where the land is 97 percent privately owned.
To me, our hunting and fishing heritage remains a key component to who we are as Nebraskans and as Americans. As we celebrate our country’s 250th birthday, National Hunting and Fishing Day is a reminder of the shared heritage that binds us together.
This year, make sure to bring that family member or friend along for a new adventure. Nebraska has an abundance of opportunities.
So hunt, fish, share your passion!
Get more information about National Hunting and Fishing Day at nhfday.org.