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Do about half the states, including Wisconsin, have a constitutional right to hunt and fish?
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Yes.
Twenty-four states provide a constitutional right to hunt and fish, according to a November 2025 count by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Nearly all 24, including Wisconsin and Minnesota, did so with constitutional amendments approved by voters since 1996.Β
Illinois, Iowa and Michigan do not have the constitutional protection.
Nationally, βwell-organized animal rights groups and limitations on methods, seasons and bag limits for certain game speciesβ spurred the amendments, according to NCSL.
Wisconsinβs 2003 amendment passed with 82% of the vote.Β
It reads: βThe people have the right to fish, hunt, trap and take game subject only to reasonable restrictions as prescribed by law.β
The measure was among a wave of Wisconsin constitutional amendments led by Republicans.
About 800,000 licenses are sold annually in Wisconsin for both deer hunting and fishing.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- National Conference of State Legislatures: State Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish
- Ballotpedia: Wisconsin Question 1, Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment (April 2003)
- Wisconsin.gov: Wisconsin Constitution
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: 2025 Preliminary Gun Deer Hunt License Sales And Harvest Totals Now Available
- WPR: As anglers gear up for Wisconsinβs fishing opener, annual license sales are down
- Ballotpedia: History of right to hunt and fish constitutional amendments
Do about half the states, including Wisconsin, have a constitutional right to hunt and fish? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
