Trump Keeps Hunters in the Field as Feds Furlough

The government may be closed, but for the hunters, the season isn’t. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been told to keep the National Wildlife Refuges open for hunting, even as federal workers go without pay.

So Montana hunters can still hunt places like Lee Metcalf in the Bitterroot Valley, even while Washington continues to play the blame game.

Why Trump made the call

Trump’s been pretty outspoken about his love for hunting. He considers it a part of American culture. And to be honest, his son Donald Trump Jr. lives for it. It’s not difficult to imagine that hunting factored heavily into the decision to leave those gates unlocked during the shutdown.

For hunters around here, that’s a big deal. Lee Metcalf isn’t just land. It’s a fall ritual for us. Early mornings. Cold fingers. That noise of ducks flying just before the shooting light. Let's just hope that this can get resolved before the game warden has to put another notch in his belt to hold up his green pants.

Not everyone’s thrilled

Not everyone, of course, is clapping. Keeping public land open without full staffing can get pretty messy. No maintenance. No extra safety. No Plan B if things go wrong.

But supporters see it differently. They view hunting as a pastime. It’s food, tradition, and life when everything else feels out of control in D.C.

Montana hunts on

For the vast majority of hunters in Montana, this isn’t about political teams. It’s about how the land is still open, the ducks don’t know about shutdowns, and neither do the deer.

Shutdown or no, hunters will be there at first light, thermos in hand, doing what we do every fall.