Utah Sen. Mike Lee is finally responding to massive pushback from hunters outraged by his plan to sell off millions acres of public land in 11 Western states via the federal budget bill. In a Sunday-night X post addressed to "Hunter Nation" Lee said: "You spoke. I'm listening. I'll be making changes in the coming days." The tweet was quickly reposted to Instagram by a group called Hunter Nation, which describes Lee as a "patriot" who will "do the right thing about public lands."
Many in the hunting and fishing community remain unconvinced, however, and insist hunters accept nothing less than the complete removal of Lee's sell-off provision from the budget bill. In a comment posted below the Hunter Nation Instagram post, Randy Newberg, host of Fresh Tracks, the Hunt Talk Radio Podcast, and one of hunting community's leading public-land advocates appeared to question Hunter Nation's motives. "Why would you give this guy a lifeline?" Newberg asked. "He has no allies on this terrible bill, other than his donors. He’s been behind every anti-public land bill in the last 15 years, but suddenly 'he’s seen the light?' Give me a break. He’s running scared and looking for a bailout. We need to be all gas, no brakes."
In another Hunter Nation post, which shows a picture of the group's CEO and Founder Keith Mark shaking hands with Lee during what appears to be an earlier meeting, bowhunter and prominent media personality Cameron Hanes expressed his skepticism.
"He’s been pushing for this for years and has known the whole time how hunters and outdoorsmen feel about the selling of public land but so now he’s heard 'loud and clear' and did 'more research'?" Hanes commented. "Give me a break. These politicians are so full of sh*t. Vouching for @senmikelee and calling him a 'patriot' when he’s been trying to screw over public land hunters for years is an interesting decision."
According to its website, Hunter Nation is a 401c4 non-profit organization with a mission "to preserve and protect our nation’s hunting heritage and the traditions associated with hunting as a way of life." Its recent advocacy work includes support for a North Dakota bill that Hunter Nation says "Pushes Back Against the CWD Narrative." It is also involved in legislation aimed at de-listing grey wolves and overturning a Sunday hunting ban in Pennsylvania. Ted Nugent is listed as the the group's national spokesperson and Donald Trump Jr. serves on their board of directors. Field & Stream has reached out to Hunter Nation for comment via email, but we haven't received a response.
Read Next: Senate Bill's Public Land Sell-Off Proposal Balloons to More Than 250 Million Eligible Acres
Just few hours after his tweet vowing to change his land sell-off provision in hope of to appeasing hunters, Lee had this to say about the opposition that is threatening to derail his plans to sell 3-plus million acres: "How much money do you think has been spent on this campaign against my lands bill?" The remark accompanied a post from X user Connor Boyack, who said Lee's sell-off provision "doesn't go far enough." Then, Lee doubled down again on his X account, saying, "some opponents of my lands bill are taking an absolutist approach, insisting that the total acreage of federal land must *never* diminish—even by a fraction of one percent & even if the land in question is connected to established, residential neighborhoods."
Lee's conflicting X posts aside, conservation groups across the spectrum are calling on public land advocates who oppose his plan to offload public lands as part of the budget reconciliation process to continue calling and emailing Senators. They say the provision should be stripped from the budget bill completely because it circumvents current laws and public input requirements—and that it would lead to the sale of federally managed public lands during budget negations year after year. If you'd like to contact your Senator you can do so via this action link from the TRCP or by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
