Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued an order that October be recognized as National Hunting and Fishing month.

Zinke stressed that the purpose of the order is “to recognize the lasting and positive impact of hunters and anglers on wildlife and habitat conservation in America.”

In designating October as National Hunting and Fishing month, Zinke said:

I grew up in northwest Montana surrounded by public lands and waters. ​Some of my best memories are hunting and fishing with my dad and granddad, and then later teaching my own kids to hunt and fish. That’s something I want more families to experience,​ which is exactly why increasing access to public lands is so important. Hunters and anglers are the backbone of wildlife and habitat conservation in America, ​and they contribute billions of dollars to conservation. From my perspective, the more sportsmen we have in the woods and waters, the better our wildlife and land will be. Formally recognizing the contributions of hunters and anglers to wildlife and habitat conservation is long overdue.

The designation of National Hunting and Fishing month is but the latest pro-hunting / fishing / conservation moves taken by Zinke. On September 15, Breitbart News reported that Zinke issued Order No. 3356, which “mandates the Department to submit reports, upon the Secretary’s approval, to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council and the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council for their respective responses and recommendations.”

The order also “instructs the Department to identify within 30 days, specific actions concerning recreational hunting and fishing on public lands and waters, habitat improvement, predator management, and access to public lands and waters.”

On September 20, Zinke announced “that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will acquire the 600-acre ET Ranch to increase access for hunters, hikers, and backpackers to the Santa Teresa Wilderness Area in Arizona.”

One of Zinke’s first actions as Interior Sec. was the issuance of an order to repeal an Obama-era lead ammo ban. The ban was designed to be implemented over time and would have eventually barred hunters from using traditional ammunition to hunt birds on federal land.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com