A little while back Indiana formally announced the organization of a Sportsmen’s Caucus in its state legislature. This is a welcome event because it gives hunters and anglers of the Hoosier State an influential ally in preserving and promoting their outdoor heritage. The Indiana Caucus becomes the 39th to affiliate with the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses (NASC) - a program of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

Founded in 1989, the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus is today one of the largest and most effective caucuses in the US Congress with nearly 300 members representing almost all 50 states. With bipartisan leadership in both House and Senate, the Caucus is the sportsmen's first line of defense in Washington promoting and protecting the rights of hunters, trappers and anglers. With the success of the CSC in Washington, CSF set out to create a network of state legislative sportsmen's caucuses and in 2004, the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses (NASC) was launched. With the recent addition of Indiana, 39 state legislative sportsmen's caucuses (more than 2,000 state legislators) are united under NASC.

“The CSF State Program and the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses have seen tremendous growth over the last years and we’re so proud to add Indiana to the roster as the 39th state caucus,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “Along with the growth of the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus, our network of State Legislators and Governors are greatly complimenting one another and giving sportsmen unprecedented representation .”

So, who’s in? Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Is your state missing? And more importantly WHY?  I instantly recognize some big time hunting and fishing states missing. What’s up North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin? How about you Nevada, Maine and Hawaii? And Delaware, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are missing, too. What gives?

Every is blessed with hunting and fishing opportunities -- some more than others, but all are worth protecting. If your state is on the outside-looking-in list, call your local rep and rattle his or her cage. Your voice deserves to be heard and if they aren’t representing you with a state sportsmen’s caucus, then they aren’t doing all they could be!