By Chad Adams
The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources recently narrowly voted in support of delisting grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act. The legislative move reflects the temperature in several western states, along with hunter-led conservation groups like Safari Club International (SCI).
Dubbed the “Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025,” H.R. 281 calls for the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a final rule, effectively removing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears from the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife.
Introduced by Wyoming’s Rep. Harriet Hageman and Montana’s Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing—all Republicans—the Act caries major SCI support.
Grizzly Bear Delisting
“Safari Club International (SCI) has long supported science-based wildlife management and have repeatedly litigated against anti-hunting groups that ignore the science in favor of emotional ploys that drive their fundraising,” SCI stated in a press release.
Should H.R. 281 pass the gauntlet of legislative process, it would effectively reinstate a 2017 rule delisting the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone area of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Safari Club defended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s science-based delisting twice already, facing opposition from anti-hunting groups via court rulings.
“With the grizzly population exploding, we’ve seen a troubling uptick in attacks on people, livestock, and property,” said Hageman. “Families shouldn’t have to live in fear of grizzly bears rummaging through their trash or endangering their children.”
For more information, visit safariclub.org.
