After a torrent of criticism over his proposal to sell parcels of federal land, Utah Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee hinted at a compromise with hunters, but some Wyoming hunters said they’re having none of it.
The only option is for Lee to kill the proposal for land sales he’s trying to roll into a federal budget reconciliation bill, they said.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday evening, Lee stated, “Hunter Nation: You spoke. I’m listening. I’ll be making changes in the coming days.”
But from the perspective of hunters, there’s no room for compromise, said Chris Steffen of Green River, director of operations for the Muley Fanatic Foundation.
“I don’t think there’s any concessions that we could see him (Lee) making” that would make the bill palatable for hunters, Steffen told Cowboy State Daily, echoing the sentiments of many others.
The push to sell federal lands could have long-term political fallout, outdoorsman Olin Machen of Cody told Cowboy State Daily.
“I’m deeply concerned about the precedent the federal government selling public land sets for generations to come. I am also troubled by our ‘conservative’ lawmakers being so quick to dismiss the majority public’s outcry to kill this initiative. That will certainly be revisited come midterms,” he said.
Messages left for Lee’s staff were not returned.
Lee’s Committee Bill
The source of the controversy is a measure before the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Lee chairs.
The measure is intended to be included in the budget reconciliation bill, the so-called One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
At issue is a subsection in pages 30-41 of the committee’s bill: “Mandatory Disposal of Bureau of Land Management Land and Forest system land for housing.”
Who Was Sen. Lee Addressing, Exactly?
When Lee addressed “Hunter Nation,” he wasn’t addressing hunters across the nation, but rather a specific group called Hunter Nation, two avid hunters who are prominent outdoors media creators told Cowboy State Daily.
Randy Newberg of Bozeman, Montana, spent several days in Washington D.C. monitoring Lee’s bill for his audience.
He said he’s confident that Lee was addressing Hunter Nation in particular, not hunters in general.
Newberg is known for his Fresh Tracks YouTube channel, and has filmed numerous big game hunting videos in Wyoming.
He’s been vocally opposed to Lee’s bill, and said he sees no room for compromise on the matter – the only option is for the measure to die.
Brian Call of Logan, Utah runs the popular Gritty Films YouTube hunting channels. He likewise said that it’s his understanding that Lee was addressing a specific group when he named Hunter Nation – which he said he’s not familiar with.
“I don’t know who Hunter Nation is. I have no idea who they really are,” Call said.
Like Newberg, Call said he doesn’t see any way that the federal land sales measure could be changed so public lands hunters would accept it.
Call said that as a conservative Utah resident, he agrees with Lee on most issues, such as the senator’s staunch support of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
But the public lands bill was a “bad, bad move” by Lee, he said.
“I think he’s in trouble. I think the backlash is severe,” Call said.
After his “Hunter Nation” post, Lee continued to defend his bill on X – stating that it would apply to selling only a fraction of federal land, in areas in or adjacent to towns and cities.
Can’t Put The Toothpaste Back Into The Tube
Machen said that hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts value federal public land too much to see it put up for sale.
“Western states are notoriously horrible when it comes to selling state-owned land, however we were under a false understanding that was off the table with federally-owned public land.” he said.
“As with all things government, once that toothpaste is out of the tube, it doesn’t go back in,” he added.
And what Lee’s bill seems to suggest could have generational effects, Machen said.
“It’s my teenage boys and their children that will suffer. Recreating in wild places is about the only thing that actually makes sense in the world we live in today, and rest assured everyone that enjoys those wild places will fight for them. Doesn’t matter if it’s a hunter, a mushroom picker, a rock climber, or a CDT (Continental Divide Trial) through hiker,” he said.
Jessi Johnson, the government affairs director for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation said that her organization still opposes Lee’s bill, despite his hints at possible changes.
There are already processes in place for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Managment to vacate parcels through “thoughtful, community-driven, need driven land trades and sales,” she said.
There has been frustration over how slow and complicated those land sale and trades can be, but the answer is to streamline the existing process, Johnson said.
Trying to roll a sales measure for public lands into a budget bill was the wrong move, she said.
Reiterating a quote she’d heard regarding Lee’s bill, Johnson said, “throwing this (existing) process out is like buying a new car because your everyday car ran out of gas.”
Fallout For Lee
Call said Lee has long supported selling off public lands. And he was probably aware that his latest bill wouldn’t be popular.
However Lee probably underestimated how wide and severe the backlash would be, Call added.
“I think he understands clearly that his constituents and the majority of the people don’t want this. But his donors and his backers have wanted this (public land sales) for years,” Call said.
Lee likely underestimated the pressure that residents in Wyoming and other states would put on their Republican delegates in opposition to the bill, Call added.
“I think he (Lee) knew that it was going to piss everybody off, but thought he was going to get away with it,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
