The Army manages more than 12 million acres of land, much of which is undeveloped and is wildlife habitat. Before the mid-1950s, hunting was permitted on installations to control wildlife populations and keep the land from being over browsed. However, there was no real structure to the management of these hunting programs. Wildlife management focused on the enforcement of state and federal fish and game laws, rather than applying scientific and technical principles to wildlife populations and habitats so as to maintain such populations for ecological, recreational, or scientific purposes.

Consistent hunting policies did not exist for military installations until the passage of the Engle Act in 1958. The act tried to resolve basic conflicts between the military and civilian conservation agencies by requiring that all hunting, fishing, and trapping on military installations be conducted in accordance with state and federal laws. The Engle Act also required state licenses for hunting and fishing and granted installation access to conservation officials to support management and conservation activities.

Until the passage of the Sikes Act in 1960, installation commanders did not make public recreation a high priority and regarded it as incompatible with military training. Most hunting and fishing was limited to military personnel. The passage of the Sikes Act, which permitted hunting and fishing fees to be collected and retained at the installation level, provided installations with an incentive to allow greater public access.

The Sikes Act was passed to "promote effectual planning, development, maintenance, and coordination of wildlife, fish, and game conservation and rehabilitation in military reservations," and it provided the legal basis for wildlife conservation on military lands. It authorized public recreational access to military land and the collection of fees for this privilege. It also authorized the formation of cooperative plans among the DoD, the Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, and state fish and wildlife agencies. The passage of the Sikes Act led to the widespread opening of military areas to public recreation in the early 1960s. Although outdoor recreation included camping, picnicking, boating, swimming, and a host of other outdoor activities, hunting and fishing were in greatest demand by the public at that time.

In addition to the Sikes Act requirements that military installations develop management plans and consult with state and federal fish and game agencies, Army regulations specified the wildlife management techniques that should be used. In 1966, AR 420-74 identified habitat improvement as the primary means of wildlife management. The stocking of species and introduction of nonnative species was discouraged, as was the wholesale destruction of predator species.

Today, the Army's Hunting and Fishing Program is devoted to the conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources on military installations through the sustainable multipurpose use of the resources, which includes hunting, fishing, and trapping.