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In the Arena: David Mangum
TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters and anglers who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation.
Capt. David Mangum
Hometown: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Occupation: Saltwater fly-fishing guide for Shallow Water Expeditions
Conservation credentials: Mangum is a YETI ambassador and outdoor photographer who utilizes his talents to produce media that inspire a spirit of conservation and educate saltwater anglers. He’s also been involved with the fish-tagging efforts of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.
Born and raised in the Florida panhandle, Mangum has developed his expertise for finding and catching fish from decades on his home waters. He is widely known as a tarpon specialist (some might say addict) who lands a list of top clients the chance to battle the silver king as well as redfish and other quarry in shallow-water flats and coastal marshes. A passionate fly fisherman with an adventurous soul, he’s guided around North America, from Alaska to Colorado to the Bahamas, and has been featured in an episode of the Millhouse Podcast. Mangum also is an avid hunter, who’s relished many annual winter quail hunts in Arizona. Despite all this, his pursuits aren’t just limited to professional fishing, hobby hunting, and world-class photography. This renaissance (outdoors)man is also an accomplished oil painter whose works center on his saltwater lifestyle and other nature-focused subject matter. Mangum even boasts co-director credits for “Huff – The Film,” a short documentary about another legendary Florida guide and close friend.
Here is his story.
Like many others, I was introduced to the outdoors at a young age by my father, Col. Denny Mangum, United States Air Force. He taught me both upland bird hunting and fishing.
I remember the first time I saw tarpon was with him. I was young and we were fishing in Destin. He didn’t see the tarpon in the water, but several of them “rolled” at the same time and I swore to him I had seen some kind of sea serpent. That memory stuck with me for years until I was older and realized what I had seen. I have often wondered if that was the formative moment that would lead me down the path to becoming a guide, and more specifically, a guide who is known for tarpon.
If I could hunt or fish anywhere, I would return to southern Arizona to chase Mearns quail. I spent many a January with my first bird dog, Bella, in the high desert canyons of the Coronado National Forest.
Conservation is necessary for the places like this, where we hunt and fish. Without the conservation efforts of those before me, I believe our outdoor world would be in desperate shape. Anywhere you look (with a few exceptions), our natural world has taken a toll. Less fish, less animals, fewer places untouched by our human hand. It’s only because of the efforts of those without blinders on that we still have the remaining flora and fauna which we share the world with.
“Freshwater is the lifeblood of everything that lives in the salt. It all starts there.”
I believe the biggest conservation challenge along north Florida’s Gulf Coast is water. The diminished flows and instability of freshwater rivers, with either too much or not enough fresh water, is one of the most influential factors on coastal systems today. The balance has been thrown off. Freshwater is the lifeblood of everything that lives in the salt. It all starts there. Where salt and fresh meet, plankton and zooplankton thrive and start the food web. At the top of that web is one of the most important fish in the sea, the menhaden.
Gamefish, birds, and marine mammals depend on the menhaden as their primary food source. These small filter feeders are essential to ALL creatures in the sea. Without the menhaden everything we see in our coastal ecosystems falls apart.
The simple reason it’s important for me personally to be involved in conservation is that I feel morally obligated to take action when I see problem. We all should! Especially those of us who make a living using the outdoor resources.
“Without the menhaden everything we see in our coastal ecosystems falls apart.“
It’s obvious why conservation should matter to the next generation of hunters and anglers. We just need to ask future outdoorsmen and women this question: What will the world look like if conservation isn’t important to you? Just imagine the current place you live, but without the sounds of birds, of insects and frogs at night. Imagine no fish in the water and no deer in the woods. That’s a world none of us wants, and that’s why we should all be adamantly involved in conservation.
Banner image credit: Jay Riley
Support a Balanced Future for the Tongass and Chugach Forests in Alaska
Help sustain public access, fish and wildlife habitat, and the outdoor traditions we all value
The Tongass and Chugach National Forests are two of the most spectacular and unique landscapes in the United States. Together, they encompass more than 22 million acres of intact habitat for fish and wildlife, support local economies, and provide opportunities for rural subsistence as well as recreational hunting and fishing. These lands are part of what make Alaska truly extraordinary.
On August 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule across the National Forest System, including in Alaska. If completed, this action would remove important conservation measures that have helped maintain some of the best remaining big game and salmon habitat in the state.
Why These Forests Matter
The Chugach National Forest supports key salmon streams and moose, bear, and mountain goat habitat. Because of its proximity to Anchorage, these nearly 6 million acres are crucial to local communities that depend on accessible public lands.
The Tongass National Forest is home to all five species of wild Pacific salmon and provides high-quality habitat for black-tailed deer, brown bear, and mountain goats. These nearly 17 million acres in Southeast Alaska are also vital for subsistence users, as well as fishing and tourism economies.
Old-growth forests on the Tongass—dominated by large western hemlock and Sitka spruce trees in roadless areas—provide a critical mosaic of habitat for deer, especially during heavy snow years. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, severe winter weather is one of the biggest factors influencing deer populations, making intact habitat all the more important.
The Tongass is also at a turning point. Millions of acres of young-growth forests are now ready for restoration and management that can both support the forest products industry and strengthen habitat for fish and wildlife. Rather than remain locked in old debates over large-scale old-growth logging, this is an opportunity to invest in young-growth management that benefits local communities, hunters, anglers, and the long-term productivity of public lands in Southeast Alaska.
A Need for Dialogue
Hunters and anglers need to remain at the table as decisions are made about national forests in Alaska. We believe it is possible to support local economies, provide flexibility for responsible management, and sustain the fish, wildlife, and access values that are so important to hunters, anglers, and rural communities.
Sportsmen and women must weigh in to help shape this outcome. By submitting comments, we can encourage the Forest Service to pursue a balanced approach that maintains consistent safeguards for roadless area habitats while also supporting restoration, young-growth management, and community needs.
Take Action
The USDA is accepting public comments on the future of the Roadless Rule in Alaska until September 19. Hunters and anglers can make a difference by speaking up for intact habitat, strong local economies, and lasting outdoor traditions.
Sample Comment
As a hunter, angler, and public land user, I encourage a thoughtful approach when reevaluating roadless areas in Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach National Forests. Roadless areas provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife, support local economies, and offer important opportunities for hunting, fishing, recreation, and subsistence. Please ensure that any changes to the Roadless Rule will maintain these values and benefit both current and future generations of Alaskans.
Weigh in on Behalf of America’s Backcountry
Hunters and anglers can help shape the future of our national forests
Anyone who has spent time hunting and fishing on our national forests knows that success often depends on putting some distance between yourself and roads. Roadless areas—casually called the backcountry—are essential to America’s sporting traditions and wildlife management.
These roadless landscapes provide secure refuge for elk, mule deer, and other big game species, ensuring healthy herds and sustaining increasingly rare over-the-counter hunting opportunities. State wildlife agencies have long emphasized that blocks of secure habitat are critical for effective herd management and for preventing displacement of wildlife onto private lands.
For anglers, roadless areas conserve cold, clean headwaters that sustain wild trout and salmon, and roughly 70 percent of roadless areas contain habitat for native fish.
These qualities are why the sporting community values roadless areas and sees them as a crucial part of the future of hunting and fishing in America.
The Proposal to Rescind the Roadless Rule
On August 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a notice proposing to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—a long-standing policy designed to maintain these backcountry values. The public comment period is open through September 19.
A primary argument for rescission is to allow more flexibility for wildfire suppression and forest management. Hunters and anglers understand this does not have to be an either/or choice. We can support proactive management to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health while maintaining safeguards that are critical for fish, wildlife, and our sporting traditions.
A Balanced Path Forward
Hunters and anglers support a middle ground approach to managing roadless areas. This approach respects backcountry values and provides flexibility where it’s needed. That means:
- Conserving core backcountry habitat for fish and wildlife while allowing thinning, prescribed burning, and restoration projects to protect communities and improve habitat.
- Limiting costly new road construction so that scarce agency funding can go toward maintaining the 370,000 miles of existing national forest roads that already provide access for hunters, anglers, and local economies.
- Accommodating multiple uses, including livestock grazing and motorized and non-motorized recreation.
The Roadless Rule was designed to strike this balance. Rather than scrapping it altogether, the USDA should work with hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders to adapt and improve the rule to ensure it remains durable, practical, and true to the values we share. We have seen this approach work before with the Idaho and Colorado Roadless Rules, and we can apply that success to the rest of the National Forest System.
Take Action
This comment period is our chance to ensure that the future of America’s backcountry reflects hunting and fishing values. By speaking up, we can help secure lasting hunting and fishing opportunities for future generations of sportsmen and women.
Hunters and anglers can make a difference by commenting before September 19.
Here are some important talking points to include in your comments:
- Roadless areas are critical to America’s sporting traditions. They provide secure habitat for elk, deer, and other big game, and conserve headwaters that sustain native trout and salmon. These landscapes ensure that future generations of hunters and anglers will have the same opportunities we enjoy today.
- Hunters and anglers know that flexibility can be added to the rule to reduce wildfire risk while also improving forest health and maintaining conservation safeguards that are critical for fish, wildlife, and sporting traditions.
- The Forest Service should work with hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders to adapt and improve the rule so it remains durable, practical, and true to the values we share.
- A balanced approach will ensure our forests remain healthy, our communities are safer, and our sporting traditions persist.
MAPOceans Act Passes Senate
New legislation would modernize accessibility to saltwater recreational fishing regulations and marine waters navigation information
Saltwater anglers, hunters, and marine recreationists joined the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in cheering Senate passage of the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act this week by unanimous consent. The MAPOceans Act will direct the standardization, consolidation, and digitization of boating and recreational fishing information for federally managed marine waters and federal fisheries administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The bipartisan legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Angus King (I-Maine).
“TRCP joins America’s sportsmen and sportswomen in thanking Senators Cruz and King for bringing forth this bipartisan, access-oriented legislation, and greatly appreciates the broader Senate support for its passage,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The MAPOceans Act will help simplify fishing and boating experiences to enhance recreation opportunities, while expanding access by making the necessary information for safe, legal saltwater fishing more readily available through digital technology.”
The MAPOceans Act builds on the success of the MAPLand Act, passed in 2022, and the MAPWaters Act, which passed out of the House of Representatives in January 2025, by directing NOAA to digitize navigation and recreational use rules for marine waters and federal fisheries, and to make those resources readily available to the public. The hundreds of thousands of offshore ocean miles and numerous saltwater fish species regulated by NOAA present enormous recreational opportunities where restrictions are difficult to access and constantly changing. MAPOceans directs the federal agency to compile those rules in digital form so they can be integrated into GPS units and smartphone applications that are popular with boaters and anglers, making that information available to the public in real time.
“The MAPOceans Act consolidates and makes existing spatial information more accessible, empowering anglers to better understand and safely enjoy our marine waters,” said Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “We thank the Senate for passing this bipartisan bill and look forward to its continued progress.”
“We applaud Senator Cruz and Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator King for their leadership in passing the MAPOceans Act out of the Senate,” said Chris Horton, senior director of fisheries policy for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “This much needed, bipartisan legislation will finally remove the uncertainty about where we can fish and with what gear that can often create barriers for angler participation on our coastal waters.”
“At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we recognize the immense value our coastal regions provide—not only as vital ecosystems but also as hubs for recreation that drive local economies and support marine retailers,” said Matt Gruhn, president of the MRAA. “The MAPOceans Act represents a crucial step forward in providing standardized, accessible data about our nation’s waterways. By digitizing key information like fishing regulations and restrictions, this legislation will enhance safety and enjoyment for recreational boaters and anglers, while also supporting conservation efforts. We’re grateful to Senators King and Cruz for their leadership in championing this important initiative and their hard work to get it passed out of the Senate.”
“Expanding access to the information anglers and boaters need to safely get out on the water will help fuel America’s $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy,” said Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Association. “The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable appreciates Senators Cruz and King for championing the MAPOceans Act and for finding innovate ways to allow more Americans to enjoy the outdoors.”
Learn more about TRCP’s work to improve your access to public lands and waters HERE.
Photo Credit: David Mangum
HOW YOU CAN HELP
TRCP has partnered with Afuera Coffee Co. to further our commitment to conservation. $4 from each bag is donated to the TRCP, to help continue our efforts of safeguarding critical habitats, productive hunting grounds, and favorite fishing holes for future generations.
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