This week Congress voted down the Sportsmen's Act of 2012, which had proposed to raise the cost of the Federal Duck Stamp from $15 to $25. 

Since the 1930s, the stamp has been sold to hunters 16 and older as a mandatory part of their license, and all proceeds go to wetlands conservation. It was a rare marriage of conservation activists vying for the protection of natual resources, and hunters passionate about their hunting tradition.

The $15 price tag for the stamp has not been changed since 1991, despite inflation and the rising cost of land.

Each year, artists across the country compete to get their portrayals of waterfowl on the stamp. That contest — sponsored by the Interior Department — was made famous in the Oscar-winning film, "Fargo."  

Here to talk about the issue is Martin Smith, author of "The Wild Duck Chase: Inside the Strange and Wonderful World of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest"