Justin Nelson, Chair
Born in South Lake Tahoe, California, Justin has had a deep appreciation for the beauty and importance of public lands since day one. He moved to Arizona with his family when he was only 8 years old and had the opportunity to expand his love for the outdoors. Justin currently lives in Mesa, AZ with his wife, young daughter, and GSP. When Justin isn’t working at his job as a Project Manager for a local General Contractor, you will find him chasing down any adventure that comes his way. His pastimes include, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping; really anything that can be done on the many acres of Arizona public land. Influenced by many of his close family members, Justin has taken the important traditions of hunting and fishing and made them part of his daily life.
He aspires to make an impact on the conservation of public lands and to ensure that our children have the same (if not more) benefits than we have today. He wants his daughter to grow up with a profound respect of wildlife and their habitat and strives to create a lifestyle that encourages her to follow these traditions. For a little over a year, Justin has been the Arizona BHA Chapter Chair which allows him to share his vision at a larger scale. By attending pint nights, the annual rendezvous, volunteer projects, and other events, Justin can collaborate with other individuals that share his passion.
“We have not inherited the earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children.” – Lester Brown
Wolf Gumerman, Vice Chair
Wolf Gumerman retired from Northern Arizona University where he taught for 25 years. He began his NAU career as an archaeologist conducting excavations on the North Coast of Peru focusing on understanding prehistoric food systems. In addition, he collaborated with the Hopi tribe to promote cultural preservation. Wolf also directed NAU’s Honors Program and then became the Founding Dean of the Honors College.
An avid fly fisherman for decades, Wolf recently took up hunting. He has always enjoyed eating game and understood the management role in hunting; but it wasn’t until a few years ago searching for elk with his wife and father that he realized he wanted to hunt. Now he is addicted to chasing birds behind his German Wirehair Pointer, Bella. Wolf also truly enjoys foraging—especially for mushrooms on public lands. His hunger for foraging and hunting culminates in the kitchen where he enjoys feeding others—especially friends and family—his wife Liz and their two grown “kids”.
Wolf, an active user of public lands since he can remember, feels it is important to use his time and energy to protect these special landscapes and the wildlife and cultural resources they hold. As such, he serves on the Arizona Chapter BHA board and is the advisor to the Northern Arizona University BHA Collegiate Club. He also serves on the Board of the Friends of the Flagstaff Area National Monuments.
Brandon Holub, Treasurer
Brandon is a native Arizonan, born and raised in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Brandon grew up in a non-hunting family and was introduced to hunting by Arizona Co-Chairman Justin Nelson back in high school. Since Brandon’s first mule deer hunt, Brandon has been hooked on hunting and exploring wild areas.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from West Texas A&M, Brandon moved to Chicago to pursue his Juris Doctorate at Chicago-Kent College of Law with a focus on environmental and energy law. Returning to Arizona after several years in Texas and Chicago has only increased Brandon’s passion to explore the outdoors and help preserve and protect our public lands for future generations.
In his spare time, Brandon enjoys traveling with his wife and hunting with his friends. Brandon is passionate about BHA’s mission and is honored to be the Treasurer for the Arizona Chapter.
Jack Wilson, Secretary
Jack developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors early in life, spending much of his childhood camping and backpacking with his father. Those experiences in wild places instilled in him a love for public lands, wildlife, and wild places. This time fostered a belief that these landscapes are among our most valuable shared resources as Americans and must be carefully protected for future generations.
Later in life, Jack discovered hunting, which deepened his connection to the natural world. Through hunting, he gained a greater understanding of wildlife, habitat, and developed a deeper appreciation for the importance of protecting wild places.
Today, Jack remains committed to the conservation of public lands and wildlife. His lifelong experiences in the outdoors continue to shape his perspective and inform his dedication to preserving the landscapes and natural heritage that define the American outdoors.
“Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations.” – T.R.
Brad Butterfield, Stewardship Chair
Brad Butterfield has called Arizona home for most of his adult life, both in the desert and the high country. As a scientist in his professional life, Brad conducts research on the biodiversity, conservation and restoration of dryland ecosystems. He’s applying these skills in his role as the Stewardship Chair for Arizona BHA, working with land managers to identify opportunities for hunters and anglers to improve the condition of their public lands and maintain access for all. In his personal life, Brad loves to bow hunt, fly fish and get his kids in the great outdoors.
Michael Cravens, Legislative Director
Michael grew up exploring the densely wooded hills and cold clear rivers of the Missouri Ozarks. His childhood was spent chasing squirrels, rabbits, and smallmouth bass with a fishing rod and shotgun, or even snakes and salamanders with nothing more than a field guide. Nothing was off limits to this young and enthusiastic naturalist. Later, Michael went on to study Organismal, Ecological, and Evolutionary Biology at Southeast Missouri State University.
Through the years that followed, Michael’s insatiable thirst for exploring wild places never waned and drove him to travel extensively throughout our own beautiful country and abroad. These travels took him to far away and remote places like the jungles of Latin America and the Amazon Basin. Whether the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, the desert southwest, or the Ozark Mountains of his childhood home, Michael has a deep love and appreciation for all wild places. Of all these, it was the North American western landscape that held his attention and is now where he calls home.
Michael, his wife, two children, and their German short-haired pointer call the mountains of Flagstaff, AZ home. Living in a state with over 50% public land allows them ample opportunity for countless adventures. This opportunity is not taken for granted and is not guaranteed. Today, Michael spends his free time either roaming the mountains and deserts in search of opportunities to bring healthy organic meat home to fill the freezer and feed his family, or he is speaking out against those that threaten the places that allow these opportunities.
Michael works as the Advocacy and Conservation Director for the Arizona Wildlife Federation, serves as the Vice Chair for Arizona Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, he is certified by 2% for Conservation, and is a contributor for Hunt to Eat. Michael can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mlcoutdoors
Harrison Holub, Board Member
Born and raised in Arizona, I spent my life hunting and fishing this state. It’s vast public lands and water makes it easy to continue to call it home. I am currently attending school for a degree in wildlife management wanting to work with Arizona’s wildlife in this beautiful habitat.
I love chasing coues deer around southern Arizona, and wild, native trout in northern Arizona. I look forward to continue to protect and maintain our public lands for future generations. When I’m not
Hunting or fishing, I’m probably tying flies or finding new places to explore, or unfortunately working! I currently live in Gilbert, working for both The Orvis Company and my fathers auto shop.
Christian Fauser, Board Member
Christian's passion for recreating in Arizona's wild spaces is only rivaled by his drive to protect them. Christian earned his bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Montana and a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Northern Arizona University.
He has played a significant role in several advocacy and organizing efforts in Arizona focused on public lands and water protection. His passion is educating hunters and anglers about the importance of protecting Arizona’s wild places and wildlife, and building an effective new generation of public land advocates.
Christian's day job is Public Lands Coordinator for the Arizona Wildlife Federation, and he has been an AZ BHA board member since 2025.
Alex Young, Board Member
Alex Young grew up in Oklahoma, and learned to fly fish, upland hunt, backpack and whitewater raft on family trips to public lands across the American West. He earned a BA at Columbia University and spent a few years working in publishing and teaching high school English abroad before returning to the West to complete a PhD in English at the University of Southern California. He now lives in Phoenix, where he teaches courses on the literature and culture of the US West at Arizona State University. His scholarly focus on the history of our region, along with his passion for outdoor pursuits, fuels his dedication to conservation advocacy that engages Indigenous nations and other diverse stakeholders who are fighting to protect the irreplaceable ecosystems and landscapes of our public lands.
Larry Ortega, Board Member
Raised in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, I discovered my passion for the outdoors through hunting and time spent on public lands. My journey took me from Colorado to Minnesota and Tennessee, where I served in the U.S. Army before making my home in Arizona in 2009. Since then, I’ve continued to hunt, explore, and advocate for protecting access to public lands. As a Life Member of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, I’m committed to ensuring that public lands remain in public hands for future generations.
Leland Hart, AFI AZ Liaison
Leland Hart is a Michigan native, and has hunted and fished since he was young. After a youth spent fishing on Great Lakes, thru the ice, and from the shore, and hunting deer, waterfowl, and upland game on mostly private land, the US Army brought him to Arizona.
Now, Leland is a passionate public land hunter and angler. Leland chases deer, javelina, squirrels, and has started hunting dove and quail. He also angles for fish in public waters in SE Arizona as well.
He is the Arizona AFI Liaison to the BHA State board, and runs regular angling, hunting, and stewardship events near Fort Huachuca.
Leigh Muckey, Region 5 Director
Leigh Muckey is a second-generation Arizonan who has been outdoors his whole life. One of his earliest memories is accompanying his father on a mule deer hunt outside of Tucson where he got to hold his first pair of antlers. While primarily a wingshooter, Leigh also enjoys big game hunting and fly fishing.
After graduating from high school in Tucson, Leigh joined the Army, where he served multiple overseas deployments in support of the Global War on Terror. After leaving the Army, Leigh settled in Sierra Vista, where he currently resides and focuses on raising his five children in the same traditions of stewardship and conservation that defined his childhood.
Leigh currently serves on the Arizona Board as the Region 5 Director and is the Fort Huachuca Armed Forces Initiative Liaison for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
Nick Denson, Region 6 Director
Nick Denson is an Arizona native, born and raised in Mesa, AZ. His earliest memories are filled with camping and hunting trips alongside his father, where he developed a deep respect for the outdoors and a lasting appreciation for Arizona’s vast public lands. Those early experiences helped shape his values and strong connection to nature that continue to guide him today.
When Nick isn’t working as a Project Engineer at a local Subcontractor, he remains closely tied to the landscapes that raised him. Whether it’s hiking desert trails, camping under the stars, or exploring new corners of the state, he enjoys making the most of Arizona’s natural beauty. He shares these adventures with his wife and their two dogs, continuing the tradition of outdoor exploration that first inspired him in his childhood.