The Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) 15th annual Rendezvous is scheduled for June 21-23, 2024. We will set up camp in the San Isabel National Forest-Salida Ranger District west of Salida/Poncha Springs for the weekend (see Maps 1 & 2 below for detailed directions) at a group camping area, known locally as the “goat wadi.” Also see this link for related information from our 2022 Colorado BHA Rendezvous Report, which was held in the same locale.
Camp will be located in an open, level, high-mountain meadow covering about 6 acres at 10,000 feet in the Sawatch Range west of Salida and south of the 167,414-acre Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. This is a beautiful in-timber setting (i.e., plenty of shade) next to the Colorado Trail with endless hiking opportunities.
Nearby fishing locales include the Arkansas River at Browns Canyon, which was designated a National Monument by President Obama (on 2/19/15) after more than two decades of effort by hunters, anglers, rafters, hikers and other outdoorsmen and women. See this link for additional information on Browns Canyon National Monument. For related information also see: “A Hunter-Angler (Hell-Raisin’ & Habitat Savin’) Guide To Winning: Colorado BHA Examples (Browns Canyon & Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 10/23/23.
New Member Special
A.) Bring a guest who isn’t currently a BHA member and they will receive a free Individual Membership (https://www.backcountryhunters.org/join).
B.) Bring three or more guests who aren’t currently BHA members and they will receive free Individual memberships and you will receive a free Three Year Individual Membership (https://www.backcountryhunters.org/three_year_individual_membership).
C.) During Rendezvous, just let a chapter leader know who the new members are, we’ll get their contact information, and sign them up after Rendezvous.
Activities
-Fishing Contest:
1.) Catch the biggest fish on Friday or Saturday (just snap a photo of it) and Colorado BHA will gift a 1-year BHA membership to the person of your choice (i.e., a new member).
2.) Catch the most fish on Friday or Saturday and (again, photos will suffice) and we’ll gift a 1-year BHA membership to the person (new member) of your choice.
-Night Bocce Ball. We’ll have a night-lighted Bocce Ball set handy for those who might want to partake.
-Hiking. Miles of trails (including the Colorado Trail) offer opportunities for a smorgasbord of hikes in the area.
On Saturday afternoon, we’ll have a question-and-answer session (starting at 2:30 pm) with the local CPW District Wildlife Manager (tentative). At 4:30 pm, we’ll start a general membership meeting, where we can exchange ideas, congrats, frustrations, etc. The membership meeting will be followed by a group wild game cookout, with Colorado BHA supplying sides (i.e., chips/dip) and you (members), hopefully, sharing some of your hard-earned wild game. We’ll begin breaking camp Sunday morning. We’ll also have two portable toilets at the site.
The two links directly below include information about to our 2022 Colorado BHA Rendezvous at the same (goat wadi) site:
-“Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers 13th Annual Rendezvous.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/7/22.
-“Colorado BHA Rendezvous Report: San Isabel National Forest (June 10-12, 2022).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/17/22.
If you plan to attend this year, please let chapter co-chair David Lien ([email protected]) know couple weeks in advance (if possible). In addition, if you are willing/able to contribute any of the following, also let David know:
- Firewood.
- Extra water jugs to assist with extinguishing campfires.
- We always seem to come up short on propane stoves (Coleman, two-burners, will do), for group cooking.
- Again, any wild game you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.
And don’t forget to email (again) David ([email protected]) in advance if you think you’ll join us so we know how many to plan for and let him know if you can contribute some wild game, water jugs, a propane stove or firewood. We will send out reminders as the Rendezvous weekend nears, and we’ll post announcements/notices on the BHA Events webpage, CO BHA Facebook page and on Instagram. We look forward to seeing you in camp!
Additional Local/Recreation Information:
-The Salida Ranger District manages more than 440,000 acres in central Colorado. It’s an outdoor recreation paradise with seven 14,000-foot peaks "fourteeners" (Harvard, Tabeguache, Yale, Columbia, Shavano, Princeton, Antero), three wilderness areas (Buffalo Peaks, Collegiate Peaks, Sangre De Cristo), and Browns Canyon National Monument.
-The Forest Service manages most of the higher elevation areas, while the Arkansas River corridor is managed by Colorado State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management.
-The Arkansas River is one of the nation's most popular rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking. It’s also a designated “gold medal” trout fishing river.
-San Isabel National Forest-Salida Ranger District information:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/about-forest/districts/?cid=fsm9_032697
-Salida Chamber of Commerce: https://salidachamber.org/
-Salida Area Trails: https://www.alltrails.com/us/colorado/salida
-Salida Area Colorado Trail Segments:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/colorado-trail-segment-14; https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/colorado-trail-segment-15
Colorado BHA (and related) Information
-Upcoming CO BHA Events: https://www.backcountryhunters.org/co_upcoming_events
-Upcoming BHA Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) Events: https://www.backcountryhunters.org/events_afi
-BHA Stewardship: https://www.backcountryhunters.org/stewardship
-“A Hunter-Angler (Hell-Raisin’ & Habitat Savin’) Guide To Winning: Colorado BHA Examples (Browns Canyon & Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 10/23/23.
David “Elkheart” Petersen (founder of the first BHA state chapter, here in Colorado, and a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) books. Also see his “On the Wild Edge” documentary at: https://youtu.be/-IE58L4bqEA
Founded by Mike Beagle, a former U.S. Army field artillery officer, and formed around an Oregon campfire, in 2004, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our nation’s wild public lands, waters and wildlife. With members spread out across all 50 states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories—including chapters in 48 states, two Canadian provinces and one territory, and Washington, D.C.—BHA brings an authentic, informed, boots-on-the-ground voice to the conservation of public lands. The Colorado BHA chapter was founded by David Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) in 2005 (the first official BHA chapter)
About David Lien