“The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) appointed Steve Bridges to serve as an Assistant Regional Director for the Northern Front Range Group/region.

Steve started fishing at age five and occasionally hunting elk and pheasants when he was a teenager. He fell in love with fly-fishing in middle school and has been pursuing it ever since. Steve returned to hunting four years ago when his father-in-law invited him elk hunting. He heard about BHA through Cal’s MeatEater podcast and joined January 2023.

“I hunt elk every year. I was lucky enough to get a tag close to Golden and harvested my first cow two years ago,” he explained. “I also hunt deer at my father in law's shack in northern Minnesota, but I’ve really been bitten by the upland bug. The last two years I’ve hunted birds in Colorado, South Dakota, and Minnesota. This fall jumped in with both feet by getting an Elhew Pointer pup and he and I have hunted public land or walk-in access in Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Kansas.”

Steve and his wife have also fostered dogs for a local Labrador rescue. They have two labs in addition to the pointer. In addition, Steve volunteers for Denver Trout Unlimited’s Carp Slam Tournament. “Public lands have always been very important in my life. It is a place where I can go to recreate, find peace, get away from it all,” he said. “Public lands, water, and wildlife make Colorado what it is. People don’t think about Colfax when they think of Colorado. They think of herds of elk, clean streams full of trout, and 14ers. Public lands and waters have been my refuge and the wildlife that they contain has given me an appreciation for them.”

Steve has a degree from the University of Denver, and works for a roofing company in Englewood. “My job requires me to meet new people daily and develop rapport with them in a short period of time,” he added. “I also manage my projects which entails communication (sometimes in a different language), coordination, and organizational skills. In addition to my skills. I’m very adaptable and solution oriented. If I don’t have an answer, I will work to figure it out.”

Are you interested in serving on the Colorado BHA Chapter Leadership Team? Learn more about our volunteer opportunities here.

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.[1] With members spread out across all 50 states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories—including chapters in 49 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 “Elkheart” Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) in 2005 (the first official BHA chapter)[2]

[1] David A. Lien. “Freedom & Fire: A Brief BHA History II.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/24/25.

[2] David A. Lien. “Where Hope Lives: A Brief BHA History.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 11/30/20.