In a monumental achievement, HB 3086, which restructures the ODFW Commission's selection map, has been passed with unanimous support in the House and near unanimity in the Senate. The hard work throughout the session to keep this bill alive has paid off, and we consider this a significant milestone for all who supported the bill. Previously, the Commission was aligned with congressional districts, supplemented by two at-large positions, one each from the east and west sides. The new statute ...

News for Immediate ReleaseJuly 13, 2023Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Volunteer-driven partnership with private landowner and Game and Fish Commission provides full and permanent legal access to prime fish and wildlife habitat in western Arkansas FORT SMITH, Ark. – The Arkansas chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers achieved a major public access win today, inking the deal on a land purchase that will provide permanent access to thousands of acres of ...

Paul Painter was named Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) Denver Metro Area Work Projects Liaison. Paul was born at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, but raised in the little Appalachian coal town of Plumville, Pennsylvania, which is about 15 miles from Punxsutawney Phil. Paul is a graduate of IUP, not Indiana University Purdue, rather Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “I’m a computer geek so being outdoors is my release,” Paul said. “Being raised in Pennsylvania where the first ...

How the growing population of Texas has ignited a fight for more public lands for Texans There’s something special about Texas that draws people here. People have always been magnetically pulled to Texas, with the first mass migration peaking in the 1830s to the present day. From 2020 to 2021, Texas gained over half a million new residents, the most significant population growth of any other state, and currently, an estimated 1,000 people are moving into Texas daily. But this increase in ...