American Prairie has announced that access to 9,300 acres of its newly acquired ranch along the Musselshell River will be open to hunters this fall through the state Block Management Program. "We're pretty excited to see they're going to do that," said Billings resident Jake Schwaller, the Eastern Montana board member of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. "We think Block Management is one of the best programs the state has." American Prairie finalized the ...

For 85 years, hunters have played a central role in wildlife conservation funding through the Pittman-Robertson Act.  During this time we have seen enormous success in restoring species including waterfowl, turkey, white-tailed deer and elk. Hunters, who willingly step up to conserve wildlife, remain proud of our contribution to conservation through the excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment, to the tune of $1.1 billion in 2021.  The RETURN Act (H.R. 8167), legislation ...

FWP's elk advisory group deserves our thanks for their sincere, well-intended efforts to improve elk management in Montana. On July 7th, members forwarded a recommendation to 'pick your season/weapon.’ While we agree with the intent of this proposal (reducing hunting pressure on public lands), and we acknowledge that this is likely inevitable if Montana continues to grow in population and access to inaccessible elk isn't improved (and hunters fail to show up when it matters), we don't think ...

The following is a recent letter submitted to the WDFW Commission in response to current discussions around the WDFW Game Management Plan. July 11th, 2022 Washington Chapter Backcountry Hunters and Anglers   To WDFW Commission: As advocates for sound wildlife policy and sustainable management, the Washington Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is deeply invested in any decision the commission may make to deny outdoor opportunity to the residents of the state. As you continue to debate ...

July 7, 2022   Columbia Falls Planning Board Columbia Falls City Council c/o City Clerk 130 6th Street West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912 staalandb@cityofcolumbiafalls.com    Columbia Falls Planning Board and the Columbia Falls City Council,   I write today as a board member and Flathead-area representative for the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. We represent nearly 3,000 Montanans who hunt and fish and care deeply about conserving the quality of Montana’s wild public lands, ...