Hello from the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers! We hope you're beginning the new year by taking stock of a successful 2024 in the backcountry, as well as looking forward to what adventures 2025 will bring. While you're at it, take a moment to see what we've been up to this winter and how you can get involved with BHA in the coming months.     Montana's 2025 legislative session has begun, and Montana BHA is working hard to track bills and comment on issues that affect public ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 13, 2025   Contacts:  Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org  Devin O’Dea, Western Policy & Conservation Manager, odea@backcountryhunters.org     Washington, D.C. — Today the U.S. Supreme Court announced their decision to reject hearing a lawsuit filed by the State of Utah in late summer that threatened the very foundation of America’s public lands legacy. Patrick Berry, President and CEO of Backcountry Hunters ...

Will bear hunting in Florida be a reality in the future?    At the December 2024 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) commission meeting the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) staff gave an update on black bear management in Florida. After concluding that the bear population continues to grow and expand its range steadily, we convinced the commission to entertain the idea of reinstating a bear hunt quota in Florida. A bear hunt has not occurred since 2015, after ...

The Wyoming Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) has long advocated for sportsmen’s and women’s ability to access public lands via corner crossing—the act of moving between adjoining public parcels at their corners. While we appreciate the intent of House Bill 99 to clarify legal ambiguities, we encourage lawmakers to address issues in its current draft to ensure it protects public access without creating unintended consequences. Wyoming BHA secured a significant victory two years ...

Alec Boyd-Devine walks into the Tongass National Forest on Admiralty Island to go Sitka Black-tailed deer hunting.Jimmy Carter’s Alaska Public Lands Legacy                                         For Jimmy Carter, conservation was a no-brainer. An avid hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, in single term as president of the United States, Carter left an incredibly impactful legacy of conservation for generations to come. He began conserving public lands in Alaska early in his presidential term. ...