(“Sulfide mining destroys watersheds.” Duluth News Tribune: 10/12/24) During the last week of September, I was hunting ruffed grouse in northern Minnesota not far from the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where I’ve paddled, camped, chased grouse, and stalked whitetails for many years.[1] Hunters, anglers, canoeists, and others were relieved during 2023 when the administration of President Joe Biden issued Public Land Order 7917 (PLO), which protects the ...

The Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) chapter appointed Janet George to serve on their Board/Executive Leadership Team (ELT). She was born and raised in southwestern Michigan. More specifically, the area between Grand Rapids and Holland, only fifteen miles from Lake Michigan’s shoreline. “My Dad started taking me fishing when I was four years old on pan fish and I started small game hunting at 12 years old near my parent’s home in Michigan,” Janet said. “We continued to enjoy ...

“If you want to hunt, first you have to have animals to hunt. And if you want animals, first they’ve got to have habitat to live in. So, if you’re not trying to protect habitat and improve it and increase it, then you’re working against yourself as a hunter.” -Colorado BHA Founder David “Elkheart” Petersen[1]   The importance of roadless areas to Colorado’s fish, wildlife, hunting, and angling is detailed in this Trout Unlimited report (authored by David Petersen and Keith Curley): “Where ...

Backcountry Journal: Summer 2024 Backcountry hunters and anglers value wild country, clean water and intact habitat. It’s a founding principal of this organization, and one that remains a priority today. But we aren’t the only ones who know their value. Five years ago I teamed up with rancher Bill Fales to advocate for protecting Colorado’s Thompson Divide from proposed oil and gas development. Bill and his family ranch alongside the Crystal River, south of Carbondale. The ranch has been in ...

The Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) chapter held their 15th Annual Rendezvous in the San Isabel National Forest west of Salida/Poncha Springs during June. A dozen hunters and anglers from around the state set up camp in a high-mountain meadow (known locally as the “goat wadi”) at 9,000-plus feet in the Sawatch Range. BHA has always been a “quality over quantity” outfit and this Rendezvous served to prove the point. Attendees included (in part): a former Colorado Parks and ...