News for Immediate ReleaseFeb. 11, 2021Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Interior order reverses restrictions, restores funding for public access programs, repeals damaging changes put in place by the Trump administration WASHINGTON – The Interior Department today announced its intent to restore clarity to the implementation of and elevate conservation and access programs in the Land and Water Conservation Fund, reversing damaging measures put in place by ...

Text and Photos by Bailey Smolarek and Ben Siebers Winter can be tough, especially in the North and especially this year. The days are short and cold, and the sun is low and distant. But there is a unique beauty to Earth’s quiet hibernation that can be enjoyed in all of its glory on a frozen lake. Unlike warm weather fishing when it’s easy to change location, identify natural weed edges and maneuver casts, ice fishing (aka hard water season) can feel much more like a shot in the dark. It ...

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers recently appointed Eric Jones to serve as a Habitat Watch Volunteer (HWV) for the Arapaho National Forest. Eric was born and raised in a small town outside of Jacksonville, Florida. He started hunting (and angling) around the age of three, walking in the woods with his dad training hunting dogs. “From there I hunted mainly small game in Florida as well as white-tailed deer,” he said. “I shore-fished on the Atlantic Ocean and its tributary ...

News for Immediate ReleaseFeb. 9, 2021Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho offers long-term strategy for conserving fish populations, sustaining economic health of communities in Pacific Northwest MISSOULA, Mont. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers members voiced support for a wide-ranging proposal by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) that would invest $33.5 billion to facilitate restoration of wild salmon and steelhead fisheries in the Columbia ...

A divided Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission narrowly approved reopening the cow elk shoulder season hunt until Feb. 15 along the east side of the Crazy Mountains, three weeks after the season closed. “This is unusual, a one-off that’s special,” said Mike Volesky, chief of operations for the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, during the Monday hearing on the proposal. Read more here from the Billings Gazette...

“The natural world sustains us with clean air, unpolluted water, recreation,and natural resources. If we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves.” –Jim Posewitz, Beyond Fair Chase[1]   Renowned trad bow elk hunter David Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) founded the Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers chapter—the first BHA state chapter—in 2005, not long after Mike Beagle (a former U.S. Army field artillery officer) called together a group of hunting-angling friends (the ...

First Lite caught wind of our Trashy Squirrel Hunt and wants in on the action. The iconic hunting brand is sponsoring two "Southeast Starter Kits" each valued at $370 for two lucky TSH '21 participants—one for a mentor and one for a mentee.  If you don't know already then you should: Trashy came to life back in 2019 because NC BHA wanted to get new hunters out in the woods. Our members had volunteered to staff a deer hunting seminar put on by NCWRC a few months prior and the hunt planned ...

The New England Chapter of BHA recently introduced language in the Rhode Island General Assembly to prohibit captive hunting in Rhode Island. Introduced by Rep. Scott Slater (D – District 10), H5329 is a continuation of our efforts during last year’s legislative session, which was cut short by the onset of COVID-19. Currently, captive hunting for big game animals is neither allowed nor prohibited. Importantly, there are no active captive hunting operations in Rhode Island – and we intend ...

New public lands oil and gas leasing has been temporarily halted by the Biden administration in an executive order released in late January, reflecting the administration’s continued review of controversial natural resource policies enacted by the previous administration as it maps out a plan to address the impacts of climate change and more balanced management of public lands and waters. Current production and existing oil and gas projects operating under valid leases (covering nearly 26 ...