Paul Keeven, Chair
Raised in northern Lincoln County Missouri, eating local was just a way of life that one never really thought about, it was just normal for Dad to bring home deer meat and grow a garden. After graduation Paul moved to the city, the disconnect between people and how they get their food became very evident.
Paul spent years in the local food scene running a farm to table kitchen, managing an organic farm and founding a local farmers market. It was very encouraging to see how involved folks can get when it comes to eating local veggies, but very discouraging to see how society turns a blind eye to where they get their protein.
After spending time in the western states hunting on public lands, Paul has gained a desire to educate and advocate for the amazing natural protein resources we have available in our own back yards here in Missouri and on our public lands across the country.
Paul brings a passion for outreach, networking and bringing new folks to the table so we can continue to grow as a chapter & organization and continue to protect our amazing public lands.
Mike Nelson, Vice-Chair
Mike fell in love with wild places and the critters who call them home while growing up in Michigan’s northern lower peninsula. As a young child, he learned to hunt whitetails with his father on his uncle’s dairy farm and walked miles through nearby second growth timber in search of squirrels and ruffed grouse. During summer, he dug for worms and caught grasshoppers before riding his bike to nearby lakes to catch panfish and largemouth bass.
In recent years, Mike has developed a great passion for hunting public and private lands across the United States. From scanning the Wyoming desert for antelope or the Colorado high country for mule deer, it’s hard to keep the next trip off his mind. While recent adventures have certainly grown more sophisticated, there’s still something beautiful about catching a bluegill on a worm you plucked from the earth.
After moving from Michigan two years ago, Mike and his wife Hannah live in University City with their two young sons, Henry (2.5 years), and Arthur (5 months). He certainly wishes for his children to someday share his same love of hunting and fishing, but if not, that’s ok. More than the specific and deliberate acts of hunting and fishing, he wants Hank and Artie to be curious of the natural world and of their place in it. To care for the plants, animals, and landscapes of which it is comprised. To protect the American traditional of public lands. And to be a positive voice for the hunting and fishing lifestyle held dear by their forefathers.
Eli Burkemper, Secretary
Eli Burkemper was born and raised in Old Monroe, MO, a small town north of Saint Louis located on the Mississippi River. His favorite thing to do growing up was walking the local creeks and woods near his house in search of wildlife. This quickly led to an interest in hunting and after harvesting his first deer during youth season at the age of 12, there was no turning back. Growing up so close to the river, public lands were always a part of Eli’s outdoor pursuits from fishing rock dikes in a kayak to duck hunting the sloughs and islands with his high school buddies. It wasn’t until after college when Eli began to look for more hunting opportunities and access that he began to understand more about what public lands were and how important they are to have around. Since then, he has taken several public land gobblers, an antelope buck off Wyoming BLM lands, and spent 10 days hunting the Missouri Ozarks for black bear. He is currently planning a DIY public land archery elk trip this fall. Eli says that hunting access is only getting harder and harder to come by. "Gone are the days of easily getting permission from a local farmer. Without public lands, where can our hunting traditions live on? That is what led to my involvement with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. I love being part of a like minded community of conservation focused and results driven outdoorsmen and women. It is cool to see the results of all the dollars spent and hard work put in go towards protecting places that have brought so much joy into my life."
Ryan Price, Treasurer
A founding board member of the Missouri Chapter, Ryan brings a lifelong passion for the outdoors and a deep-rooted connection to the state. Currently hailing from America's Hometown in Hannibal he has been a dedicated advocate for preserving the state's rich hunting and fishing heritage. His love for the outdoors spans archery hunting to fly fishing but takes many forms to immerse myself in the natural beauty and wildlife that Missouri has to offer- primarily on public land. The call of the wild has always resonated with my unwavering commitment to conservation efforts and the protection of public lands.The journey with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers has expanded hunting horizons, having embarked on western hunts for elk in Colorado and Wyoming, including a most recent solo expedition to fill a cow tag in Colorado. My experiences hunting public land in Missouri and out west have highlighted the importance of preserving public lands and ensuring access for all. These adventures fuel dedication to the cause and drive my advocacy for our natural resources and the protection of wildlife habitats. My belief is firm in the ethos of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, embracing the principles of conservation and responsible stewardship.
Professionally Ryan works in Big 4 accounting as an Indirect Tax Technology Manager at Ernst & Young based out of the St. Louis office.
Ryan Pigg, Board Member
A native of Parkville, MO. Ryan spent a great deal of his youth hunting on private lands in the Ozarks of Missouri. In addition, Ryan has always been active on public lands
through his involvement in the Boy Scouts of America hiking, floating and exploring. After living out west in California for six years and getting to explore the vast open high country of Northern California and the Sierra's, his passion to ensure that public lands remain available for future generations to come was solidified. Ryan returned to Missouri in 2009 to attend graduate school, and it was during this time that he worked as a campus recreation director taking students out into the national forests of Missouri and Arkansas. It was this that made him become more aware of what was happening with the attempts to erode the protections of public lands. He was raised with an understanding of the world that is best summed up by the words of President Theodore Roosevelt when he said, "We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune."
Carter Harris, Board Member
Born in Kansas City, MO but growing up all over the country, Carter is a lifelong angler yet only recently took the plunge into the wonderful world of hunting. Spending his youth everywhere from Seattle, WA to Charleston, SC, he has grown to appreciate the bounty of American wild places in all their forms, from the pika of the high Northwest peaks to the redfish of the Carolina salt marsh. This history has given him a tremendous love for the outdoors, and he continues to seek out new experiences wherever they can be found, from the far-flung corners of the country to the conservation area down the street.
A late arrival to the hunting scene, Carter has been chasing small game and upland birds throughout Missouri since 2018 and has just now started on the big game path this fall. Lacking both private land to hunt on and more experienced relatives to show him the way, he has had to start from scratch, along the way developing a tremendous appreciation for American public lands and organizations like BHA which champion them.
This appreciation has stoked in him a strong desire to help preserve America’s remaining wild places and extoll their many virtues, goals which he believes are eminently suited to the mission of BHA. Looking forward, he eagerly awaits further opportunities to explore the bounty of Missouri and beyond, relishing every fresh experience and sharing them with those around him.
Joshua Ragland, Board Member
Originally hailing from the “Home of the Blues”, Memphis, Tennessee, Joshua was introduced to the outdoors through small game and waterfowl hunting by one of his fathers closest friends. In middle school, he met two brothers who took him from a casual hunter to an avid outdoorsman and waterfowl fanatic. He spent summers working odd jobs to save up for gear, gas, and money for a duck lease until he took off to the University of Central Arkansas to play football.
It was here that his need and passion for public land began. While unable to pay for private access, he was planted in the mecca of North American waterfowl. He was less than an hour away from places like Bayou Meto and Cache River Refuge that were legendary to him as a young man. The reality that these mythical timber holes and river bottoms were free to access for anyone, any time (just about) astounded him. After leaving Central Arkansas, he had the same experience as he ventured into big game hunting during graduate school in Northwest Arkansas. The effect wild game and public land and waters had on him in college led him to commit his time and efforts to protect wild game and wild places, ensuring they are available for everyone for all time. After almost 2 decades of supporting conservation organizations, he was introduced to BHA and its mission. He knew it was an organization to invest in.
Nine years later, and a move from down south to the midwest, he continues to invest time and effort to better the public land and water trust. He hopes that he can take his years of experience in conservation organizations and his vocational training as a pastor to make the Missouri Chapter of the BHA robust and dynamic, ultimately making Missouri the pride and joy of public land and water conservation. "
Casey Callison, Board Member
Casey grew up in Reeds Spring, Missouri. With Table Rock Lake in his backyard, he developed a love for fishing at an early age, chasing bluegill and largemouth around the cove in his Pond Prowler. That eventually turned toward targeting trout in Lake Taneycomo and expanded into honing his craft of fly tying. During the fall, Casey enjoys hunting whitetail to provide food for his family. Casey combined his passion for the outdoors with his love for writing and photography. He has been published in numerous outdoor journals such as American Fly Fishing, ALT Fly Fishing Journal, Terrain Mag, and more. He also writes and performs music all over Missouri.
Casey and his family currently live in Springfield where he finds any opportunity to get outdoors with his children, Brooks (4) and Hayes (7 months), hopefully stoking their passion in conservation and all that the Ozarks has to offer. During the summer months, there's a good chance you can find Casey floating along the James River in his Old Town canoe targeting smallmouth. When he's not chasing trout or smallmouth, he's probably at his vise tying up flies for his fly business, Finley Fly Co.
Casey Blystone, Committee Member
Casey grew up in the Kansas City area, spending much of his childhood pursuing various adventures in the outdoors. That passion has not waned and continues into his adult life. Casey has experienced much of what this state has to offer when it comes to hunting, fishing, and trapping, but is always eager to learn about new things and will be the first to admit that he still has a lot to learn!
Casey has chosen to pursue a career in law enforcement and is assigned to his department’s tactical team as a sniper. Casey also actively serves as a member of the Missouri Air National Guard.
Casey derives a great deal of satisfaction from sharing his knowledge and providing others with the necessary tools to pursue their own happiness exploring all that Missouri’s public lands have to offer.
Aaron Samek, Committee Member
Aaron is a born and raised Missourian. He grew up in Southwest Missouri and has always had a love for the outdoors. His passion for hunting first began with rabbits and squirrels around the farm on which he grew up. This passion then grew into an obsession when he was introduced to waterfowl hunting by a close friend.
From their early teenage years, their friend group waterfowl hunted throughout the Southwest Missouri area. Often this hunting was done on walk-in public lands. These experiences shaped his view on the necessity of public lands for hunting and fishing. This led Aaron to join BHA to help improve wildlife, habitat, hunt access, and hunt quality.
Caleb Reynolds, Committee Member
Caleb spent the majority of his youth in the hills and hollers of the southern Missouri Ozarks hunting and canoeing many of the area streams. During these formative years he developed a love for the outdoors and a passion for learning the wild ways of the creatures that inhabit them. He looked forward every year to the family deer camp during opening weekend of the Missouri firearms season, but Caleb and his dad developed an interest in bow hunting, both for the challenge and the extra time it afforded them to be in the woods.
In his late 20s, Caleb moved to New Mexico for grad school that he was introduced to the challenges of hunting public lands. Living on the southern edge of the Gila National Forest Caleb was blessed with opportunities to hunt elk and Merriam’s turkeys. Caleb moved back to Missouri in 2020, and his experiences out west have also influenced his hunting style here in the Ozarks. He hunts the family farm when he’s able, but the opportunities in nearby Mark Twain National Forest are just too good to pass up, and it’s a safe bet he’ll be there hanging off a white oak in his saddle when a cold front blows through.
Caleb currently lives in Cassville with his wife Annely, and their daughter Loretta (2) with another girl on the way. He is hopeful that as a Backcountry Hunters and Anglers member he can help ensure that public lands and waters are protected so he can pass on his love for hunting, fishing, and wild places to his daughters just as the former generations of his family did for him.
Erik Leibel, Committee Member
Erik was born in St. Louis, however, his heart has always been in the country. Having access to private property in Phelps and Pulaski county he began hunting and fishing with his dad, grandfather and uncle at an early age for everything from small game to whitetail. Living in St. Louis also provided the opportunity to hunt public land for waterfowl and small game.
In 2022, Erik drew his first Colorado pronghorn tag and took on the challenge of hunting out west. Erik’s appreciation for public land grew with this experience, including reaching out to private landowners for access. In 2024, he was finally able to notch his Colorado pronghorn tag. He continues to apply for western tags.
Erik has a strong desire to help maintain and advocate for public land access and teach the North American Model of Conservation to non-hunters. He also seeks to ensure our hunting heritage for generations to come by promoting legislation like the Pittman-Robertson Act and Dingell-Johnson Act.
John-Mark Zini, Committee Member
John-Mark grew up in Kansas City and developed his passion for the outdoors at an early age from annual trips to the Buffalo River, Beaver Lake, and his maternal grandparents’ farm. He got interested in hunting later in life, desiring more time outdoors as he did in his youth and wanting to take ethical responsibility for the lives associated with his family’s dietary choices. As a result, he became an R3 success story. He attended his first BHA meeting in an effort to learn how to hunt and partook in several mentored hunting opportunities through the Missouri Department of Conservation, BHA, and Pheasants Forever. He is now a passionate deer, dove, and small game hunter who self-processes his animals and believes mentorship is a cornerstone of BHA.
John-Mark is an attorney in Kansas City with his wife Liz and their daughters Stella and Mabel. He loves to fish and makes annual trips to Michigan, Iowa, Florida, and the Ozarks to visit family and chase all kinds of different species.