For Immediate Release: July 18, 2025   For Information Contact: Valerie DiMarzio, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, vdimarzio@cbf.org Alena Billingsley, Armed Forces...

Last week, a pivotal moment unfolded in Washington, D.C.—one that showcased the strength of a united outdoor community. Deep within the text of a must-pass budget reconciliation bill lurked...

  By Hunter Owen I’ve spent most of my adult life in uniform. As a dad I’ve done my best to balance fatherhood and life in uniform. But the truth is, I’ve been in and out of...

At the heart of the Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) is the belief that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off—it simply evolves. Our mission to help veterans and active-duty...

During early April members of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) and other conservation groups converged in Washington, D.C. to advocate for keeping public lands in public hands. I had the...

The word "community" is often used, whether it refers to where you live, or a cheesy line often used by employers to describe their workplace environment. The community within the Armed...

As a veteran who served in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), I understand that success often hinges on the small victories. During the GWOT, capturing high-value targets did not just weaken...

As a veteran who has dedicated my life to serving this country, I am deeply troubled by an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would revive the Ambler Road project....

The Armed Forces Initiative is more than just a community; just like the flag we salute, it's a tapestry woven with the threads of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Within our ranks, you...

St Croix River Fly Fishing for Smallmouth and Musky "I had a great time at the St Croix River Dual Skills Camp this past weekend. I had no idea this super floatable river and this level of fly...

2021 North Carolina Upland 101 Dual Skills Camp   AFI Leader Marty Bartram: “This event was a challenge as we were trying to teach Upland fundamentals in a part of the country with a real niche...

Great Lakes Salmon 2021 Before this event I was at a heavily regulated army training event that lasted for months in a very intense field environment. The culmination of this training means that...

Learn to hunt Caribou event Alaska, 2023.   When you get stationed in Alaska, it's easy to think that your world of leaving the base is over. What you imagine is this snowy hellscape because...

AFI Event Review AR Snow Goose Feb 2023 Thank you so much for inviting me on the recent learn to snow goose hunt event. I've never been much of a hunter, but I've always been curious, and to be...

Event Review 2021 Fly Fishing Dual Skills Camp I had never heard of BHA before this event, and now I visit your website every day for more information and more stories of how I can get involved...

Event Review Turkey Dual Skills Camp 2021 Thank you so much for hosting this turkey event. I was able to harvest my first turkey with a shotgun but that's not why this event was important. This...

Event Review 2023 New England Waterfowl   "I work in emergency services. Throughout my military career and the past six months at work, I have been involved in a series of traumatic events that...

Alaska Ice Fishing Event Dec 2022   I need to tell you about your Alaska AFI leader, David May. I cannot thank him enough, and he needs some sort of award or recognition. David May saved my life....

Event review from Oklahoma Waterfowl Dual Skills Camp 2024. "Wow is all I can say about this event. I went from thinking I would never harvest a duck to learning more than I ever thought there...

The Kirtland AFI club and New Mexico Chapter had an incredible time at the Annual Lincoln National Forest stream restoration project on April 20th! Our crew worked diligently to repair two small...

  Good morning, Armed Forces Initiative members, supporters, and subscribers. This is your Q:1 AFI Newsletter here to keep you informed on all the latest happenings in the BHA and AFI...

Oklahoma Waterfowl Dual Skills Camp Review: What is it: A Dual Skills Camp is a learn-to ______ event. Attendees will be mentored through a hunting or fishing experience from the planning phase...

ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK, Calif - For the third year in a row the brave men and women of the U.S. Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron HMLAT303 have stepped up to provide aerial support for bold...

What follows in an account of our Alaska Caribou Event in 2023 from a participant: Alaska Day 1: - view coming into Fairbanks  woke up at 06, had coffee with the kids and finished packing. Sat...

What follows is a review of the AFI Fly Fishing 101 course in Washington State Summer 2023:     The goal of this workshop was to provide our Military community with hands on information for...

I received word in 2019 that the military was sending me to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. To save time among ourselves, my wife and I named the move “Operation Javelina.” Javelina - more properly...

    Back in the spring I was fortunate enough to participate in a “fly-in” event in support of the LWCF Coalition at our Nation’s capital.  You can read the blog post I published about that...

The following article was first published by The Virginian-Pilot on 15 August 2023.   It is an op-ed I wrote in support of an ongoing collaboration with the LWCF Coalition on behalf of Backcountry...

Fly fishing for Yellowstone cutthroat trout on the Yellowstone River or in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park is a bucket list adventure for many.  This July, eight veterans who...

Of the many things that I remember wanting as a young kid, but not among the few that I never obtained, living in Alaska was in the top two. Early in my military career and after garnering...

 The Warden is Watching By Spencer Como     Last January, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Armed Force Initiative held a leadership camp outside the Parker River Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts....

Capital Region Chapter Vice Chair and Mid-Atlantic AFI Liaison   Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a fly-in hosted by the LWCF Coalition in Washington, D.C.  This is the second time...

BHA and partner organizations recognize U.S. Marine Corps Squadron HMLAT 303 and Major Johnny "CONGO" Zimmer for their critical role in support of desert bighorn sheep during the extreme drought...

I recently had the pleasure in attending the 2023 North Carolina Armed Forces Initiative Turkey Camp as a mentor.  There was a bit of trepidation on my part about being a mentor as I do not...

Army National Guard veteran Matt Lee was named Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) Liaison for the Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers AFI Club. Matt was born in Iowa and raised in both Iowa and...

My father has been a lifelong hunter, fisherman, and general outdoorsman. One of my favorite parts about him, though, is that he has just never been very good at hunting or fishing, at least in...

  I hear the familiar sound of the bolt running a round into a chamber of my buddies Browning X-bolt. I am focused on looking through my spotting scope and watching the young Black tail, slowly...

The Kirtland AFB AFI chapter hosted its first ladies’ night. The event was centered around a pack dump where we discussed gear, tools, resources, and lessons learned. Attendees were treated to...

  AFI Director Trevor Hubbs has been hitting the podcast network on a speaking tour for a few months garnering support for the program and building sponsor relationships.   For a list of Podcast...

For the third year in a row, Capital Region BHA held a Public Land Pack Out at C.F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area in Hartwood, Virginia as part of its Public Lands Month celebrations. After...

As I sit here watching the sun go down, the chickens peck and the sheep do sheep things, I am chewing on a piece of backstrap from an antelope that not a week ago was living on a pasture that...

Russell Worth Parker, known as Worth, is a retired Marine and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. After 27 years in the Corps, he is home in Wilmington, North Carolina, hunting and fishing and...

Alaska AFI leader David May had the opportunity to represent the program.  Have a listen below.   https://sourdoughoutdoorsmen.buzzsprout.com/1443304/10367598 This time on Lead and Line, Brandon...

    AFI Leader Trevor Hubbs and Chapter Coordinator Aaron Hebeisen were able to sit down with Amaazen Outdoors and record a podcast while turkey hunting in Northern Wisconsin.  Have a listen...

The California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers urges the California Fish & Game Commission to adopt the regulation change proposed by the city of Lompoc to modify the Vandenberg State...

News for Immediate ReleaseMay 17, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org  MISSOULA, Mont. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers bestowed its top honors on a suite of...

Photo: Brian Schwab, SCBS BHA’s California chapter, Armed Forces Initiative and the Marines team up to save bighorn sheep   BY EVAN NORDSTROM While the devastating fires of the Western...

News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 15, 2021Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org WASHINGTON – Military veterans and Gold Star families will gain lifetime access to...

Shark tacos, guzzler installations & pint nights The California Chapter and BHA Pendleton AFI Club have been busy Operation Horno Last month BHA Pendleton Armed Forces Initiative Club and the...

WASHINGTON – Acknowledging years of collaborative, community-driven efforts to permanently conserve valuable backcountry habitat in Colorado’s Thompson Divide, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers...

The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) announced today it would give a three-year reprieve to a controversial lease it planned to issue in the Book Cliffs. An...

Book Cliffs leasing blindsides sportsmen, threatens to derail protection efforts Sportsmen expressed dismay Monday after learning that the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA) Board...

The upcoming meetings regarding the Grand Bargain Land Exchange Initiative are an important opportunity for members to speak-up for Utah’s backcountry fish and wildlife habitat, and sporting...