The Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) 14th annual Rendezvous is scheduled for June 9-11, 2023 (Friday, June 9 thru Sunday, June 11). We’ll set up camp in the Gunnison National Forest south of the rugged West Elk Wilderness at the Soap Creek Corral Dispersed Camping Area (see related links below).

Adjacent to the Dispersed Camping Area is the Soap Creek Campground, which has 21, first-come first-served sites. Sites include a picnic table and fire-ring for $14/night. The campground has a hand-pump water well, vault toilet and firewood for sale. We’ll also have porta-pots available for dispersed campers. The Rendezvous locale accommodates pull behind campers/trailers.

For additional camping/Rendezvous locale information see: USFS/Soap Creek Corral/Coal Mesa Horse Camp; Soap Creek Corral Dispersed Camping. We also posted a “2023 Colorado Rendezvous (June 9-11, 2023)” update earlier this year with additional details/information.

Directions: From east of the divide, take Highway 50 approximately 27 miles west from Gunnison to Highway 92. Turn north and follow 92 about a mile and a half, across the dam, to Gunnison County Road 721. Take CR 721 approximately 7.5 miles to the Soap Creek Corrals. When you arrive, look for the BHA pop-up tent/shelter … Rendezvous HQ for the weekend.

Schedule:

-Thursday: Head to Rendezvous and get there a day early!

-Friday: Do yer’ thing - hike, ride, fish, or just chill in camp, soaking up the scenery.

-On Saturday afternoon, we’ll have a question-and-answer session (starting at 2:30 pm) with a local CPW District Wildlife Manager (tentative). At 4:30 pm, we’ll start a general membership meeting, where we can exchange ideas, congrats, frustrations, etc. The membership meeting will be followed by a group wild game cookout, with Colorado BHA supplying sides (i.e., chips/dip) and you (members), hopefully, sharing some of your hard-earned wild game.

-Sunday: Wet a line one more time, pack-up, say goodbye to old and new friends, and drive safely!

If you plan to attend, please let Colorado BHA co-chair David Lien ([email protected]) and Gunnison Valley Group assistant regional director Chris Parmeter ([email protected]) know a few weeks in advance (if possible). In addition, if you are willing/able to contribute any of the following, also let us know:

1. Firewood.
2. Extra water jugs to assist with extinguishing campfires.
3. We always seem to come up short on propane stoves (Coleman, two-burners, will do), for group cooking.
4. Again, any wild game you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.

We will send out reminders as the Rendezvous weekend nears, and we’ll post announcements/notices on the BHA Events webpage, CO BHA Facebook page and on Instagram. We look forward to seeing you in camp!

Colorado BHA (and related) information:

-Chris Parmeter, Colorado BHA Gunnison Valley Assistant Reg. Director. “2023 Colorado Rendezvous (June 9-11, 2023).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/1/23

-“Spring 2023 CO BHA Newsletter.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/10/23.

-“Colorado BHA Q1 2023 Update.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/1/23.

2022 Rendezvous

-“Colorado BHA Rendezvous Report: San Isabel National Forest (June 10-12, 2022).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/17/22.

-Colorado BHA 13th Annual Rendezvous photos (June 10-12, 2022).

Misc.

-“The best ideas come from around a campfire.” –Land Tawney, BHA President & CEO[1]

-Check out BHA’s North American Action Map, tracking/highlighting examples of our accomplishments as an organization across the continent.

-Check out our Take Action Center to stay engaged on legislation in your area. 

-Gift a BHA membership.

-David “Elkheart” Petersen (founder of the first BHA state chapter, here in Colorado, and a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) books: https://davidpetersenbooks.com/

BHA: Our Issues (PAF)[2]

1. Public Lands & Waters (Public Lands = Freedom). Protecting and perpetuating our public lands and waters is paramount. We are the voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.
2. Access & Opportunity. Access has emerged as a priority issue for North American hunters and anglers, and lack of access is cited by sportsmen and women as the No. 1 reason why we stop pursuing our passions. However, opportunity is diminished when access becomes excess.[3]
3. Fair Chase. We must ensure that the ethical pursuit of fish and game is upheld as dearly as our own obligation to morality and citizenship.[4]

Founded by Mike Beagle, a former U.S. Army field artillery officer, and formed around an Oregon campfire, in 2004, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our nation’s wild public lands, waters and wildlife. With members spread out across all 50 states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories—including chapters in 48 states, two Canadian provinces and one territory, and Washington, D.C.—BHA brings an authentic, informed, boots-on-the-ground voice to the conservation of public lands. Since the Colorado BHA chapter was founded by David Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) in 2005 (the first official BHA chapter), they’ve grown their boots-on-the-ground presence to some 2,000 dedicated hunters and anglers.

[1] Rob Drieslein. “A Q&Q with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Land Tawney.” Outdoor News: 1/12/18, p. 8.

[2] https://www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues

[3] “Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Increase Reward For Illegal Trail Construction (Help Stop Trail Building ‘Free-For-All’).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/10/23.

[4] https://www.backcountryhunters.org/fair_chase