Graham was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised on a small ranch east of there on the edge of the Great Plains, a location from
which you can see the snowy peaks to the west and to the east the vast grasslands of the nation’s interior spread as far as the eye can see. “We raised a few cows and rode some good horses and lived a pleasant country life,”
Graham said. “I also split time in Loveland, Colorado, at the base of the foothills as a kid and explored the rivers and mountains there.”
He started fishing at a young age in the waters of Northern Colorado. “I was always enamored with fishing and being in the water and exploring,” he added. “I have many memories of wading into the Big Thompson River in my blue jeans just so I could cast my bubble and fly a little bit further to where the fish must be. Eventually my father recognized my obsession and bought me my first set of waders and fly rod when I was probably 10 years old, and I never looked back. I also spent a fair amount of time fishing with my grandfather in the lakes and streams of Iowa and on the occasional family trip to Northern Minnesota.”
However, Graham didn’t grow up with hunting. He didn’t really have any introduction into the sport and lifestyle until a good friend, Logan Hostetter, convinced him to get his hunter’s safety in 2017 so they could hunt pheasant in eastern Colorado. “We had become friends in middle and high school because we liked to fish and be outdoors and had a lot in common,” Graham said. “His family had always hunted so if I went to their house to study or stay over, dinner would often be a delicious meal of fresh fish or wild game.”
“That first pheasant hunt we shared was incredible and the experience of a beautiful wild bird flushing noisily out of the edge of a field, crumpling with a surprisingly well placed shot, being delivered back to hand by a good dog, only to be later turned into a delicious meal had me hooked,” he added. “I knew I had to go on more hunts and learn as much as I could about new species and new environments and look at land in new ways. Over the years I had developed a sense of how to read a river to find fish but I have spent the last several seasons finding ways to read the land. Where once I saw empty space now I see habitat.”
Graham has tried to hunt nearly everything Colorado has to offer. From mule deer and elk to turkeys and bears to grouse and pheasant and beyond! “Very much a generalist when it comes to the hunt and I look forward to the opening of different seasons and different species to chase,” he said. “Calling for spring turkeys and glassing for mule deer during rifle season are two favorites. As an angler I feel that I have been a lot more specialized in learning how to effectively catch trout out of a stream with a fly rod. I love to cast hardware or bait in still water as well but haven’t done that nearly as much and feel that I have much more to learn in that discipline.”
He hunts with a rifle, compound bow and a “trusty old Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun.” Graham first heard about BHA from an interview with Land Tawney on the Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast with Tom Rosenbauer, which led him to research BHA and the role we play in advocating for access. Graham went to Aims Community College in Greeley, studying environmental design, renewable energy and construction management.
“I am currently a project manager for a small residential remodeling firm in Fort Collins doing high end remodels all over Larimer County,” he added. “I am a carpenter by trade having learned some of my skills growing up in a house that was always under construction on a small ranch where something always needed to be done. I am recently considering a career change into the realm of land and water resources and conservation.”
Kellan was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, but spent most of his childhood in Rifle, Colorado. He was introduced to hunting and fishing by his father. “I can remember going out hunting with him when I was 7 or 8 and just tagging along, probably spooking plenty of game,” Kellan said. “However, those are some of my fondest memories, the times spent in the woods with him, my brother and the occasional friend … we definitely learned a lot and made a ton of memories.”
During his freshman year of college, Kellan started bowhunting with a family friend in South Dakota. “He’s an avid hunter that uses most of his vacation every year to hunt mainly deer, antelope and elk, and I spent many weekends hunting with him throughout college,” Kellan said. “This is where I really started to mature as a hunter, and learned the most. Maybe it was the nature of bowhunting or maybe it was the mentor, but I would attribute my passion and love for hunting to my father and his best friend, who became my mentor and close friend.”
While attending college in Rapid City, Kellan earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and has spent most of his career working in the food processing industry. He started with Cargill in Omaha and then moved to the Denver area, where he is currently working for a start-up called MycoTechnology that works with Mushroom fermentation.
Kellan hunts more than he wets a line, but defaults to fly-fishing when he hits the water. “I enjoy the challenge of it, the art form of it, and I also don’t get bored as easily,” he said. “No disrespect to those that love throwing a hook, sinker and bobber. I’ve caught plenty of fish that way and it has it’s time and place, but personally I enjoy fly-fishing more.” “Most often I hunt with a bow for big-game, but still get a rifle tag every year, and I have hunted with a muzzleloader in the past,” he added.
Although he has always been a big-game hunter at heart, Kellan picked up bird hunting in college. “In fact, my wife and I just got a lab puppy that I am hoping to train to be a bird-hunting companion,” he said. “Fingers crossed that goes well. He’s a handful, but is showing a lot of promise.” They currently live in Elizabeth (southeast of Denver) and Kellan returns to the Rifle area often for hunting and fishing. “Today I primarily hunt/fish with my father, my brother and a good friend from childhood that I have stayed close with,” he said.
Kellan became a member of BHA during college and started getting more involved after returning to Colorado, assisting Denver Metro Area Assistant Regional Director Kassi Smith. “I heard about BHA through a good friend who works in the outdoor industry, and then started tracking BHA through social media platforms to learn what they were about,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with likeminded people in the BHA family, and working to achieve a common goal.”
Trenton was born in Minnesota and raised in Loveland, Colorado. He started hunting and angling at around three years old. “My entire
family is made up of hunters and fishermen, but my dad has always been my biggest outdoor mentor,” Trenton said. “I spend most of my time in northern Colorado hunting deer and elk, as well as chasing any fish that will bite.” He primarily hunts with a
compound bow.
He’s also a carpenter and college student pursuing a degree in fermentation science with a possible double minor in forestry and will be transferring to Colorado State in 2022. In addition, he’s a veteran and served as an Army Combat Engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Trenton joined BHA in early 2020 after hearing about us from a Steven Rinella book. He lives in Loveland.
Aaron was born and raised in Wahpeton, North Dakota, and spent a lot of time in nearby central Minnesota with extended family. “My brother and I would follow my father afield before we were old enough to carry a firearm,” he said. “We hunted pheasant and waterfowl in North Dakota. Fished for walleye, panfish, and pike and hunted whitetail and grouse in Minnesota. My dad and both of my grandpas were integral figures in raising me with a passion and respect for the outdoors.”
After completing a B.S. in Geology, Aaron worked in that field for about a decade. “A passion for woodworking led me to a management position in the hardwood lumber industry,” he explained. “I have been a manager at Western Hardwoods since 2020.” Most of Aaron’s hunting and fishing takes place in Colorado these days, with occasional trips to Wyoming and Nebraska, and trips back to Minnesota to hunt or fish with family.
“I hunt waterfowl, pronghorn, deer, and elk in Colorado,” he added. “I typically target trout and walleye across Colorado and Wyoming. I enjoy ice fishing and often make a trip back to Minnesota in the winter to chase walleye and crappie through the ice.” Aaron hunts most often with a rifle, but also occasionally uses a bow or muzzleloader. “Anything that allows me to get out in the wild more each season,” he said.
Aaron is a trainee in CPW’s Hunter Ed Volunteer program and hopes to start teaching classes this year. He attended his first Backcountry Hunters & Anglers event in Minnesota during 2018 after hearing BHA mentioned multiple times on the Meateater podcast. He became a member after moving to Colorado in 2018. Aaron lives in Wellington, Colorado.
Bill was born and raised in northeast Pennsylvania. He went fishing for the first time at the age of 4 and has been doing it ever since. “My dad was the biggest mentor in my life, I owe my passion and love for the water to him,” Bill said. “He started me out with trout fishing at a local pond and slowly moved me into bigger water where we started targeting smallmouth bass, walleye, pike and everything in between. I was also lucky to have a small stream in my backyard that contained some creek chubs. I loved getting off the school bus and heading right to my favorite fishing hole till dinner was ready.”
After completing a degree in environmental science with a minor in chemistry, Bill moved to Colorado. “Other than the outdoors, a major motivator for moving to Colorado was to get into a career I was passionate about,” he said. Bill currently works in environmental services for the City and County of Broomfield as a water quality technician. “I enjoy getting into the field and sampling on ponds, reservoirs and local streams,” he said. “I find a lot of value in this work as it helps ensure a healthy ecosystem for wildlife that calls our ever expanding urban environment home.”
Primarily an angler, Bill moved away from warm water species in the past few years and has started targeting trout for the most part. “I would blue line for brookies in the Appalachian mountains when living in Pennsylvania and have transitioned into an alpine junkie,” he said. “I primarily target cutthroat trout in high mountain lakes and streams in Colorado. When those options are frozen over, I head to the local tailwaters for technical fishing where I can fine-tune my skills.”
“I didn’t grow up in a hunting family and haven’t been able to get into the sport yet,” he added. “I would like to get into waterfowl and upland hunting, both for food and fly tying materials. I’m hoping to find a mentor through BHA to get started in this pursuit.” Bill lives in Denver with his partner Bethany and their Australian Cattle Dog Scout. He heard about BHA while listening to Cal’s Week in Review Podcast hosted by the MeatEater group.
“I joined BHA after moving to Colorado and recreating on public lands for my first summer in the west,” he said. “After seeing these incredible spaces, I wanted a way to give back to, and fight for, the land I use so often.” Bill’s goal is to facilitate more opportunities for the angling community to engage in BHA.
“Many anglers in Colorado hit the famous tailwaters that are controlled by water and energy companies while passing up the opportunity to fish pristine and free flowing water on public lands,” he added. “I believe engagement with these spaces is key to developing a love and passion for them, which in turn creates more advocates for our public lands and access to them. I hope to host events that get people into more remote fisheries where the catch and experience are of equal value.”
Brad is an avid fly-fisherman, hunter and owner of Brad Nicol Photography and Angler Images (www.bradnicolphotography.com). He’s also a BHA Life Member and Colorado BHA Habitat Watch Volunteer for the Routt National Forest. Brad lives in Denver with his wife and three dogs.
The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently appointed Bryan Gwinn to serve on their Chapter Leadership Team (CLT) as Assistant Legislative Liaison.
Bryan was born in central Illinois. “I started hunting as a child … bb guns, squirrels, pheasants and then whitetail,” he said. “My dad taught me how to hunt and along with my younger brother we hunted family farmland, fencerows and woods about 45 minutes outside of my hometown.” He attended the University of Illinois and, after working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. after college, Bryan moved to Colorado in 2005 and began law school at the University of Denver the following year.
Bryan met his hunting partner, Andrew, right after moving to Colorado when they both worked at the same restaurant. “I wanted to try hunting western big game and Andrew’s family hunting trips were petering out,” he explained. “So, we linked up and have been hunting deer and elk around Colorado for over 15 years now.” Bryan hunts with both a rifle and a compound bow.
“I bow hunt for elk and rifle hunt for deer each year. I was fortunate enough to draw a tag and took a nice ram with my bow in 2017,” he added. “Every few years I get back to Illinois for deer camp and tree-stand whitetail hunting. And I try to do as much pheasant, turkey, quail, and small game as I get invited to do or can squeeze in otherwise. I am building points on antelope and moose and looking forward to burning my elk points on a good unit very soon. I’m a willing fisherman and novice fly fisherman.”
Bryan has lived in south Denver, near DU, since 2007. He’s a lawyer in private practice for eleven years. “My practice consists mostly of business law, real estate, civil litigation and other ‘country-lawyer’ matters that my clients bring my way,” he said.
Bryan and his wife, Kara, have three kids: Harlan (8), Colette (5), Joni (2) and a dog, Boone. “We spend a lot of time at our cabin near Del Norte in the San Juan Mountains and spend a week each summer on a lake in northern Minnesota,” he added. Bryan joined BHA after hearing about the organization through Steven Rinella/Meateater.