The Ohio BHA Chapter has been busy this winter creating impactful plans across Ohio. Check out the 2025 Newsletter below! 

History In 2011, a law was passed permitting natural gas drilling at state parks in Ohio. (Ohio Senate approves bill to allow oil and gas drilling at state parks). Largely due to public concern...

It is October in Ohio, the leaves are brightly colored but falling fast, and hunting seasons are in full swing. Whitetail deer and squirrels are moving and feeding, and fish are fattening...

"Muster" is a verb. To muster anything takes action, and being the hunters and anglers we are, it’s our nature to do just that. We push ourselves to the limit and give our all for the things we...

Fracking public lands in Ohio comment period ending soon!by Gabe Karns and Dustin LindleyAs has been detailed in past posts "Beat the Chicken Bill" and "Public Comment Period Needed", we have been...

  OH BHA Chapter Leader Tony Ruffing heads to D.C.   While we're looking forward to our big summer party, Muster in the Marsh, we're also keeping a close eye on developments in Columbus. Our...

The sun is shining today, but it's gonna dump buckets of rain soon and the rivers will swell and get that coffee-with-creamer look to them. It's spring in Ohio, the days are getting longer and...

  By Gabe Karns, Levi Arnold, and Dustin Lindley In the pantheon of game animals, ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) occupy a unique position. They're a smallish game bird, reclusive and skittish,...

                                                           AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar Ohio is no stranger to environmental contamination. We have a nose for industry here, and have lived in close...

Over a decade ago, the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission was created within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to oversee oil and gas leases on public land in the Buckeye State.  In the...

Hunting seasons are winding down and fishing generally pretty bad for those of us who live away from the Erie tribs, the Ohio chapter is entering outdoor show, fly tying, and sausage making...

To be beaten in a game when you’re on the field and playing hard – that’s a defeat you can live with.  To be beaten in a game that you didn’t even know had started – that’s just not fair.  The...

2022 was a time of change for Ohio BHA, as we continue to rebuild our ranks and host killer events across the state. Notable events included: A successful pint night at Land Grant Brewery on...

Dr. Susan Leopold is an ethnobotanist who spent the early years of her career in the jungles of the Peruvian Amazon and Central America. An epiphany led her home, to Virginia and to the American...

Ohio BHA helping to improve fishing access along Chagrin Riverby Jacob Pries and Dustin LindleyWhile many anglers in Ohio are getting their last casts in and perhaps embellishing their best fish...

There are some cool things happening here Ohio, the heart of it all! The Ohio chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers would like to extend our gratitude to Governor DeWine and his...

  "Hello Ohio hunters, anglers, and public land enthusiasts, Do you feel the change in the air? The days are getting shorter, the mornings are starting to have a crispness to them, and the...

      Ohio’s Governor DeWine just signed the Capital Budget Bill(HB 687) which allocates $515 million, the largest such investment in Ohio history, to help provide significant improvements in...

On a warm July Sunday, a group of people gathered in the morning light near the banks of the Mad River, not to fish or float, but to pick up trash. This joint effort included Ohio BHA, Madmen...

Ohio BHA's Policy & Advocacy Committee hopes you follow our journey as we learn about the impacts of lead in hunting and angling, confront our own misconceptions about the subject, and consider...

Ohio BHA's Policy & Advocacy Committee hopes you follow our journey as we learn about the impacts of lead in hunting and angling, confront our own misconceptions about the subject, and consider...

A limited number of Ohio BHA members congregated under the complicated web of COVID-19 restrictions to tackle a massive dumpsite in the Athens District of the Wayne National Forest.  Prior to...

Restricting the Ohio Division of Wildlife as the state agency to manage the very resources it is charged with managing is a misstep. Singling out the Chief of the Division of Wildlife and removing...

Dear Ohio BHA Members, Over the last few days, many have found themselves nervously perusing different states’ fish and game websites to see what the latest responses are to the COVID19...

In a recent blog post, we highlighted the Ohio Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers participation in the Wayne National Forest's Forest Plan Revision process - it is a lengthy process of...

The Wayne National Forest is currently in the process of revising its Forest Plan that has been in place since 2006. Now in the assessment phase, the Forest Service is soliciting input from...

For many sportsmen and women, the Great Lakes is more than just a body of water that contains some amazing hunting and fishing opportunities. The Great Lakes are a piece of the Midwestern soul....

The Ohio Chapter of BHA had a whirlwind of a three-day stretch between January 22nd and 24th. The calendar started with Filson’s film screening event for “Will To Live: The Story of Gary Edinger”...

Antillio and I met two years ago at a "Learn To Hunt" event put on by the Ohio Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Little did I know it at the time, but one of my most memorable hunts would...

The Ohio Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers just wrapped up an exciting Learn to Hunt event.  With over 20 total people involved over the course of three different days, we could make this...

The largest block of public forest in Ohio is soon to be 1,200 acres larger! The strategic acquisition, to be purchased through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, would provide...

On July 17th, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a budget bill into law that includes a number conservation victories which the Ohio Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers has been fighting for since...

From the moment the Wisconsin Glacier receded, the Little Miami River has been a backdrop to the rise and fall of people and the ebb and flow of civilizations. The Paleoindians. The mound...

There aren’t many universal truths that stand the test of time, but I’ve got one. This will be my 4thseason that I call the Cuyahoga River my home water. I live between Akron and Cleveland, a...

-Gabriel Karns, Policy and Legislation co-chair of Ohio Backcountry Hunters & Anglers What Ohio may lack in stunning mountain vistas or endless rolling plains of native grasslands, the Buckeye...

Earlier this year, Ohio BHA kicked off a multipronged habitat and service initiative that will span the entire state.  The plan is to lead and coordinate several different projects that allow BHA...

It’s tough to really capture how badass the BHA North American Rendezvous is without experiencing it. The Ohio Chapter had six folks attend this year. We asked each to highlight their favorite...

Testimony of the Ohio Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers on the House Finance Subcommittee on Agriculture, Development and Natural Resources meeting on FY 20/21 related to ODNR Organization:...

  News for Immediate ReleaseMay 9, 2018Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org   Public lands sportsmen and women in Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota and Ohio...