Russian River Fencing Project 2025 Recap“Ahhh yes, the great Friday evening Kenai migration,” my wife joked as we headed south along the Seward Highway. In front of us stretched a seemingly...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2025  Contact: media@backcountryhunters.org    MISSOULA, Mont. — Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) is rebuking a sweeping new proposal released by the Senate...

The Mendenhall Wetlands: A Place of Abundance and Connection by Alec Boyd-DevineThe Mendenhall Wetlands is a 4,000-acre wetland in the heart of Juneau, Alaska. It is home to a variety of flora...

  Pop Up Waterfowl Birding at Chena Flood Project - A Recap by Nate Kibbey, Interior Representative AK ChapterMid-May is a great time to see all of the beautiful migrators pushing north. Birding...

Hunting and Fishing Opportunities Threatened on the Mendenhall Wetlands The Mendenhall State Game Refuge (Taashuyee-Chookan.áani/Mendenhall Wetlands) in Juneau, Alaska, is a rare...

  Alaska BHA Spring 2025 Internship Recap by Lillian Thorington  As my internship with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers comes to an end, I feel I have so much to reflect on. At the end of an...

Spring Migration Celebration, April 26th 2025   by Nate Kibbey    Nearly 100 swans, hundreds of geese, and a wonderful array of multiple duck species all flock to Creamers Field Migratory...

The Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge at the Fairbanks Outdoor Show   by Mark LindbergLate in my career in academia, I gave several lectures about lead contamination and its negative effects on...

Recap: eBird for Waterfowlers, Birders, and Outdoor Enthusiasts – April 18–19, Juneau, AK by Alec and Angelica Boyd-Devine  Mary Glaves, Alaska BHA Chapter Coordinator, introducing the event...

A Review of The Board of Game                   I went into the Board of Game as someone with no prior experience with the Alaska state fish and game regulation process, minimal understanding of...

    Hunters and Industry: An Essential Partnership for Migratory Bird Conservation Photos and Story by Mark LindbergThe 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), an international conservation...

  Building Community at the Alaska BHA Beer Dinner Spring 2025 by Ridge NelsonSince moving to Alaska last year, I have attended several Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) events. The primary...

Recap of Alaska BHA’s Pint Night with Cameron Carroll, ADF&G Small Game Program Coordinator – A Great Time for Conservation and Community! by Alec Boyd-DevineOn the evening of April 7th, Alaska...

A BHA Pint Night with Roman Dial                 On March 26th a large group gathered at Midnight Sun Brewing Co. in Anchorage, Alaska. The group consisted of conservationists, students, outdoor...

Alaska BHA's UAS Intern on SB 105 -Lillian Thorington's oral testimony at the committee hearing on March 17th.  Hello, I am your Miss Juneau Volunteer America, Lillian Thorington. I am also an...

Fly Fishing in Juneau: Presentation Recap and Rundown!     by Angelica Boyd-Devine Photos by Alec Boyd-Devine & Mary Glaves  On March 19th, Alaska BHA members and outdoor enthusiasts gathered at...

Restoring Alaska’s Wood Bison through Dedication and Collaboration Two wood bison settling into the soft release pen in Minto Flats State Game Refuge.   by Mark Lindberg    I always thought it a...

                February brought some challenges for public lands and it also brought Draw Results Day. Alaska BHA hosted 3 Draw Tag Celebrations across the state,...

The Power of Community: BHA’s Mission Across the Country by Alec Boyd-Devine I recently had the opportunity to attend the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah. Having...

This is your March 4th edition of BHA's Western Policy Spotter - a high-level scan of state policy and legislation impacting wild public lands, waters and wildlife across the West. Note - this...

  Blacktail Deer Foundation Pint Night Juneau: Recap and Citizen Science Opportunities by Lillian Thorington, AK BHA Intern Spring Overview of BDF in Southeast Alaska.   One of the most...

AWP Draw Tag Results Party Moose Call Winners.  On the evening of February 21, over 100 Alaskans: hunters, anglers and trappers from all over Southcentral Alaska, gathered at Double Shovel Cider...

POLICY ACTION  Updates from Alaska's 34th Legislature   On February 26th, 2025 Governor Dunleavy introduced legislation Allowing Alaskans to Build Recreational Cabin Sites, Senate Bill 105. SB...

Mountain Goat collars, skulls, horns, and ID information made available by ADF&G and RMGA at the Mountain Goat ID Pint Night  On the evening of January 31st BHA Alaska Chapter co-hosted a fun...

Alaska -- We made it through January, which was filled with Board of Game meetings, a few great Pint Nights, and a lot of news about public lands conservation in Alaska. Not...

  Juneau Mountain Rescue      On January 29, the Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) hosted a pint night at Forbidden Peak Brewery in Juneau, Alaska. BHA invited Juneau...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 21, 2025 Contact:  Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org   President Trump’s Day One Actions Include Assault on...

      2025 with Alaska BHA Alaska BHA has been active in Southcentral Alaska attending the Board of Game meetings, talking with partners and sponsors about plans for this...

Alec Boyd-Devine walks into the Tongass National Forest on Admiralty Island to go Sitka Black-tailed deer hunting.Jimmy Carter’s Alaska Public Lands...

Floating to the Hunt: Lessons from Alaska's River Expert, Barry WhitehillFloating the wild waterways of Alaska is a bucket-list adventure for many outdoor enthusiasts. For Barry Whitehill,...

 Photo by Nick Schaefer The only thing that I like more than hunting ducks has to be banding them. Banding ducks consists of capturing ducks live, putting a numerated metal band around their leg...

BHA Beer Dinner Recap  A Night of Conservation, Community, and Culinary Delights   Darren Bruning, Deputy Director of Wildlife Conservation presenting on Wood Bison Restoration in AlaskaThe...

AK BHA Volunteer shooting ballistic gels in Feb. 2024 at the Hank Harmon Rifle Range in Juneau, AKThe Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge       Earlier this year, Alaska Backcountry Hunters & Anglers...

  WHY BHA? Mary Glaves, AK Chapter Coordinator It’s #GivingTuesday 2024. The onslaught of attacks to the heritage of public lands in this country defies over a hundred year value system to...

  Trapping Heritage and Education with Alaska BHA Board Member, Ryan Bandy  Greetings from the Interior, BHA members! As we arrive in December, trapping along the Yukon and Koyukuk Rivers is in...

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....

First Annual Alaska Chapter Board Retreat and Crawdad Catch-and-Cook Stewardship Event October 2024: Event Recap     Board Retreat Earlier this year, our Chapter Chair, Dave Johnson, shared an...

Using the eBird App to Further Citizen Science Efforts in Bird Hunting Species & Habitat Conservation The integration of technology into conservation efforts has opened up new ways for citizen...

Unloading for a backcountry hunt in the Brooks Range. PC: Barry Whitehill, AK Chapter of BHA.    BHA and Hunters & Anglers for the Brooks Range Celebrate the BLM's Denial of the Ambler Road...

Alaska Chapter Backcountry Hunters & Anglers & USFS at the fence site, Sunday June 9th, 2024.    Every year over 150,000 anglers, nearly a quarter of the population of Alaska, fish along the...

                                    Floating and fishing in the Jim River Area of Critical Environmental Concern along the Dalton Highway. The Jim River is an important spawning tributary for...

Alaska BHA is committed to fighting for wild places and critical habitats that give hunters and anglers an opportunity to participate in the outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a...

Ryan Schuman, Southeast Alaska Representative with a black bear.It’s nearly April and spring is fast approaching. With that, myself, and many other hunters across Alaska are starting to poke...

  Alaska Chapter Coordinator Mary Glaves with the downed muskox.  The race of muskoxen that currently populate Alaska is the Greenland muskox. These muskoxen a have dark brown coloration with...

(Taken from 2023 WACH WG Binder)   Decline of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Continues: BOG is Considering Proposals to Close Hunting to Nonresidents on State LandsBoard of Game Proposal 3...

PHOTO: Willis Mattison  “If that’s a moose’s antler, how can we get ’im up?” I whispered to Kenny. We were lying prone on the arctic tundra, our rifles bridged across our daypacks in...

Ambler Road: My Father's Foreboding By Barry Whitehill       Fly-fishing and athletics were my Dad’s salvation. At age 12, his father was sent to the penitentiary in Monroe, Washington for...

PHOTO: Robbie Everett  Floating Rivers without Bridges in Northwest Alaska Stepping out of the boat onto the rugged riverbanks of Alaska is an immersive experience that engages not just the...

PHOTO: Barry Whitehill, AK Chapter Vice ChairAn unparalleled experience for sportsmen and women can be had in Alaska’s famed Brooks Range – a region home to caribou herds, Dall sheep, moose and...

Alaska BHA Still Opposes Proposed Ambler Road PHOTO: Kevin Fraley, AK Chapter, Interior Representative The proposed Ambler Industrial Road has posed unacceptable risks to Alaska’s Brooks Range...

Bouncing down a barren stretch of the Dalton Highway, known to Alaskans as the Haul Road, a bang and a thud emanating from the engine compartment of our van signaled that our hunting adventure was...

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...

News for Immediate ReleaseJan. 25, 2023Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Roadless Areas in the Tongass National Forest offer irreplaceable big game habitat, host...

Another chance to weigh in on the Ambler Road (Deadline: Nov 4)   Calling all Alaskan hunters and anglers who value wilderness, caribou, and sheefish! An additional public comment period is open...

On July 15th, the first of four public scoping workshops to determine changes to the Susitna Basin Recreation Rivers Management Plan was held in Talkeetna. There will be three additional public...

For decades, the Pebble Mine has loomed over Alaska’s Bristol Bay, threatening fish, wildlife, and the people that call this watershed home. In November, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

  Whitewater Bay on Admiralty Island. Credit, USFS. In January of 2020 the United States Forest Service completed the purchase of 22,890 acres on Admiralty Island in the vicinity of Cube Cove....

Public Hearing on WSA21-01 on Monday, March 21st from 3pm-6pm Alaska Time.  Call: 1-800-779-2712 Passcode: 5653753

UPDATE- AIDEA FILED FOR THEIR 404C PERMIT WITH THE ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS ON MAY 24TH. ALASKA BHA WILL KEEP OUR MEMBERS APPRISED OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT! Alaska BHA recently asked...

We are a family of hunters. As a child, I was taught to cherish, value and respect the animals we hunt and the environment in which they live. It was an easy lesson. My family's 40-acre homestead...

Decline in Western Arctic Caribou Herd Abundance Calls for Unity and Problem Solving Important information regarding a decline in the Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WACH) was recently published by...

Stand Against Removal of Protections for Alaska's Sport Fishing Heartland The Susitna River and its tributaries are among the most popular and accessible waters for sport anglers in Alaska,...

When I was young, my family and I were camped above the shore of Walker Lake preparing for a 10-day raft trip that would take us down the Kobuk River, to the village of Kobuk. Walker Lake sits...

I’m a better angler than hunter and I’m a better thinker than angler, but to be honest, I do not hold the bar very high for the latter. This ranking of skill probably has to do with the fact that...

For those people who had been planning a trip to hunt the incredible region of northwest Alaska, home to the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, they probably got wind of the proposal to close federal...

MISSOULA, Mont. – Backcountry roadless lands in the Tongass National Forest, a public lands crown jewel in southeast Alaska, will see conservation safeguards restored and new measures put in place...

During the 2020 hunting season, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game increased the bag limit of caribou for the Fortymile caribou hunt to meet their harvest objectives. Possibly spurred by an...

News for Immediate ReleaseJan. 21, 2021Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Biden administration orders temporary moratorium on oil and gas development in the...

News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 7, 2020Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org The entities sent a letter to leaders in Congress and the administration urging them to...

South of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska there still exists intact ecosystems that remain largely unchanged except by forces of nature.  This is one of the largest public land wild areas left...

News for Immediate ReleaseOct. 16, 2019Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Prime big game habitat and fisheries left vulnerable as administration exempts Tongass...

Many people call the Tongass National Forest “America’s Salmon Forest” because so much of the pristine freshwater that feeds the vast salmon spawning grounds of Southeast Alaska originates in the...

While the acquisition of the 160 acres at Whitewater Bay on Admiralty Island was a tremendous win for public access and public land management, crucial gaps remain in the Admiralty Island National...

As an avid elk hunter in Idaho and Wyoming, I often marvel at how elk country, even when very close to cars and civilization, can feel wild. Entering a tight, timbered canyon, especially when elk...

On Feb. 5, the bill HB 115 (better known as The Alaska Sovereignty Act) advanced to the Judiciary Committee. Sportsmen and other Alaskans who care about our outdoors must unite in opposing it. The...

Each year, America’s 40 million hunters and anglers contribute $200 billion to the national economy, and support millions of American jobs. Hunting and fishing aren’t mere pastimes, they are...

This report details how the proposed transfer, or sale, of America’s federal public lands would negatively affect sportsmen and women in the United States. A growing number of western state...

As you may have heard the next chapter in the Bristol Bay Pebble Mine dilemma is unfolding and we need you (and your friends) to take a minute to provide comments on the proposal. Here’s what’s at...