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...

At sunset on Saturday, a small and enthusiastic group of BHA volunteers joined up with CDFW's Region 6 sheep biologists at the foot of the Marble Mountains in the Mojave for the annual desert...

Recap: California BHA’s 2025 Spring Turkey Hunt In the heart of California’s spring turkey season, the California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) hosted its third...

Support a 2nd Bear Tag in CA! CDFW has released their final black bear conservation plan, and in response, CA BHA has submitted a resolution calling on the Fish & Game Commission to implement a...

After many years advocating for science-based management of fish and wildlife, California BHA celebrates the release of the Final Black Bear Conservation Plan and has submitted a petition to the...

Counting Sheep in the San Gabriels – Even When We Don’t See Them Earlier this spring, BHA members joined volunteers from the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (SCBS), personnel from...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 18, 2025  Contact:  Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy & Government Relations, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org  California’s National Monuments a Bullseye, 850,000...

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...

Welcome to your first glimpse 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. Much like...

Next week, the California Fish & Game Commission will consider acting on a recommendation by the Wildlife Resources Committee (WRC) that C.C.R. § 472 be amended to remove coyotes. CA BHA...

With 2024 coming to an end, we would like to take the opportunity to reflect on California BHA's engagement and accomplishments that were made possible by the support of our dedicated members and...

On November 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held its final Business Meeting of the 118th Congress. The record-breaking number of bills on the docket highlights the backlog of...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 15, 2024 Contact: Devin O'Dea 415-246-5329, odea@backcountryhunters.org | Scott Gibson 909-210-0548, scottygibson@gmail.com Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and the...

As urbanization increasingly carves up California's landscapes, the need to conserve and enhance wildlife connectivity becomes critical. Assembly Bill 1889 is a significant step toward addressing...

Bear hunting has been an integral part of California’s history since the Golden State was founded in 1850 and for thousands of years prior to colonization. In 2021 and 2022, anti-hunting groups...

Right now in California, anglers, spear fishers, Tribes and other saltwater stakeholders are grappling with a series of regulatory petitions that could result in reduced fishing access along...

As an organization dedicated to ensuring our North American heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting with over 350,000 supporters, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers expresses...

With 2023 in the books and some meat in the freezer (hopefully), we would like to take the opportunity to reflect on California BHA's engagement and accomplishments that were made possible by the...

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...

On a hazy, smokey Friday evening in Humboldt county, BHA members and volunteers gathered at Mad River Brewing Company to toast to the upcoming B1 deer and bear season opener and to put finishing...

For some, keeping a constant eye on game cameras and venturing deep into the backcountry is a break from their everyday lives. For Jeff and Vicki Davis, it is their lives. The Sierra Nevada...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 6, 2023 The California Department of Fish & Wildlife and BHA plan to host a huge public land planting event and community gathering to restore winter range for mule...

News for Immediate ReleaseAug. 24, 2023Contact: Devin O'Dea, 415-246-5329, odea@backcountryhunters.org Wildlife Conservation Board Awards Multi-Million Dollar Grant to U.C. Davis for the...

Support the PUBLIC Lands Act - Take Action Today! The California Chapter of BHA has spent several years advocating for the passage of legislation that would have a monumental impact on rivers,...

Fish & Game Commission voted unanimously to reject a petition that would have closed over 250 miles of nearshore fishing access in California's Central Coast. A petition before the Fish & Game...

The Fish & Game Commission meets this Wednesday and Thursday (4/19 & 4/20), and we hope you can show up to provide comments on some very important issues for hunters and anglers in...

BHA is once again rallying support behind the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act recently reintroduced by Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24). This legislation would add nearly 250,000 acres...

Here in California we have a constitutional right to fish, and we have a right to access, hunt and fish the navigable waters of our state - for those waters are to be held in the public trust for...

I spent a portion of my childhood pursuing adventures on lands and waters within what is now known as the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument; however, the history of the land and its...

The Brightline West high speed rail project plans to connect Los Angeles to Las Vegas along Interstate 15 and would have created a massive barrier to movement for desert bighorn sheep, mule...

Winding double yellow lines twist and turn through a boulder strewn canyon of Interstate 8 close to the border with Mexico. A federally endangered Peninsular bighorn ram lays motionless on the...

California BHA has been firing on all cylinders in 2022 not only with a record number of stewardship projects, but also on policy matters and advocating in the legislature. (link to a story map of...

It Is Time to Designate Southern California Steelhead as Endangered The story of southern steelhead is a story of concrete and progress, of the forces of human will over the balance of...

Yesterday, Senator's Feinstein (D-CA) and Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Western Riverside National Wildlife Refuge Act, companion legislation to Rep. Calvert (R-CA) & Takano's (D-CA) H.R. 972 The...

Benefits to anadromous fish like steelhead trout, game species and species of special concern make the Thomas Creek parcels a valuable candidate for addition to the Mendocino National Forest's...

Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) is a forest products company that owns 2.3 million acres of land across California, Oregon and Washington. They are the largest private land owner in California...

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...

  The California Chapter of BHA is thrilled to receive over $165,000 in funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for our Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area Post-Fire Rehabilitation and...

Just a week and a half after BHA and partner organizations submitted a coalition letter (led by American Whitewater) to the Forest Supervisor for the Plumas National Forest, a 2 year long closure...

The following is a tremendous effort put forth by California BHA board member, Jonathan Fusaro, to compile a thorough report to CDFW regarding the HSUS petition to ban bear hunting in California....

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 states...

A junior hunting license offers young people the opportunity to participate in numerous high quality “apprentice” hunting activities offered by DFW and nonprofit wildlife conservation groups. By...

A resounding coalition of NGO's has rallied around the following letter from the Bear Management Subcommittee of the Hunting and Conservation Coalition.  This thoroughly researched and...

The California Natural Resources Agency recently released the draft "Pathways to 30x30" document and has solicited public comment. (From the Pathways to 30 by 30 draft) "In October 2020, Governor...

Stand up for black bear hunting in California! The Fish & Game Commission in California will be considering a petition (2021-027) to eliminate the open hunting season for black bear at the next...

Quality public hunting and fishing access consistently tops the list of issues outdoorsmen and women expect Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to help tackle.  The need for recreational access only...

The following reflects the comments of the California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to NOAA regarding the proposed Chumash National Marine Sanctuary Designation.   January 25, 2022 RE:...

The following reflects the comments of the California Chapter of BHA along with numerous hunting and environmental groups advocating for wildlife overpasses to be included in the Brightline West...

A few weeks ago, my flawless run as a law-abiding hunter and angler in the State of California came to an end.  Now as someone who values conservation and takes fish and game laws in any state...

California BHA comments on the California Coastal Conservancy revised Coastal Access Project Guidelines. View the comment letter: Dear California Coastal Conservancy Board Members, I write on...

A letter to the District Ranger for the Sequoia National Forest regarding LWCF nomination for the Fay Creek Ranch Acquisition:   September 14, 2021   Mr. Alfred Watson, District Ranger Sequoia...

The California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife in the Golden State, is closely monitoring the Forest Service District 5 decision...

Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl Gabrielle Sanders With huge support from the United States Marine Corps, the California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), the...

H.R. 972 The Wildlife Refuge Conservation & Recreation for the Community Act If you have ever been to Western Riverside County in Southern California, you might not believe that a 500,000 acre...

The California Chapter of BHA recently submitted a letter in collaboration with Wildlands Network, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and a number of other groups highlighting the...

The California Chapter of BHA convened in the Southern portion of the Sierra Nevada mountains last Saturday to tackle a riparian restoration project in coordination with the Bureau of Land...

The California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was amped to see the House pass a massive public lands package last month, H.R. 803, Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public...

The California policy committee recently submitted a letter of support for the legislative bill Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act (S. 3288)....

Anyone who has spent time in the vast expanses of public land in Northern California can attest to the richness of the landscape. From the ancient redwoods of the coasts to the sprawling...

Popular opinion of California may be dominated by the cultures permeating from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, but hundreds of thousands of acres of public land border all of our major cities. Three...

The California chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is excited to announce the launch of a new mentoring program designed to help provide guidance to members interested in learning the...

The California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently sent a letter of support of Congresswomen Judy Chu’s (D-CA) San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act (H.R....

The California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently authored a letter of support for Congressman Jared Huffman’s (D-CA) Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working...

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers’ members have a passion for backcountry recreation. Still, they have a wide range of experience when it comes to backpacking, and incorporating hunting or...

  This article originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Backcountry Journal.   By Matthew Clark Photo by Sunny Capper   Along the Oregon/California border the mountains rise up straight...

UPDATE:  By Justin Bubenik, California Chapter Co-Chair Shortly after "Expanding Wilderness on the Fringe of the Concrete Jungle" was posted in late March, Senator Harris (D-CA) and Representative...

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently released a proposed set of changes to the state’s inland trout fishing regulations in furtherance of the Department’s Inland Trout...

Representative Judy Chu and Senator Kamala Harris have each introduced companion legislation in the House and Senate aimed at further protections and expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains...

On February 12th, the Senate overwhelming passed the Natural Resources Management Act (S. 47), a landmark conservation public lands package in a 92-8 vote in support of the measure. The highlight...

Throughout last year, the California Chapter was been involved in working with Representative Cook and Senator Feinstein on their California Off-Road Recreation and Conservation Act (H.R. 857) and...

This past October, the California chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers joined a group of California sportsman organizations and dozens of other stakeholders to review the first draft of the...

In February 2016, 20,920 acres of public lands east of the Mojave National Preserve were designated under the Antiquities Act as the Castle Mountains National Monument. Diverse outdoor...

While the California Chapter has been busy planning Pint Nights and staffing booths at various outdoor events. The chapter has also been working on providing comments and recommendations to our...

Napa, Calif. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers today welcomed the Interior Secretary and Under Secretary of Agriculture to California for a public meeting about the opportunities to protect...

*For Immediate Release*   Hunters and Anglers Support Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument   By J.R. Young   On December 19, 2014 officials from the Obama Administration held a public meeting...