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...

“We just started out by riding down deer trails...” It might sound like the beginning of a joke, but for local wildlife populations, one could argue it has almost become a nightmare. The Oregon...

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...

Last week the Oregon Fish and Game Commission met to discuss big game hunting regulations for 2025 based on the recommendations of biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Prior...

The following letter was submitted to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission on September 12th ahead of the September 13th, 2024 ODFW Commission meeting: September 12, 2024...

On July 30th, the Oregon Chapter of BHA submitted comments and petition opposing e-bikes on specific trails within the Deschutes National Forest. The proposal by the US Forest Service...

Sue DoroffPresident, Western Rivers Conservancy 71 SW Oak St., 100Portland, OR 97201 RE: Western Rivers Conservancy’s Emigrant Creek Ranch project in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument...

In a quick turn of events, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) Commission announced their final candidates for the next ODFW Director, allowing a short turn around for stakeholder...

 On January 26th, 2024, the Oregon Chapter of BHA submitted comments reflecting the necessary considerations needed for the recruitment of the next Director of the Oregon Department of Fish and...

The 2024 legislative short session has come to an end and in a bewildering turn of events, despite broad stakeholder support, House Bill 4148, (HB4148) Rep. Helm’s Wildlife Omnibus Bill, died in...

The following letter was submitted on behalf of the Oregon Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers on February 6th, 2024 ahead of the House Committee on Natural Resources hearing in support of...

Do you hunt, fish, forage, or camp with your family on the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla, or Malheur National Forest? If so, it’s time for you to get involved!  This summer, the US Forest Service...

In a monumental achievement, HB 3086, which restructures the ODFW Commission's selection map, has been passed with unanimous support in the House and near unanimity in the Senate. The hard work...

On Saturday, June 27th, Oregon BHA Members alongside staff from the USFS and BLM ascended on public lands bordering the Deschutes National Forest to prep fence line for future retro fitting. Brush...

The Oregon Chapter of BHA wants to thank our supporters for your dedication, especially to those who were able to take the time to participate in last Thursday’s Planning Commission hearing -...

The progress of HB 3086, the river basin model for ODFW Commission structure, was unfortunately stalled early last week. The -4 amendment had enough votes to pass out of the House Agriculture,...

Bill:  HJR 5-1 - Right to Fish, Hunt, and Forage https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/HJR5  Oregon BHA Position:  Support as written or with the -1 amendment Current...

                          What is it? Oregon has a volunteer opportunity between hunting seasons in the high desert, in the state’s southeastern region. Oregon has one of the nation’s largest...

Given the serious shortcomings of Thornburg’s water mitigation model which can only be described as “best (and only) case” combined with Thornburg’s credibility damaged by their failure to make...

Oregon Business and Conservation Interests Support Dedicated Funding for Oregon’s Imperiled Species We, the undersigned, support long-term, dedicated funding to prevent the decline of Oregon’s...

To: Nicklas Knudson, Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers From: Stephen P. Maher, SW Regional DirectorOregon Chapter, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (ORBHA) 14 February 2023...

Oregonians have long demonstrated a deep love for the nexus between food and nature. Hunting, fishing, gathering, and foraging, are foundational to Oregonians' cultural identity, and it is...

BHA members waiting to present testimony at the 1/11/23 Deschutes County meeting.   BHA Shows up for Deschutes County Goal 5, Wildlife Inventory Testimony January 11—Bend, Oregon BHA sportsmen and...

January 4, 2023   Deschutes County Commission PO Box 6005 117 NW Lafayette Ave. Bend, OR 97708   RE: Wildlife Inventory Update—Mule Deer Winter Range Inventory Maps   Dear Commissioners, Adair,...

The Oregon Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, led by our volunteer board, is dedicated to enhancing the health and access to our states wild lands, waters, and wildlife. Our commitment to...

By Suzanne Linford Deschutes county is a historical migratory corridor for Mule deer in central Oregon. They migrate in summer to the higher elevations of the eastern Cascades, and they migrate in...

As an avid hunter and conservationist living in Deschutes County for the last 10 years, I have seen firsthand the eye-popping decline in our mule deer herds. ODFW population estimates for the...

What's proposed? 1,425 dwelling units, including 900+ permanent, 425 overnight and 50 room Hotel. Three 18-hole golf courses 20 Acre water ski lake Ten-fold increase in vehicle traffic on Highway...

Photo provided by Dan Van Dyke,District Fish Biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife On February 16th, the Oregon Chapter hosted Dan Van Dyke, the District Fish Biologist for the...

Photo Credit: Idaho Fish and Game Just four months from the addition of new rules to help prevent CWD from entering Idaho, the news that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) had been found in western...

After months of close collaboration, Oregon BHA, Oregon Outdoor Council, Oregon Hunters Association and Traditional Archers of Oregon have reached consensus and submitted a letter urging the ODFW...

In June, the OR BHA Chapter board voted in support of a $10,000 donation towards Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and ODFW's efforts to purchase land to expand the Minam River Wildlife Area...

In March of this year, representatives from your Oregon Backcountry Hunters & Anglers board were invited by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Archery Elk project team to discuss the...

  By Tristan Henry   In Oregon’s scenic Central Cascades, the undulating terrain that bisects east from misty west has drawn growing crowds of backcountry travelers, summer after summer. Here,...

  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...

The west has seen a rash of legislation attempting to expand the ability of private interests to manage elk herds. Instead of deferring to the biologists, land managers and agencies tasked with...

Take a minute to join Oregon BHA in urging your legislator to help stop the privatization of wildlife and public hunting opportunity in the state.

The John Day River is born of the snows in the high Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon and flows northwest to the Columbia River through some of America’s most isolated and intact sagebrush...

The Hood River Forest and Fish Conservation Project is a plan to conserve 19,772 acres of working forestlands in Hood River County, Oregon, one of the fastest growing counties in the state. The...

The following BHA feature film showcases the 104,000 acre Steamboat Creek watershed that BHA is working to protect as the Steamboat Creek Wild Steelhead Sanctuary, in partnership with Trout...

Oregon BHA is working to advance legislation that would permanently protect more than 100,000 acres of public lands within the Steamboat Creek Watershed. Learn more about this unique steelhead...

On Sept. 23, 2016, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon announced the introduction of H.R. 6129, a House companion bill to Sens. Ron Wyden’s and Jeff Merkley’s Frank Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary...

Join Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and BHA Northwest Coordinator Brian Jennings for a conversation about the proposed 104,000-acre Frank Moore Steelhead Sanctuary (S. 1448) along Oregon's famed North...

BHA is currently working to protect the 100,000 acre Steamboat Creek Watershed, through legislation that was recently introduced by Senator Ron Wyden in recognition of legendary conservationist...

       By BHA's 2016 Aldo Leopold Award Winner, Mark Heckert I am humbled and deeply appreciative of the honor of the Aldo Leopold Award you have given me for my actions in defense of our public...

Oregon’s 82,500-acre Elliott State Forest is well known by sportsmen and women for the coveted public access it provides to high quality hunting and fishing. Roosevelt elk, blacktail deer and...

MISSOULA, Mont. - In the wake of the arrest in Oregon of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada scofflaw and leader of a movement to seize public lands from the American people, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers...

SALEM, Ore. – Proponents of fair chase hunting are celebrating a success in the Beaver State as the Oregon Senate advances legislation that would ban the use of drones for hunting and...

By Ed Putnam, Co-Chair, Oregon Backcountry Hunters & AnglersWell, Senator Wyden’s O&C Lands Bill failed to hop a ride onto a Defense spending package that’s steaming through Congress on its way to...

A letter expressing our concerns...Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is a national conservation organization that was founded around a campfire in Oregon by a group of passionate sportsmen who saw a...

5/16/14Mr. Roy Elicker, DirectorOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE Salem, OR 97302Dear Mr. Elicker:Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was formed here in Oregon ten...

By Jon Pampush, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Condon, Oregon: On January 13, The Bureau of Land Management hosted a meeting to accept a second round of comments concerning a proposed lease of...