FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   July 21, 2025   Contact:   media@backcountryhunters.org     WASHINGTON, D.C.—With more than 8 million acres of public lands on the line, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers...

This is your July edition of BHA's State Policy Spotter - a high-level scan of state policy and legislation impacting our wild public lands, waters and wildlife across North America. Note - this...

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...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2025   Contact:  media@backcountryhunters.org   Public Lands Victory: BHA Applauds Removal of Public Land Sale Amendment from House Budget Reconciliation...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 19, 2025    Contact:  media@backcountryhunters.org   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), North America’s leading public lands advocacy group, is...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2025   Contacts: Dan Johnson, California/Nevada Public Lands Manager, Trout Unlimited, dan.johnson@tu.org Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2025    Contacts:  Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy & Government Relations, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org  Lukas Leaf, Executive...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   March 18, 2025      CONTACT:   Devin O’Dea, Western Policy & Conservation Manager, odea@backcountryhunters.org     Denver, CO – In a huge victory for public land owners,...

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...

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...

  Growing up in Houston, Texas, I was exposed to an abundant food scene fueled by the city’s diverse population. From African oxtail stew to VietCajun crawfish and noodles, I developed an...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 30, 2024 Contact:  Kaden McArthur, Government Relations Manager, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org   The Sportsmen for the Rubies Coalition encourages strong collaboration...

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 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....

The arrival of fall means many things to a hunter. Here in Montana in September, I’m often conflicted by the dueling options of archery elk hunting and the upland bird season. Bow or shotgun?...

On August 20th, 2024, Utah’s Governor Cox announced a sweeping lawsuit that the State filed with the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the federal government’s legal right to hold and manage 18.5...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Aug. 20, 2024  Contact: Devin O’Dea, 415-246-5329 odea@backcountryhunters.org  Utah Attempts to Wrest Public Lands Out of Public Hands SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Backcountry...

In early 2022, a private landowner illegally blocked access to a popular public hunting and fishing destination in East Texas known locally as “The Cutoff”. A group of local sportsmen who hunt and...

WYOMING — The corner crossing lawsuit is on appeal at the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Colorado after moving from state court in Wyoming, to federal court in Wyoming,...

Here's a quick(ish) recap of what Montana BHA was able to accomplish in 2023, and what's on our minds as we head into the new year:   Policy Efforts Every other year, Montana’s legislature is...

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...

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...

On Monday June 26, 2023 RI Governor Dan McKee signed H5174A & S417A, completing the legislative process for the pair to become State law. The Governor’s signature comes less than two weeks after...

From a GoFundMe page that raised six figures and tireless lobbying at the Wyoming Legislature in 2023 to regular contact and determination in telling the story of public access in their state, the...

News for Immediate ReleaseMay 19, 2023Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org  Montana’s House Bill 486 increases the fine 10X for illegally blocking public...

While hunting Rocky Mountain elk or mountain Merriam’s turkeys or any other wild game in southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains I generally endeavor to meet up with Colorado Backcountry Hunters &...

The future of public access to public lands is being decided in Wyoming with the ongoing saga of the corner-crossing hunters and their legal travails. We all have a dog in this fight – and never...

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...

Montana's legislature meets for only 90 days every two years, but the amount of work that goes into a single abbreviated session is mind-blowing. In just a few short months during its 2023...

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...

News for Immediate ReleaseMarch 21, 2023Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org President Biden designates Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and Castner Range National...

Retired Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Supervisor Bill Avey is here to give us a clear view into the workings of the U.S. Forest Service – and what is arguably, for a public lands hunter...

This letter to the editor was originally published in Cowboy State Daily on Feb. 27, 2023. Dear Editor: Last hunting season, a story ran in the Cowboy State Daily of a bull elk wasting away on...

The Georgia Board of BHA would like to keep you updated on the efforts to save Pine Log WMA. If you are able to attend the Bartow County zoning meetings on Feb. 7th or Feb. 9th please do in order...

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...

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...

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...

News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 7, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Public access to adjoining public lands via corner crossing is demonstrably legal, BHA...

HESPERUS, CO — Backcountry Hunters & Anglers recently issued a reward to a citizen who reported illegal OHV use on Colorado’s public lands. Law enforcement officers from the U.S. Forest Service...

News for Immediate ReleaseSept. 1, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, BHA, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org               Sonya Smith, MWF, 406-417-9909, sonya@mtwf.org  District court judge...

Photos: Erik Peterson "The movement for the conservation of wildlife and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and...

News for Immediate Release  July 13, 2022  Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org  Multi-use nature of Lost Trail property will conserve wildlife habitat and...

1. Why did Montana hunting and conservation groups formally file to intervene in the lawsuit by United Property Owners of Montana?   The coalition’s members – Montana-based hunting and...

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)...

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...

In early May the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will convene for their spring meeting, at which time we’re expected to see their Atlantic Striped Bass Board finalize Amendment...

We didn’t really need a reason to celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day, but public land hunters in Arkansas can raise a toast to a long-term management agreement for the Pine Tree Research Station...

A major victory for public lands hunting access was notched last week in the Arkansas Capitol as the attempted sale of the Pine Tree Research Station was closed down. "To put it succinctly,...

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...

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...

A great opportunity to stand up for one of our nation’s outdoor treasures could face West Virginia’s Senator Manchin soon.   No one can dispute the beauty of West Virginia’s mountains, rivers, and...

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...

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...

In April of 2020, two Little Compton brothers applied for a lease to establish a commercial oyster growing operation in the tidal waters adjacent to Sapowet Marsh Wildlife Management Area in...

As summer comes into view and the meat selection in the freezer gets a little sparse, we love to utilize ingredients we have on hand to create a recipe perfect for the warmer weather and some...

In June of 2021, Montana Sen. Jon Tester reintroduced the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act which aims to designate 385.4 miles of Montana's rivers as Wild & Scenic, nearly doubling the state's...

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...

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...

I read over a dozen recipes for wild turkey before setting out to cook my first one. The sentiments I found in some forums as to the dark meat being “not worth” preparing did not deter me, but...

News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 11, 2020Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org  USFS cited input from sportsmen and women as reason for change in course MISSOULA,...

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...

News for Immediate ReleaseSept. 28, 2020Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Despite overwhelming public opposition, Tongass National Forest’s salmon fisheries, big...

Stroganoff is one of those meals that just hits all the right notes: it's a comfort food from childhood that's a bit heavy and filling, leaving you in a wonderful food coma afterward. In an effort...

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...

News for Immediate ReleaseJune 10, 2019Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org   Coalition contends that the Forest Service is abdicating its duty to uphold and defend...

Image courtesy of Don Thomas   Readers and BHA members outside of Montana may have never heard of the Crazy Mountains, although that is likely to change. One of Montana’s dozen isolated “island”...

Montana members of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers attend anti-public lands conclave featuring lawbreaking Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy PARADISE, Mont. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers members from...

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...

In Colorado, and on public lands nationwide, ATV/OHV overuse and abuse is increasingly impacting big game (and other wildlife) habitat and related watersheds for trout and other aquatic species....

Montana hunters and anglers are thanking Sen. Jon Tester, the Department of the Interior and the Blackfeet Tribe for their continued commitment to conserve some of the finest big game habitat and...