Once again, the Rally for Public Lands at the State Capitol was proof that our public lands and outdoor way of life bind us. The numbers bear it out: 89% of Montanans visit public lands every year. Sixty-four percent hunt or fish. Seventy-nine percent consider themselves conservationists. Eighty-nine percent say public lands positively impact our overall quality of life. These values are the common ground on which we build strong families and pass on the traditions that shape us. But some ...

This title is part of BHA's Jim Posewitz Digital Library: Required Reading for Conservationists   Let me first be clear: This is not a book about despair or tragic endings. It is not a book of environmental alarmism or an impassioned call-to-action to save the wolves and the whales. It's a concise and carefully researched book about people.  Whether you're a fan of him and his music or not, Bob Dylan once said something none of us can really deny, "The only thing people really have in common ...

A debate over the role of money in deer and elk hunting in Montana has fizzled out in the Legislature. Senate Bill 143 would have created a $300 early drawing system for nonresident elk and deer licenses. It’s likely dead after missing a deadline in committee earlier this month. Addressing an amendment that overhauled the bill and passed the Senate in February, the policy’s sponsor, Sen. Jason Ellsworth (R) - Hamilton said, "Certainly I’m more than disappointed from where this bill started ...

Maine is one of only two states in the US that has a complete ban on Sunday hunting. The Maine leadership team of the New England Chapter of BHA has been considering this issue and related Sunday hunting legislation. The result of this effort is the Statement on Sunday Hunting in Maine, which reviews the issues surrounding this controversial topic and provides recommendations on how Maine could provide Sunday hunting opportunities while addressing the concerns of Sunday hunting ...

  This article, produced by Orion, originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Backcountry Journal. Join BHA, support your public lands and waters and get four issues a year of Backcountry Journal in your mailbox, and unlimited digital access to current and back issues.   BY JAN DIZARD AND PHIL T. SENG Few topics create as much furor around the campfire or the hunt club as the use of baiting in hunting. What’s the big deal? It’s not clear exactly when humans began manipulating the ...