In the Spring 2020 Backcountry Journal, editor Zack Williams penned a piece, “Reactivated,” describing how he started bowhunting at an early age, but then drifted away from hunting later in life, only to return upon discovering “this small but rapidly growing organization called Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.”[1] I was fortunate to grow up hunting and fishing the public lands and waters of northern Minnesota. The state’s more than 12 million acres of public lands encompass the Boundary ...

  By Christine Peterson   Bill Andree always had a chance at an elk. It might come suddenly in thick spruce or a steep aspen grove, but it was a chance, and he killed his share. That was in the early 80s, when the elk herd roamed the hills and valleys around Vail, Colorado, in groups of a couple hundred. By the early 2010s, he stopped hunting the area altogether. The longtime Eagle Valley biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife who retired in 2018 rarely saw any elk, and he didn’t feel it ...

  As we close the book on a tumultuous year, BHA is looking ahead to the next challenge. What's coming up in 2021 for our public lands and waters, for fish and wildlife, and for hunting and fishing? Hal talks with Land Tawney, BHA's president and CEO, about what's next. Drop into a conversation between two friends about wins and losses, old adventures and new opportunities, unsung heroes of sportsmen-driven conservation, and the power of a good ...

  Backcountry Journal receives hundreds of submissions every year; only the cream of the crop make it to print. Each published story has something unique that makes it special, which makes choosing a top few even more difficult. Every story has merit for including here, but these six (in no particular order) are worthy of the extra props and epitomize what Backcountry Journal and BHA are all about:   A Giant's Shoes to Fill by Hal Herring There was so much I’d never thought of, so much, too, ...

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 instead offered a full-on challenge. Well, challenge accepted! This method of dry brining, smoking and pressure cooking worked well while tenderizing the meat and infusing full flavor. Now that BHA's Midnight Forest Bourbon Whiskey made by Spotted Bear Spirits is a regular staple in my cabinet, it is ...