This title is part of BHA's Jim Posewitz Digital Library: Required Reading for Conservationists   Bernard DeVoto spent the greater part of his career, from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, writing essays and articles about the West. During that first decade, most of his fierce writings defended the West and its resident Westerners from the greed of Eastern profiteers. In the second decade, however, his pen turned against the Westerners, as he became convinced that they were their own worst ...

As a fellow outdoorsperson, and someone who spends the majority of his outdoor time on public lands, I find the opportunity of gaining access to new land exciting. While huge tracts are every sportsperson’s dream, sometimes even the smaller parcels, heretofore not accessible, are indeed as imperative and promising, and a cause for celebration. One such opportunity faces us now – Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has proposed increasing access for hunting and fishing on over 2.3 million ...

On behalf of the New Mexico chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife, we thank you for introducing the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act (S. 3670). We encourage you to work with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-WV) on advancing the legislation to the Senate floor. The Gila National Forest encompasses the Aldo Leopold Wilderness, Blue ...

"Make no mistake, you cannot do nothing. Hunting participation rates are falling, and hunters are a long way from representing the changing demographics of the U.S. population." The southern Wisconsin air was bitter and cold. Turkey season began, but winter refused to end. As I sat perched on the ground, shotgun in one hand and hot black coffee in the other, my turkey hunting instructor and I could hear gobbles as the turkeys left their roost before sunrise. We set up in tall grass on the ...

I can still remember the first time I tried to understand the process of applying for deer tags in California’s Big Game Drawing. Not coming from a hunting family I had no idea what preference points were, and realizing that California has a “modified” preference point system only confused me further. I had to read the California Big Game Hunting Digest three times before it began to crystalize into something resembling the English language. So if you’re unfamiliar with the system and find ...