News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 6, 2018Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org   Sportsmen and women criticize weakened conservation policies in administration plan for the Western sage steppe   MISSOULA, Mont. – New sage grouse management plans unveiled by the Bureau of Land Management could unravel years of stakeholder collaboration and reduce habitat conservation measures for sagebrush country that have played a major role in keeping the greater sage grouse off ...

By Laura Lundquist - December 4, 2018 - Originally published in the Missoula Current. Montanans often say they want more and better access to public land, but are state and county leaders willing to improve access when given the chance? That’s the question unexpectedly playing out in Meagher County, where a landowner recently proposed to sell almost 4,300 acres to the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Representatives of the national forest recently presented the proposal to the Meagher County ...

In St. Paul, Minnesota, with bird dogs whining in the hall outside, Hal visits the headquarters of Pheasants Forever to interview a trifecta of America’s most committed and passionate upland bird hunters and habitat and public access advocates. Bob St. Pierre, PF vice president of marketing and communications, tells it like it is: “We’re in trouble. Habitat is being plowed under and wetlands drained, we’re failing to ensure the future of upland bird hunting, and with that failure we’re ...

By Heather Fraley - December 1, 2018 - Originally published in the Missoulian. PHILIPSBURG — It was pitch-black outside the car's window. A few inches of night-before snow blanketed the ground, just enough for any deer or elk to leave fresh tracks to follow. It was 6:45 in the morning, and the people in the car had already been up since 4 a.m. A hearty breakfast of pancakes and eggs settled in their stomachs. The anticipation built. Longtime hunter David Nikonow flicked on the car’s overhead ...

By Eric Tegethoff - November 28, 2018 - Originally published in Public News Service. HELENA, Mont. - Groups in Montana and nationwide are urging Congress to reauthorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund as the lame-duck session ticks down. The fund, which provides access to public lands, expired in September. Montana has received nearly $600 million since the fund was created more than 50 years ago. Tom Healy, a board member for the Montana chapter of Backcountry Hunters ...