By Brian JenningsWhen the U.S. Forest Service was formed in 1905, it was charged with managing our public forests for the greater good of all.  We all own them and have a right to use them.  But the Forest Service is also charged with protecting the natural resources in our forests, and sometimes that means policy decisions don’t square with the wishes of everyone.  A prime example concerns off-road travel on public lands in Northeast Oregon.  Those who prefer OHV travel in the forests often ...

Colorado BHA held its sixth annual Rendezvous during June 6-8. A group of 20 attendees from around the state set camp in southwest Colorado’s San Juan National Forest south of Pagosa Springs. Camp was located on the Blanco River with easy access to fishing/hiking and within a stone’s throw of the 158,000-acre South San Juan Wilderness, home to the last known grizzly bear to roam our state.*See this link for more photos from the rendezvous.It was a relaxed, mostly unstructured “get ...

By Grant Alban   If you’re like me (or shhh, my wife), you often have trouble pulling fish out of big rivers.  Here in western Montana there is no shortage of great trout water (or so I’m told) – and that certainly seems to be the case…for others.  I’m not a novice angler.  I do occasionally catch fish when I go out and I have had some good days, but ususally they aren’t so good.  I can read water and I understand where fish should be holding, but often times, most times, I don’t catch ...

By Sean Clarkson   Nearly every hunter obsesses about gear, and to some degree gear does make a difference.  I’m going to go through what I learned elk hunting on my own as far as the gear that makes the difference and in order of priority.  That said, none of this gear matters nearly as much if you don’t get your most important gear (your body and your mind) in shape first through the workouts and homework discussed in the first segment.   Boots:   Elk hunting is done on your feet.  As ...

June 3, 2014  Dear Senators:  As sportsmen-conservation organizations representing millions of hunters and anglers nationwide, we ask you to oppose any legislation that would block the administration’s very deliberate and vital action to clarify and restore longstanding Clean Water Act protections for headwater streams and wetlands across the country.  America’s 47 million sportsmen rely on clean water for access to quality days in the field hunting, angling, and enjoying other outdoor-based ...