“If you want to hunt, first you have to have animals to hunt. And if you want animals, first they’ve got to have habitat to live in. So, if you’re not trying to protect habitat and improve it and increase it, then you’re working against yourself as a hunter.” -Colorado BHA Founder David “Elkheart” Petersen[1]   The importance of roadless areas to Colorado’s fish, wildlife, hunting, and angling is detailed in this Trout Unlimited report (authored by David Petersen and Keith Curley): “Where ...

Utah files landmark lawsuit challenging federal control over most BLM land Yes, it is to retch over. Once again, the Utah legislature is coming for America’s public lands, this time by way of a lawsuit filed against the US government to lay claim to 18.5 million acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Utah has a new website called “Stand for Our Land” designed to support the lawsuit – it’s a slick campaign, maybe the slickest yet- and chock-full of the half-truths ...

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) was recently happy to celebrate the courage and commitment of two hunters who played a crucial role in combating illegal motorized use on Colorado’s public lands. The reporting hunter’s actions not only led to a significant enforcement action but also underscored the vital role of public involvement in conservation efforts. On September 7th, 2024 two brothers were archery hunting when they encountered two motorcycles being ridden off-road on a grassy ...

On August 20th, 2024, Utah’s Governor Cox announced a sweeping lawsuit that the State filed with the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the federal government’s legal right to hold and manage 18.5 million acres of “unappropriated” BLM lands within Utah’s state borders, an ultimate maneuver to transfer these lands to State control. While we have seen the “land transfer” song and dance for decades from the State of Utah, this particular action is especially concerning for sportsmen and women who ...

As the population in North Carolina’s western mountains grows, so too does interest from private entities in laying claim to public water access. For decades, anglers have dealt increasing harassment from landowners that are ignorant of the public’s rights on public trust waters. The ability to recreate has always hinged on the question of navigability, and those rights include access to, and use of the streambed. If a waterway can be floated across by any means of conveyance, in North ...