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 ...

By Caitlin Twohig   For a girl that grew up in Montana, it is odd that my childhood didn’t involve backpacking, fishing, and hunting.  We mostly spent our weekends skiing, road-tripping, and occasionally, we would load up the 1956 camper that my mom bought at a garage sale and head out for a long weekend.  We loved the outdoors, but after my dad died when I was three, we didn’t get out as much.  My dad was 6’6” smokejumper who lived for fresh Montana air, high alpine lakes, and the solitude ...

Dear Congressman DeFazio: As a lifetime member of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and an Oregonian I’m writing to you regarding one of the cornerstones of our national conservation policy. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was formed here in Oregon ten years ago. Today, we have members in all 50 states and our chapters cover 97% of all public lands in the U.S. Our mission is simple. We proactively protect our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife to hand down an American heritage to the next ...