Jessie Shallow, of Salmon, Idaho, is the partner biologist for the Mule Deer Foundation, working with state and federal agencies to restore mule deer winter range and other habitat in the wake of the last- decades’ massive range fires. Her family and personal roots are deep in the southern Idaho farmlands and wild country from the Owyhee to the Bitterroots. Jessie and Hal discuss the work they’ve done together over the past two years: This season MDF crews planted a record 196,000 sagebrush ...

SALEM, Ore. – A victory for public access and hunting and fishing opportunity was achieved this afternoon when the Oregon state land board voted unanimously to keep the Elliott State Forest under state ownership, rejecting earlier proposals to sell Oregon’s oldest state forest and supporting an outcome that Backcountry Hunters & Anglers had been strongly advocating. Jesse Salsberry, BHA Northwest outreach coordinator, provided testimony at the land board meeting today and applauded the vote ...

Wyoming BHA Board Member, Scott Reekers In life there are trends that rise and fall, bell bottoms, hair bands, and of course the soon to fall skinny jeans on teenage boys. I work with teen-agers for a living and it never ceases to amaze me what “New” recycled looks pop-culture comes up. The hunting world is no different and sorting through what is the current trend, and what is long term real world gear can be frustrating. The latest trend is floorless shelters. Floorless shelters have been ...

By Sean Clarkson   Now, we are finally getting into the gear that unfortunately too many hunters spend too much time contemplating long before the ones that we already discussed.  It’s not that these next few items aren’t important; they are.  It’s simply that in order of priority for a successful hunt, they rank behind the ones we discussed because they will be used less, will impact your hunt to a lesser degree, and are probably items that you already have, which will at least suffice for ...

By BHA Board Member, Sean Clarkson   For many of us who hunt and happen to live in areas where there are currently no elk, the dream of a Rocky Mountain Elk hunt is one that keeps us up at nights and fuels our daydreams.  If you spend your time watching some of those “hunting shows” or reading most of the glossy magazines, elk hunts are right up there with exotic cars and fancy yachts; something that “you” will never get to experience because it costs a bunch and takes expertise you don’t ...