Host of BHA’s Backcountry College YouTube series, Clay Hayes is a traditional bowhunter, wildlife biologist, wilderness skills instructor, master bowyer, filmmaker and family man who splits his time between a homestead in the mountains of Idaho and the piney woods and swamp country of the Florida Panhandle where he was born and raised. Clay is also the winner of Alone Season 8, the reality TV survival series, where he survived for 74 days along the shoreline of Chilko Lake in British ...

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 ...

By New Mexico BHA Member, Jeff Young There are many ways to tell the difference between someone new to the game and a seasoned veteran of the sport. Perhaps the easiest way is which way they are facing on the water. A fly fisherman casting downstream is a sure sign of being new to the sport. The cure for this flaw is not catching fish. If you are not working upstream, fish will not come easy. Trout must swim upstream in order to breathe. Water enters their mouth and exits the gills as they ...