On April 18th, BHA took their 8th annual Field to Table dinner to the midwest for the first time. Made possible by presenting sponsors Benchmade and Dometic, we hosted 72 guests at the Kjos Barn in Webster, Minnesota. As usual, we enjoyed good music, good company, and of course, good food while celebrating our accomplishments and those yet to come. We owe tremendous thanks as well to our participating sponsors, Planetary Design, Sextant Wines, Dry Fly Distillery, and Unmapped Brewing and auction donors, Bill Hanlon, Tony Vandemore, Jim Harrington, Bryan McGinty, Chris ..read more

The week of April 29, the U.S. House of Representatives is set vote on a slate of legislation that targets conservation achievements supported by hunters and anglers who advocate for our public lands and waters.   These bills would overturn protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, repeal the new BLM Public Lands Rule that elevates conservation as a value equal to other uses of public lands, and make drastic changes to mining law on our public lands by granting absolute rights for exploration. If passed into law, each of these ..read more

The week of April 29, the U.S. House of Representatives is set vote on a slate of legislation that targets conservation achievements supported by hunters and anglers who advocate for our public lands and waters.   These bills would overturn protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, repeal the new BLM Public Lands Rule that elevates conservation as a value equal to other uses of public lands, and make drastic changes to mining law on our public lands by granting absolute rights for exploration. If passed into law, each of these ..read more

Every year our annual Rendezvous is a time for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers members, chapter leaders, staff, corporate partners, and anyone who's interested in what the voice for our public lands, waters, and wildlife has to say. This year we journeyed out of the Northern Rockies for the first time ever, hosting Rendezvous in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The wildly successful event drew members and supporters from across the continent to celebrate their shared passion for conservation and advocacy for public lands, waters, and wildlife on behalf of hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts.&nb ..read more

On April 14th, six BHA members (plus three kids!) helped clean up Hankinson Hills, a U.S. Forest Service property about an hour southwest of Fargo. The 2800-acre property is a beautiful rolling oak savannah with abundant opportunities for turkey and deer hunting, camping, and hiking.   The campground in particular gets heavy use during the summer months. Over a three hour period, we accomplished quite a lot, including: Replaced 50 horizontal fence posts for the fence that surrounds the campground to keep out cattle as part of a grazing lease Replaced 10 signs damaged from the su ..read more

From a letter sent by the BLM field office in Colorado following an AFI event hosted and planned by the BHA AFI Leader in CO Matt Lee. Thanks again to everyone for coming. After doing a couple volunteer events with AFI specifically, I am super impressed with both the numbers and quality of folks coming out. You guys all came prepared with good gear, good conversation, and came ready to help. I've worked with a few BHA chapters over the years and there are always great, interesting people but you guys really exemplify the org in my opinion.  Great Job Matt, and the entire CO BHA and A ..read more

For Immediate Release April 24, 2024  Contact: Thomas Plank 303-720-0111, plank@backcountryhunters.org  BHA 2024 Rendezvous Celebrates 20 Years as the Voice for Public Lands, Waters, and Wildlife MINNEAPOLIS, MN— This past weekend in Minneapolis, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) commemorated its 20th anniversary at the 2024 North American Rendezvous, BHA’s flagship annual gathering. Overall, the event was wildly successful, drawing members and supporters from across the continent to celebrate their shared passion for conservation and advocacy for public lands, w ..read more

The State Game Commission is finally up to full membership, though with half the commissioners either brand new or relatively new to the job, their April meeting in Silver City was more about bringing them up to speed than accomplishing any business. Since the death of Commissioner David Soules in 2021, the governor’s dismissal of Commissioner Jeremy Vesbach and the subsequent resignation of Commissioner Roberta Salazar Henry, the seven-member commission has been far short of full. At times it did not even have enough bodies to constitute a quorum. But in March, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham mad ..read more

After joining the Idaho State Chapter Board, I’ve been lucky enough to get acquainted with the University of Idaho (U of I) Collegiate Chapter and their powerhouse of a President Jacob Young.  We first met when he graciously invited me to attend a duck call build he solicited and organized for the club. The event was a perfect combination of team building, learning about the pros and cons of a niche outdoor industry, and plain old loud “quacky” fun. During this, Jacob and I hatched a scheme to get their members out duck hunting with their new calls and complete a stewardship project I wa ..read more

For Immediate Release  April 19, 2024 Contact: Thomas Plank 303-720-0111, plank@backcountryhunters.org Western Arctic Public Lands Receives Greater Protections WASHINGTON, D.C. — As a leading advocate for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) applauded a final rule announced today by the Department of the Interior that will maximize protections for 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The NPR-A covers approximately 23 million acres of the Western Arctic, the largest tract of public land in the Unit ..read more