BACKCOUNTRY J OURNAMagazine of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers SpringL 2013 Trouble in Bristol Bay? What Does Backcountry Mean to You? Alaskan Fly-In Zen of Tracking Eastern Backcountry Building Better Fisheries MEDFORD, OR MEDFORD, PERMIT NO. 14 NO. PERMIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE U.S. NON-PROFIT ORG. NON-PROFIT INTERIM DireCTOR’s NOTE By Holly Endersby UNGANNON D UANE D / UNSET S ADE C AS C Tips for telling others about Backcountry Hunters & Anglers t our rendezvous in Missoula last tion is the name of the game with federal grandkids to ensure continued citizen ad- March, members wanted to know agencies, and BHA is an early adopter of vocacy and protection for our public land Ahow they could be more effective that style of engagement with a wide ar- and water. representatives of BHA. Often, we receive ray of stakeholders. calls asking for talking points our mem- We make a difference where other bers can use at sports shows or meetings. traditional “green” groups meet signifi- With that in mind, this year we add- cant resistance. ed a seminar on that topic. If you couldn’t Our Solution: We follow federal attend, here are some general statements and state legislation closely to educate that can help you educate decision mak- our members and decision-makers on ers and sportsmen about BHA. how specific actions will impact wildlife Mission: Backcountry Hunters and habitat, intact ecosystems and connectiv- Anglers seeks to ensure America’s out- ity between these systems. door heritage of hunting and fishing in We participate in collaborative pro- a natural setting through education and cesses dealing with public land and wa- Backcountry Hunters & Anglers work on behalf of wild public land and ter management to ensure healthy, intact Board of Directors water. ecosystems are a top priority of land What we offer: A path forward with management agencies. Ben Long (MT), Co-Chairman; a unique voice to protect public land and We work to ensure that local com- Joel Webster (MT), Co-Chairman; water to ensure ecosystem health and ro- munities understand the economic ben- Tony Heckard (OR), Secretary; bust populations of native wildlife. efits of healthy public land and water. Sean Carriere (ID), Treasurer; A collaborative approach to public land We advocate for changes to motor- Wayne Capp (MT); David Lien (CO); management with a voice that resonates ized recreation on both the state and fed- Larry Fischer (ID); John Gale (CO); in communities primarily throughout the eral level to protect native wildlife, soil Joe Mirasole (WA); Jay Banta (UT); West. and water. David Lyon (AK); We work to preserve pristine land and We offer the voice of traditional Mike Beagle (OR), President Emeritus hunters and anglers as an offset to pow- water the old fashioned way: our mem- Holly Endersby, Interim Director/ erful groups who claim to be hunter ad- bers know the areas footstep by footstep Conservation Director, 208-628-3956 and speak with intimate knowledge and vocates. passion. What Makes us Different?We know Rose Caslar, Development Associate, Issue: As our population grows and and love the land and water we work to 541-398-0091 protect; there is nothing abstract about as more Americans turn to motorized Kevin Rhoades, Backcountry Journal recreation, the citizen base of hunter con- our knowledge of public land and water editor, [email protected] servationists, in particular, in the mold of issues. We are the boots-on-the-ground Teddy Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold, is folks. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers not being emphasized. BHA is a voice Our voice resonates in the West in PO Box 126, Joseph, OR 97846 that decision-makers and agency per- particular, but also in other states and www.backcountryhunters.org sonnel hear. We are the voice of millions communities where hunting and fishing [email protected] of traditional hunters/anglers. Without are valued traditions. COVER PHOTO BY JA C K BALLARD BHA, motorized incursion will eat away We work toward multi-party deci- at prime wildlife habitat. sions that spell success for all. Opportunity: BHA wields far more Our decisions are science-based. influence than our relatively small num- We are not a species-specific group bers would indicate. There is a crying nor are we a hunting club; we are public need for traditional conservationists to land and water advocates. advocate for roadless land protection and We pass our hunting and angling wild and scenic river status. Collabora- tradition in wild lands onto our kids and 2 Backcountry Journal, Spring 2013 ONG L EN , B ILDERNESS W EAR CO-CHAIRMAN’s NOTE By Ben Long B REAT G What does backcountry mean to you? ecently, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Conservation Coordi- Rnator Tim Brass posted a ques- tion on our Facebook page – “What does ‘backcountry’ mean to you?” It sparked a lot of colorful discus- sion. Here’s how some of you answered: “If you can’t get cell phone service and you drove more than a mile with no houses and then walked at least a half mile to get to your hunting spot. Now that’s what backcountry in Ohio is.” CS, Ohio “20 miles in on a horse.” CL “Back far enough to hear the elk bugle at dawn – and nothing else.” BL, Montana “Where grizzlies and wolves live.” MR, Alaska “Miles in on a trail that pinstripes your truck. Then walking where no other person has gone or will go. Just you and Like many of our members, BHA Co-Chairman Ben Long and son Aidan enjoy fishing in solitude. the animals you plan to glass and put the sneak on.” LC, Idaho “No ATVs, no roads, few people and ing and fishing. But we will lose it if we’re “Those places we are always trying beautiful unspoiled country.” VC not careful. Indeed, most of us with a to get back to, and never want to come “No road access.” BB little gray in the beard can check off a list back from.” JL, Colorado One of our Facebook friends from of our favorite hunting and fishing spots “A day’s ride horseback where no Canada asked, perhaps tongue in cheek, that have been lost to motorized traffic, truck or ATV can get in a week!” JS “Do you still have backcountry hunting industrial development or strip malls and “Being away from the road hunter! and fishing in the USA?” pavement. If you belong to BHA, you In some spots that is a quarter of mile, in The answer is yes, but backcoun- probably want to stop that bleeding, so others it’s five miles. I just like seeing the try means different things to different our kids and grandkids can enjoy the ex- wild animal doing wild animal things.” people. If you hunt the whitetails out periences that make our lives rich today. RD of a tree stand in Pennsylvania or Ohio, At BHA, we understand that the “Away from everything man has you might cherish a woodlot, river bot- foundation of all our hunting and fishing created.” CLC tom or quiet patch of state forest, where opportunity is access to healthy habitat. “At least one day’s walk from the you park your rig at the gate. If you’re a Habitat and clean water are important nearest road-accessible place.” JC backpack hunter or angler in Wyoming for our hearts and souls, but also impor- “Peace and relaxation.” BH or New Mexico, your heart may belong tant for wildlife, both game and nongame. “A place where one does not worry to a backside of a mountain accessible That land also provides many benefits for about being shot, robbed, stabbed or have by Forest Service trail. If you’re lucky society as a whole. to put up with folks that have never had enough to own pack stock, or hire a bush Our Facebook friends described the the opportunity to enjoy the great out- plane, then you might cherish Alaska’s backcountry values BHA works to con- doors.” HC Brooks Range, Idaho’s Selway-Bitterroot serve. “Exhale.” JS, California Wilderness or the MacKenzie Range of Please share with us your own defi- “No sound of the internal combus- northern Canada. nition of “backcountry” by emailing us at tion engine.” DF Yes, we still have backcountry hunt- [email protected] Backcountry Journal, Spring 2013 3 Toward a Moral Philosophy of Hunting By David Petersen hen I look with a and events and forces, rather than on growing sense of loss ‘We can only treat badly misty mystical speculation and wishful at what is happen- those things whose thinking. ing to hunting under souls we disregard.’ Consequently, I see no way and no the banner of “mod- —Thomas Moore need to convincingly deny critics’ claims Wern” today – canned killing operations, that animals are capable of suffering emo- the decline of woodsmanship in favor of tional as well as physical pain at the hands electronic technology, the growing num- of hunters, particularly those among our ber of TV shows celebrating horn-porn, ranks who flat don’t give a damn about bait and high fences – a common degrad- the fates of their prey. Even so, the wis- ing theme clearly runs through it all: An est moral and biological option is not to aching lack of respect for the animals give in to our critics and abandon hu- we hunt and the honorable traditions of manity’s evolved predatory relationship hunting. We’re left with a lack of respect to wild animals as “cruel and obsolete,” for ourselves. which would be to allow suburban ide- The sense we get from today’s ology to overrule natural reality.