UA For the Birds
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
WALKER CONYNGHAM, BHA COMMUNICATIONSCOORDINATORBird hunting is generational. From the guns we shoot to
the dogs we chase, each aspect of upland hunting carries with
it a sense of past and future. To many, this tradition seems
perpetual and unchanging. Yet upland hunters recognize that
there are clear and present threats to our pastime.
One often-overlooked aspect of upland hunting is public
access. A changing agricultural sector, population growth
and ongoing attacks on public lands are just a few threats to
our ability to hunt quality habitat and find birds. Reduced
opportunity is the primary variable in the decline in hunter
participation nationwide and will impact future generations
far more than my own.
I’m proud to work for an organization whose principal
objective is conserving and maintaining access to our public
lands and waters. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA)
was formed in 2004 and has rapidly grown to include
chapters in 44 states, Washington, D.C. and three Canadian
provinces. BHA members, chapter leaders and staff work to
uphold and improve access to public lands all across North
America.
One recent example of BHA’s work and its relevance
to the upland community is the passage of S.47, the John D.
Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
BHA, other conservation groups and numerous champions
in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate spent
years fighting for the provisions in the bill to become law.
Ultimately, this legislation passed with a resounding 92-
vote in the Senate and advanced through the House in a vote
of 363-62. In addition to permanently authorizing the Land
and Water Conservation Fund, the most successful public
access program in the U.S., S.47 achieves the following:
It reauthorizes the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program,Backcountry Hunters & Anglers works to ensure that America’s public lands will
remain open and available to outdoor recreation enthusiasts. (Photo/Ryan Busse,
BHA North American Board Chair)which incentivizes landowners to conserve quality habitat for
migratory birds like woodcock; it requires federal agencies to
prioritize providing access to lands where recreational activities
like hunting are allowed but not readily accessible; it mandates
that Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands
stay open for hunting, fishing and shooting unless closed for a
specific reason.
BHA was far from alone in the campaign to pass S.47,
but we worked hard to engage and mobilize grassroots leaders
across the country. BHA relies on volunteers more than
anything else: Chapter leaders across the country drive policy
decisions and outreach campaigns in addition to boots-on-the-
ground conservation projects. Whether they chase grouse and
woodcock in the Northeast and Midwest, quail in the South or
Himalayan snowcock in the Ruby Mountains, our bird hunting
members are invested in BHA because we’re dedicated to
conserving and maintaining access to the public lands on which
we rely.
Let’s not labor under the misconception that our
experiences chasing dogs and flushing birds will stay the
same year after year, generation after generation. Some things
improve, like knowledge that is passed down and built upon
with each successive year. However, I have heard enough
stories from my grandfather about 40-flush days on New
England grouse to know that hunters need to adapt to changing
conditions and work hard to protect the resource. The lands we
hunt, public or those private holdings with access easements,
must not be taken for granted.National Bobwhite Conservation
Initiative
Top Tip for Finding Bobwhites
THOMAS V. DAILEY, PH.D., NBCI SCIENCE COORDINATORA striking bobwhite
phenomenon is their
predawn covey call in fall.
This provides an enjoyable
way for both quail hunters
and landowners to identify
the presence and abundance
of bobwhites – as well as an
opportunity to train bird dogs. (Coveys often move away from
roosts soon after calling, so try to flush them soon after sunrise.)
Biologists have researched fall bobwhite calling behavior, and
the National Quail Symposium Proceedings from the National
Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) has key reports –
search on “covey calling” at http://trace.tennessee.edu/nqsp/.
Also check out NBCI’s “Bobwhites’ Koi-Lee – Calling all Quail
Hunters” on YouTube.
Local bobwhite abundance ebbs and flows in response
to weather, producing record counts in some areas with