FISHING -- Wayne Heinz wrote a story for Northwest Sportsman magazine recently about the anglers who've caught whopper pre-spawn walleyes -- including the state record -- out of the Columbia River and its sloughs in McNary Pool. Then he went out, practiced what he'd professed…
DEER HUNTING -- Hunters affected by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission's recent decision to reduce the number of tags in several southern Idaho mule deer controlled hunts have options even though they may have submitted their controlled hunt applications. Hunters who applied for controlled…
ENVIRONMENT – Some people in the Inland Northwest would like to think we live in a pristine area without need for strict environmental regulations or Superfund help. But 150 or so tundra swans each year tell us something to the contrary as they slowly die…
RIVERS -- High river flows have forced closures to any kind of rafting or boating on portions of two Montana rivers -- The Smith and Belt Creek -- plus access restrictions for the Missouri River. Read on for details.
COLUMBIA RIVER -- Concerns about a major Columbia River runoff event that still might come from the headwaters, the Bureau of Reclamation is pushing water through Grand Coulee Dam without signifcantly raising levels from this spring's deep drawdown. The reservoir elevation was down to a…
BIG GAME HUNTING -- Bad news for the growth of southern Idaho mule deer herds: Fish and Game Department big-game managers said last week the overall over-winter fawn survival among 15 study areas is the lowest since the agency began monitoring: 69 percent of radio-collared…
> FISHING -- Idaho Fish and Game will be wheeling out "Take Me Fishing Trailers" packed with fishing rods and tackle for Idaho Panhandle kids to use free at trout-stocked ponds in June. The "Take Me Fishing" trailer debuts this season: June 2, 4 p.m.-7…
PUBLIC LANDS – This is prime time to visit the BLM’s Escure Ranch area south of Sprague. The scabland area is green, Rock Creek is flowing nicely over Towell Falls, wildflowers are blooming and the cheatgrass hasn’t turned brown and full of spears. Read on…
WILDLIFE -- A rattlesnake that slithered near a Kennewick playground on Thursday was quickly dispatched by a police officer and tossed in the Columbia River. According to the Associated Press, a Seattle couple called 911 when they spotted the snake moving in the grass near…
NOT QUITE RAGING REPTILES -- Despite the fear and loathing rattlesnakes provoke, they fight like gentlemen among themselves. Ray Sasser of the Dallas Morning News described; a spring battle between two male western rattlers vying for mating rights to a nearby female. The snakes were…
LAKES -- The main gate at the Bureau of Land Management’s Blackwell Island Recreation Site will reopen on Wednesday ( May 25). Both the day use and boat launch will be open. The daily parking fee is$4. The area is checked daily. BLM staff will…
SALMON FISHING -- The 2011 Yakima River spring chinook season had great potential. The fish took their sweet time heading upriver, but about two weeks ago, some of the fish that had climbed over McNary Dam arrived in the Yakima and started running over Prosser…
HIKING -- Members of the Northeastern Washington Native Plant Society are leading a nifty native plant walk on Sunday into Hog Canyon Lake area of the BLM Fishtrap Lake management area west of Spokane. They will explore this lovely shrub-steppe pronounced scabland terrain with mima…
NATURE -- Sylvia Eberspecher of the Northeastern Washington Native Plant Society is leading a native plant hike in the Iller Creek Conservation Area of the Dishman Hills on Saturday. Learn about native plants during a leisurely hike through a semiarid ponderosa pine forest with lovely…
SALMON PREDATORS -- The Humane Society of the United States has gone back to federal court to block the killing of California sea lions that eat endangered or threatened salmon at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River east of Portland, the Associated Press reports. The…
PREDATORS -- A second wolf has been killed by northeastern Oregon authorities attempting to stop attacks on cattle, but not before another calf was found killed by wolves this week, the Associated Press reports. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says a young female…
PREDATORS -- Angry hunters pressed the Idaho Fish and Game Commission Wednesday to act boldly and swiftly to reduce the state’s wolf population, currently at more than 700, down to the 150-wolf minimum allowed by law. “Collar 150 of them, keep track of them and…
BOATING -- The recent rain and increased snow melt brought good news for boat users and Lake Chelan recreationists. The Lake Chelan water level is now rising which will make public docks more accessible in and allow the Lady of the Lake to shuttle hikers…
OUTDOOR PURSUITS -- With the deadline close and the pressure on, I must admit I'm having a difficult time deciding whether to go hiking or fishing on Saturday before the world ends. What would other outdoor enthusiasts do? It will tell me a lot if…
HUNTING DOGS -- The Spokane Retriever Club has had to cancel its spring AKC retriever trails at Espanola training grounds near Medical Lake for the past three years. But today more than 160 dogs will start competing in three days of trials in a landscape…
SALMON FISHING -- Flows in the Clearwater and Salmon rivers are receding and Idaho Fish and Game officials predict fishing conditions should vastly improve by the weekend. Regional fisheries manager Joe DuPont said hot weather Saturday followed by rain on Sunday and Monday caused rivers…
STATE PARKS -- Severe storm damage has forced a temporary closure at the Indian Creek Unit of Priest Lake State Park, officials said Thursday. The campground and day use facilities including the boat launch are closed until May 25. Meantime, the Lionhead Unit and Dickensheet…
FISHING -- Despite the extremely low water level of 121 feet below full pool and only 3 ramps accessible for anglers, 373 contestants in 192 boats competed in the 9th annual Trout and Salmon Derby out of Lake Koocanusa Resort last weekend. Doug Florey of…
STATE PARKS -- Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park will be allowed to expand into pristine terrain on the mountain’s northwest face. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission voted 4-0 Thursday afternoon to allow the expansion to move forward, after hours of discussion about…
BOATING -- The Lake Spokane (Long Lake) Campground boat launch is temporarily open this weekend through Sunday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m., Department of Natural Resources officials announced this afternoon. The facility is 18 miles northeast of Reardan off U.S. Highway 291. But for some reason the…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
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