GAME FOR COOKING -- Most hunters relish bringing back their game for the family table. In the following story, a Montana hunter, mother, cook and comptetitive shooter tells about her adventure with saving a mule deer buck's heart from the gutpile and turning it into…
WILDLIFE -- Yesterday I ran the True/False portion of a quiz to let you test how much you know about the white-tailed deer that flourish from our yards to wheatfields and from river bottoms to modest forest elevations across the nation. Here's Part 2 of…
WILDLIFE -- A male black wolf shot by a southeastern Montana rancher Sunday had traveled hundreds of miles from its former home range in Wyoming, officials say. The 2-1/2-year old wolf was far from home — 300 in a direct line and many more on…
NORDIC SKIING -- The Panhandle Nordic Club will hear a program by John Latta of the Stevens Peak Backcountry Coalition at its Dec. 6 meeting, 7 p.m., at the Forest Service Fernan Ranger Station just east of Coeur d'Alene. The meeting also is the club's…
FISHING -- Idaho's steelhead harvest season continues on the Clearwater, Salmon, Little Salmon and lower Snake rivers with some new rules that went into effect Aug. 1. In case you didn't catch on to them, the new rules allow anglers to transport anadromous salmon and…
WINTER SPORTS -- A 32-year-old Whitefish man is in the running to be named the “Ultimate Ski Bum,” a title that comes with a prize package worth about $30,000, the Associated Press reports. His resume includes sking about 150 days a year, about 70 at…
WILDLIFE -- How much do you know about the white-tailed deer that flourish from our yards to wheatfields and from river bottoms to modest forest elevations across the nation? The whitetail is the most popular big-game animal in North America, prized by hunters and wildlife…
NORDIC SKIING -- Mount Spokane State Park's snowcat groomer is set to roll on the 30-mile nordic skiing trail system starting Thursday night, park manager Steve Christensen said. A snowmobile groomer has been used to pack many of the trails and a good base is…
WILDLIFE SCIENCE -- A Kettle Falls-area polar bear scientist is one of 29 leading conservationists internationally who are in contention for next year’s $100,000 Indianapolis Prize. Steven Amstrup moved to Stevens County about a year ago when he retired from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska…
FISHERIES -- Officials north of the border had reason to suspect viruses in Pacific salmon a decade ago, but kept it under their tukes. Sen. Maria Cantwell this week is calling for stronger communication between American and Canadian officials following the disclosure that Canada failed…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Five new members were named today to the Bureau of Land Management’s Coeur d’Alene District citizen-based Resource Advisory Council. The announcement was just released by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The appointees will serve a three-year term and advise the BLM…
HUNTING -- It ain't over 'til it's over, as the saying goes. The whitetail rut might be winding down in some areas, but it's still a positive factor for hunters who have tagged big bucks in the past couple of days. Bowhunters in eastern Washington's…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Volunteers with skills to travel deep into the backcountry on skis or snowshoes are being trained for monitoring bait stations involved in an Idaho-Montana wolverine research project. Wolverines are a backcountry-loving secretive member of the weasel family protected by the Endangered Species…
WILDLIFE WATCHING – A week can make a big difference in the numbers of bald eagles gathering for their annual feast of spawning kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene. On Tuesday, the season's second weekly eagle count at Wolf Lodge Bay tallied a whopping 76 bald…
PREDATORS -- A quote to consider regarding the status of wolf control in Montana: "Most hunters say 'I'm just not going to put aside my deer and elk season for wolves.' So it will be interesting to see if anybody shows up and if they'll…
HUNTING -- Idaho's 2012 licenses, tags and permits go on sale Thursday, with sales of the popular nonresident Selway B elk tags starting at 9 a.m. .Nonresident hunters can buy their licenses and tags at Fish and Game offices, any license vendor, or by credit…
A 75-year-old lawyer who fought private property rights battles alongside Idaho U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth and her Nevada rancher husband Wayne Hage in the 1990s is still cultivating the Sagebrush Rebellion’s roots and earning handsome speaking fees from conservative audiences across the West. Associated Press…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday a proposal to designate 375,562 acres of critical habitat in North Idaho and northeastern Washington for southern Selkirk Mountains woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The action…
HUNTING– The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting letters of interest through Dec. 18 for membership on the department’s Master Hunter Advisory Group. Four positions are open on the 15-member volunteer group, which advises the state on issues affecting the department’s Master Hunter…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- After four years of development, extensive public review -- and lingering controversy -- the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider adopting a plan for managing wolves as they re-establish breeding packs on the east side of the state. The commission, currently…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Despite considerable controversy over the proposed Washington Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, it's likely to be approved this weekend by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Read my previous blog post for links and details. The major point of contention is the…
BOATING - New restrictions on motorized boating went into effect last weekend on Missoula area rivers, including parts of the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and Blackfoot. On the Clark Fork, motorized travel is prohibited year-round through Missoula, from the old Milltown Reservoir area to just above…
WATERFOWL -- She’s back! A wood duck once again is bringing the “White Christmas” spirit to Riverfront park. The mystery has been solved about the wood duck bringing a white Christmas spirit to Riverfront Park. Some speculated it was an albino, others suggested the duck…
PREDATORS -- A southwestern Montana sportsman’s group is hoping to encourage wolf hunting in the Bitterroot Valley by holding a drawing for a rifle from among the names of those who successfully bag a wolf in December. Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association President Tony…
FISHERIES MANAGEMENT -- At a public meeting today, Ferry County Commissioners remained neutral on a proposal to repeal selective gear fishing regulations and allow bait fishing and barbed hooks in a portion of the Kettle River. The proposal, which stems from the Kettle River Advisory…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
