FISHING -- The catch of chinook in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia held steady last week with an average of 1.2 salmon per boat. Last week was perhaps the peak of the run heading to spawning areas below Priest Rapids Dam. The 2017 run…
WILDLIFE -- Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Spokane Audubon Society and Friends of Turnbull will host a community work party on Oct. 14 as part of an ongoing effort to restore native riparian habitat to benefit birds and other wildlife species. “We have hundreds of native…
WILDLIFE – Researchers in a five-year study of moose in Eastern Washington are asking the public to report any moose they see to help get more data on their preferred habitat. Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists are especially interested in reports from people who...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- DNA tests have confirmed that a wolf captured, tested and fixed with a GPS collar on June 8 is indeed a wolf. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a GPS collar placed on the wolf captured in June shows the 100-pound…
FISHING -- In this Outdoor Tech story about Stream Map USA, I explored an application that combines searchable mapping, GPS location and navigation, stream flow information and other features into a useful tool, especially for exploring new lakes, rivers and streams. I know there are...
WILDLIFE -- A pair of trumpeter swan successfully raised four cygnets this summer at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, and the young birds made their first flights this month, says frequent refuge visitor and photographer Carlene Hardt. "I'm glad to say that the family of six...
HUNTING – A man shot and killed a grizzly bear after it ran out of some brush and bit his adult son’s arm, Montana wildlife authorities say. The father and son were hunting black bears near the Hungry Horse Reservoir on Sunday when the bear…
PUBLIC LANDS -- In an apparent effort to open more federal public lands to oil and gas development, mining and grazing, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly is considering a rollback of the Sage Grouse Management Plan that was hammered out by a wide range of...
HUNTING – Hunters can zero-in their rifles before the general hunting seasons at the annual Sight-In Days at the Spokane Rifle Club. Club facilities along the Spokane River downstream from the Bowl and Pitcher will be open to nonmembers starting Friday and Saturday from 10…
HUNTING -- After reading the alarming account of a grouse hunter's way-too-close encounter with a pack of wolves, I may always leave the window of my pickup open when I'm out in wolf country with my bird dog. Minnesota hunter Justin Bailey was hunting ruffed...
FISHING -- Chumming – the practice of dumping bait of some sort in the water to attract fish so they can be caught -- is generally prohibited in Washington. That could change if a proposal to make chumming legal statewide for sport fishing is approved...
HUNTING -- Because of an apparent oversight in Washington's 2016 and 2017 fall turkey hunting seasons, camouflaged hunters could find themselves in the field during the general modern rifle deer season. Washington seasons for turkey hunters as well as archery and muzzleloader big-game hunters who...
PUBLIC LANDS -- With all the flag waving debate going on this week, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke got into the act Monday by saying 30 percent of his federal department are disloyal to the country. The debate that will follow that statement before a federal…
FISHING -- The fishing wasn't red hot, but anglers averaged 22 hours per chinook for 1.3 salmon per boat on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River last week. Fishing pressure was up from the previous week and catch rates were slightly higher, according to...
HUNTING -- Just as he was heading into the Idaho wilderness two weeks ago, I ran this story about backcountry elk bowhunter Howie Halcomb and his praise for his team of six pack goats. When Halcomb returned from his hunt, he posted this GoPro video…
FISHERIES -- The sockeye salmon returns to their spawning areas in Idaho was the second lowest in 10 years -- a statistic that actually exceeded expectations in a grim year for some Columbia River system fisheries such as steelhead. The 157 sockeye trapped in the...
GEOLOGY – Ice Age Floods Institute experts will lead two hikes to learn the geology of features such as a giant cave arch in central Washington’s upper Grand Coulee in October. Geologist-authors Gene Kiver and Bruce Bjornstad will lead groups to: Castle Lake Basin, Oct.…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Two conservation groups say they filed a lawsuit today seeking to stop the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife from killing any more state-endangered wolves. Three wolves from two packs were killed by state-authorized shooters this summer in an effort to stop...
FISHING --More than 100 spring chinook salmon not needed at a northern Idaho hatchery have been released into a creek to spawn naturally, giving a boost to the fishery one way or another. Eric Barker of the Lewiston Tribune reports that workers with Dworshak National…
TRAILS -- A volunteer work party to thin brush and prune trees to reduce fire danger on a portion of the South Hill bluff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30, organized by Friends of the South Hill Bluff. "Fires on the bluff threaten the whole...
FISHING – Simplifying Washington’s fishing regulations is the goal of 13 proposals that will be presented at public meetings across the state by Fish and Wildlife Department fish managers. Public comment on a proposed package of simplified recreational fishing regulations for freshwater species, such as…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolves have kept Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife field staff busy this suummer, especially in Stevens, Ferry and Asotin counties. Gray wolves are protected in Washington by state endangered species rules, but lethal measures can be taken in cases of self-defense...
FISHING -- Working on numerous complaints of illegal gillnetting on the Columbia River at the Deschutes River Sanctuary, Oregon State Police teamed with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement for a nighttime river patrol that caught two people deploying gillnets illegally before confiscating 85…
HUNTING -- The annual youth pheasant clinic for hosted by Idaho Department of Fish and Game's regional office in Lewiston is set for Oct. 7 near Genesee. This event is open to kids ages 10-16 that have passed hunter education and possess a 2017 hunting...
FISHING -- The annual Youth Steelhead Clinic for anglers ages 8-14 is set for October in Lewiston. Preregistration for limited slots is already open. The clinics will run 6 p.m.-8 p.m. on Oct. 26 and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the Idaho Fish...
