RIVER RUNNING -- A Montana man drew a coveted new permit that allows him to pick the ideal flows and perhaps the best fishing period any day of the year to launch a group of rafts down Montana's strictly regulated Smith River. Sean O'Connor of…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Every year, one can find the ruts of tire tracks over soggy forest roads -- as well as trails and even meadows. This wet transition from winter to spring is the most vulnerable time of year for roads, trails and off-trail lands…
FISHING -- Steelhead fishing will close April 1 on the Columbia River from Priest Rapids Dam to Chief Joseph Dam and the Wenatchee, Icicle, Entiat, Methow, Okanogan, and Similkameen rivers, the Washington Fish and Wildlife announced today. Read on for details.
WILDLIFE -- Good news arrived last night from Newman Lake, where my blog item last weekend reported the sad story of a deer with a Halloween bucket stuck on its face. "I can report that the deer is doing fine and the bucket is off!"…
WINTER SPORTS -- Snow continues to fall in the high country, creating a mix of conditions and for backcountry travelers, according to the weekly avalanche advisory just posted by the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center. Generally, avalanche conditions are MODERATE in the region with CONSIDERABLE avalanche…
BIG-GAME HUNTING -- A new law in Montana has made it more difficult to get a guaranteed big-game hunting tag through an outfitter. But in the state's first permit period, all of the available permits WERE NOT SOLD. If you want to hunt Montana in…
OUTFITTERS -- The suicide of a well-liked Middle Fork Salmon River guide last year is spurring the organizaton of a foundation to provide confidential access to mental and physical health care and substance abuse counseling for any of the 2,000 Idaho guides who might need…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
