Waterfowling by canoe is budget hunter's dream trip
HUNTING -- John Roland retrieves my duck while we were waterfowling by canoe today. Who needs a dog? Best of all, after the hunt I sent him back to his master and let her feed him.
Outdoors blog archive for Nov. 2011
SATURDAY, NOV. 26, 2011
FRIDAY, NOV. 25, 2011
ROW offers deals for outdoors crowd on Adventure Tuesday
Playing on the craze of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, for the third year ROW Adventures will be offering "Adventure Tuesday™" -- featuring one-time, limited quantity deals to quick dialing adventure travelers. No need to stay up all night. Adventure Tuesday™ will begin at 9…
Maybe a tractor rental should come with every moose tag
HUNTING -- Don Gunter of Post Falls had all the tools for going out to fill the coveted Idaho moose tag he drew this year: Rifle, pickup, knives and saws, strong hunting partner... But he also was prepared for the bigger job of handling a…
Hunter orange clothing works in more ways than one
HUNTER SAFETY -- Wearing fluorescent orange clothing already was a requirement for hunters in Montana when I passed my hunter education course and bought my first hunting license in the 1960s. I know some guys think only scaredy cats wear hunter orange, especially in Idaho…
THURSDAY, NOV. 24, 2011
Salmon River steelheading hot as interest wanes
FISHING -- The holidays are taking a bite out of the fishing pressure on the Snake and Salmon rivers, but the fishing in the Salmon near Riggins has been very good for anglers with a pass to leave home. "A lot of bigger native steelhead…
Thanksgiving greeting from the game warden's diary
Here are best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving in the form of a short story you'll find heartwarming, or perhaps a bit of a heartburn. It was passed on to me from a reader. A game warden was driving down the road when he came…
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23, 2011
Windy days risky for hiking at Mount Spokane
MOUNTAIN WEATHER -- "Today I hiked down to the Spokane Mountaineers chalet (near the cross-country ski trails) through knee-deep snow," said Holly Weiler, a club member and diehard hiker. "Then I hiked back to the car and discovered a big tree across the driveway, right…
Grizzly in zoo has reason to postpone hibernation
CRITTERS -- One of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's four 11-month-old grizzly bear cubs enjoys a pumpkin for a snack at the Zoo in Cleveland on Tuesday. Besides providing the animals with enrichment, the pumpkins are a preview to the treats many of the animals will…
Most ski areas open; 5th graders get special deal
WINTER SPORTS -- Silver Mountain opend its lifts Monday while 49 Degrees North had customers floating on two feet of prime powder for it's opener on Saturday. Lookout Pass will reopen on Thanksgiving and Mt. Spokane opens Friday, conditions permitting. FREEBIE FOR 5th GRADERS Don't…
Bighorn ram evaded hunters, poachers, but fell to car
BIG GAME -- A Washington bighorn ram that had endured countless hardships, evaded predators and the occasional hunter lucky enough to draw the rare bighorn sheep hunting permit for the Vulcan Mountain area met its end in a collision with a motor vehicle last week…
Wife of man killed by bear hunter sues 3 firms
HUNTING ACCIDENTS -- The widow of a man fatally shot by a hunter who mistook him for a bear in September has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the hunter and three Western Washington companies, reports the News-Tribune in Tacoma. Although a jury acquitted the shooter…
TUESDAY, NOV. 22, 2011
Bald eagles taking their time getting to Lake CdA for annual gathering
WILDLIFE WATCHING – The annual gathering of bald eagles that feast on spawning kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene is getting off to a slow start. The eagle count at Wolf Lodge Bay is down by 70 percent from last year at this time, said Carrie…
Wind, warming changes avalanche conditions in mountains
WINTER SPORTS -- "We just began Chapter II of winter 2011/12," Kevin Davis of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center says in an announcement this afternoon. "This change in weather is introducing a significant load to a weak snowpack. As of the sending of this email…
Comments requested on Kettle River bait-fishing proposal
FISHING -- As I explained in my Thursday outdoors column, a proposal has come through the back door of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to revert back to allowing bait fishing in the Kettle River. Selective gear rules adopted with local citizen input in…
Fly fisher faces cold reality on Spokane River
FLY FISHING -- While skiers were waiting in lift lines to go busting powder over the weekend, 20-something Spokane fly fisher Dustin Bise snapped this photo to illustrate his peaceful day casting for trout on the Spokane River.
Big snow: nordic skiers having fun, too
WINTER SPORTS -- Alpine skiers weren't the only ones reveling in the early onslaught of winter and the deep powder in the mountains last week. Cross-country skiers were having a great time making tracks from the back-country of North Idaho, on Mount Spokane's ungroomed but…
Colville Forest OKs South End motor vehicle plan
PUBLIC LANDS -- Off-road vehicle riders have more routes for legally riding their ATVs and motorcycles on the Colville National Forest, according to a plan approved this month. Forest Supervisor Laura Jo West signed the South End Motor Vehicle Management Plan, which designates roads and…
Aerial photos define Banks Lake drawdown, good fishing holes
FISHING -- The jury's still out on how much the lowest maintenance drawdown in Banks Lake's history will impact the reservoir's popular sport fisheries. But opportunistic bass, walleye, whitefish and panfish anglers are making photos and detailed notes of exposed structure they'll want to explore…
Avalanche awareness classes scheduled by Idaho Panhandle experts
WINTER SPORTS -- Backcountry travelers are urged to sign up for one of several free avalanche classes being presented by the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center as well as Idaho State Parks and Recreation. While groups can book special avalanche classes -- The Spokane Mountaineers have…
MONDAY, NOV. 21, 2011
Idaho has its fill of 'down under' hunters
HUNTING/POACHING -- Three Australians on a North Ameican hunting trip have been sent packing, but not before Idaho officials fined them thousands of dollars for elk poaching and told the bad apples they could never return to hunt in Idaho and virtually anywhere else in…
It's official: snow closes North Cascades Highway for season
MOUNTAIN ROADS -- The Washington Transportation Department decided today to close the North Cascades Highway for the winter. The 37-mile section of Highway 20 was temporarily shut down Nov. 15, and the department made it final today with heavy snow in the forecast. The highway…
Wild week for wildlife police: 48 arrests, 24 warnings made
HUNTING/POACHING -- Hunters relished wintery conditions that coincided with the onset of the rut last week. Conditions were good for filling a tag in the final days of the late rifle whitetail buck hunt, which ended Saturday in northeastern Washington. Poachers seemed to like the…
Anglers not holding a high standard along Snake River
FISHING – Anglers along the Snake and Grande Ronde rivers have been leaving a lot to be desired in the categories of ethics and compliance with fishing rules. On a recent boat patrol along the Snake River upstream from Clarkston, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department…
Web cams: Seeing is believing at region's ski resorts
WINTER SPORTS -- Technology has made it easier than ever to monitor snow conditions at the region's mountain passes and winter sports resorts. Click on the following links for web cam views of your favorite Inland Northwest ski area or the road to get there.…
Montana may sell 7,200 acres of state land
PUBLIC LANDS -- Montana is considering the sale of 7,280 acres of its lands in northeastern Montana’s Daniels County, 49 tracts ranging from 5 to 360 acres, according to the Billings Gazette. “Over the years, landowners and others in Daniels County have urged the Department…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
Blog Archives
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