FLY FISHING -- “Wild Rainbows of the Upper Columbia,” a free program sponsored by the Spokane Fly Fishers will be presented at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 8, at St. Francis School, 1104 W. Heroy. Canadian angler Kelly Laatsch, of St. Mary Angler Fly Shop in…
FISHING -- A proposal to increase the daily bag limit for walleye on the Sanpoil River Arm of Lake Roosevelt from 8 fish to 16 is on the agenda for a possible vote during the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting Jan. 10-11 at the…
HUNTING -- I started low along the Snake River and climbed high into the basalt cliffs for chukars on Saturday. It was a perfectly sunny but cool day for working my English setter, Scout, who was on his game.
WINTER SPORTS -- Although skiers would prefer a nice dump of new snow to soften the slopes, conditions were perfect for snowshoers exploring Mount Spokane from top to bottom today: firm footing, sunny skies and not a breath of wind on the summit.
SHOOTING -- Dick Metcalf, one of the country’s preeminent gun journalists for decades, has been dropped from a firearms TV show and dismissed as a columnist for Guns & Ammo magazine -- and gun companies have stopped wining, dining and flying him to exotic locations…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- Everybody's been looking back at 2013 for some perspective, including the Idaho Fish and Game Department. The revival of Lake Pend Oreille's kokanee fishery and completion of a new sockeye hatchery top the agency's highlights for the year. Read on for the…
WINTER SPORTS -- Packed ice on trails is a safety issue throughout the region where the snow cover is especially thin. The 23rd annual Best Hand Fun Ski and Snowshoe Event set for Saturday, Jan. 4, at 4th of July Pass has been canceled because…
Montana sites make national list of historic places saved, lost The National Trust for Historic Preservation released a list of 10 sites saved and 10 lost in 2013, with the Upper Missouri River Breaks in Central Montana making the saved list, and Pompey's Pillar in…
WINTER SPORTS -- In the past few weeks, snow-goers have been worshipping every new inch of the precious-little snow that's been falling from the sky. That's why the 4 inches of beautiful snow that fell last night on Lookout Pass stirs some excitement. And look…
UPDATE 1 p.m., 1-3-14: Be patient and willing to try later... the Washington website for reporting hunting activity has been down for hours, possibly from a surge in hunters trying to get on line. HUNTING -- Washington hunters must file a report for each deer,…
WINTER SPORTS -- It's the only Iditarod and Yukon Quest sled dog race qualifier in the lower 48 that takes place west of the Rocky Mountains -- and it's virtually in our backyard. The 10th annual running of the Eagle Cap Extreme sled dog race…
STATE PARKS -- The public has until Tuesday, Jan. 7, to comment on a proposal to allow commercial advertising in the Washington state parks website. At its next regular meeting on Jan. 23, the parks commission plans to approve a new Washington State Parks advertising…
WINTER SPORTS -- Will this suit put a chill on what foreign exchange students are exposed to as guests in the United States? German family sues Montana ski resort for teen's death The family of a German exchange student, who died after skiing into a…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- Idaho Fish and Game is seeking public comments on proposed changes to the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 upland game, turkey and furbearer seasons. Comments are due on Friday, Jan. 3. Idaho Fish and Game proposes: To allow nonresident trappers to trap any species…
WINTER SPORTS -- Ski resorts are the obvious beneficiaries from a good dump of snow, and perhaps the most public insight into the economic importance of a steadily building snowpack through winter. Farmers, river rafters, hydropower operators and many more interests are keeping their eye…
RESERVOIRS -- The annual drawdown of Lake Spokane, the Spokane River reservoir also known as Long Lake, is set to begin on Monday (Jan. 6), Avista Utilities announced today in a media release. In 2013, the drawdown started on Jan. 23. Once the drawdown begins,…
PADDLING -- For the 19th year, paddlers from the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club bring in the New Year with an outing on the Little Spokane River. Wednesday was no different, although the temperatures were more on the mild side compared with other years. Eric…
FISHING -- Sean Visintainer of Silver Bow Fly Shop sends this photo with the post, "Starting off 2014 right... Jennifer Nepean with her first ever steelhead!" Caught on the Grande Ronde near Boggans New Year's Day. "The river is in great shape for winter fishing,"…
UPDATED 10:35 a.m. 1-2-14 WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Just when it seemed the annual winter bald eagle count was going to stall at Lake Coeur d'Alene, the number soared to 217 eagles on Monday. Carrie Hugo, a U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist, can't officially…
NATIONAL PARKS — Boaters and anglers can save money buy buying their season boat launch permit for Lake Roosevelt before the end of April. A launch permit is required at all designated National Park Service-managed ramps regardless of the type of vessel. Without a season…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.