WINTERSPORTS -- Just-released news of special interest to backcountry skiers and snowmobilers alike: The U.S. Forest Service today released the final policy for managing snowmobile and other "over-snow" vehicle use on national forests and grasslands. As directed by court order, the policy requires that roads,…
FISHING -- I'm guessing the photo above will never be matched at Sprague Lake or anyplace in Idaho or Washington. Minnesotans take ice fishing seriously. An estimated 10,000 anglers headed for Gull Lake last week for the annual $150,000 Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. The…
WILDLIFE -- Florida wildlife officers trapped and killed the biggest Florida black bear on record Sunday in Longwood.The mammoth animal, which had been roaming Seminole County neighborhoods and causing safety concerns for more than a month, weighed 740 pounds -- that's heavier than the combined…
FISHING -- Anglers fishing the Clearwater River are enjoying a healthy increase in the number of steelhead returning, according to the Idaho Fish and Game Department. After a lackluster season in 2013-2014, the number of “B-run” steelhead is up in 2015, and anglers are taking…
PUBLIC LANDS -- State and Federal scientists have spent many years and millions of dollars documenting the compelling reasons why the United States should avoid drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. I visited the refuge in the early 1990s and...
HUNTING -- The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has set seasons for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats for 2015, adding moose tags for the Panhandle Region and adding new hunts farther south for bighorn sheep. The new rules will include the following changes: Panhandle...
ENDANGERED SPECIES — The Montana man's excuse that grizzlies were a threat to his grandchildren didn't fly in court. Everett Skunkcap, 75, accused of killing three grizzly bears near his Browning home last summer has been ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution. The U.S. Attorney’s…
WILDERNESS — Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch derailed a 2010 wilderness bill but says he’s working now with U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson on a scaled-down version as others attempt to persuade President Barack Obama to designate a central Idaho area a national monument. Risch, a...
ENVIRONMENT -- Duck hunters and anglers are noticing the difference, and it's nothing new to cattle ranchers and farmers. Ground water levels are getting lower in much of Eastern Washington and deep-well irrigation is part of the issue. Sportsmen can get up to speed on...
BOATING – Idaho boat registrations, which must be renewed starting Jan. 1, help fund county recreational boating services and marine law enforcement activities, the state Department of Parks and Recreation says. Idaho allows boaters to decide what counties receive their registration dollars. The annual registration…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Sportsman's groups are organizing a voice against efforts in Western states to eliminate federal control of public land. Lawmakers in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming are spending considerable money and effort in attempts to get state control of federal public lands within...
SURVIVAL -- Fairchild's Air Force survival instructors are schooling Priest Lake Search and Rescue in the art of survival this weekend. Everybody's a volunteer in this group, getting ready to help other outdoors folks out should they need it. By the way, everyone should practice...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- I was late into the office this morning, delayed by urgent messages from a variety of critters. Last night's light, wet snow created a fresh page for wildlife to tell the stories of their early-morning lives for trackers to read. Conditions are...
WILDLIFE WATCHING --Bald eagles at Lake Coeur d’Alene for their annual gathering to feed on spawning kokanee are dispersing, a U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist says. Carrie Hugo, who has surveyed eagles in Wolf Lodge Bay almost weekly since early November, counted 28…
FISHING -- Anglers and scientists are promoting a descending device that saves fish that are released after being hooked in deep water and reeled up to the surface. Anglers have winced at the bulging eyes and swim bladder protruding from the mouth of fish caught...
PREDATORS -- Although fewer than half of Idaho's wolf packs have been surveyed this winter, state wildlife officials already have documented the number of breeding pairs exceeds federal requirements. After the 1995 re-introduction of wolves into Idaho, the species multiplied quickly, peaking around 2009. The...
HUNTING DOGS — A dog protecting its owner wouldn’t let a manager at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge near Longview, Wash., approach the duck blind where the hunter had fatally collapsed.
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Feeding wild birds is one of the most popular outdoor activities in the U.S. While a handout can help birds find the calories needed to survive the winter, improper feeding can spread disease or increase birds' exposure to predators. the Idaho Department...
WILDLIFE CONTROL -- On a small scale, I spray my fruit tree for aphids, trap mice that get into my garage and bait yellowjackets that buzz onto my deck. Farmers and ranchers have similar issues on a gigantic scale. They get some help from hunters…
FISHING -- Note to self: Go fly fishing for cutthroats at Priest Lake this year. In the late 1970s, I wrote a story about the excellent cutthroat fishing fly fishers enjoyed for the Idaho state fish at Priest Lake an Upper Priest Lake. One day…
CAMPING -- State and federal agencies are beginning to solicit applications for volunteer campground host positions in some choice spots to park an RV for the summer. Here's a notice from an national forest in Idaho as an example of the offerings available in state…
PARKS -- A proposal to allow farmers and ranchers to occasional use Washington rail trails will be considered by the State Parks and Recreation Commission at a regular meeting Jan. 29 in Tumwater. The policy proposal would permit certain limited non-recreational motorized use of state…
WINTERSPORTS -- Lookout Pass ski area has had some record-breaking skier visit days in January, according to owner Phil Edholm. The resort off I-90 at the Idaho-Montana state line posted these numbers: Saturday, Jan. 17, single day attendance record of 2, 243 skier visits. Saturday,...
CONSERVATION -- A non-profit land trust has stepped up to secure wetlands important to migrating waterfowl and other birds in Lincoln County along U.S. 2 west of Spokane. The Inland Northwest Land Trust has purchased 150 acres adjoining the 277-acre Reardan Audubon Lake Wildlife Area,...
PUBLIC LANDS -- A new statewide poll found that 90 percent of Idaho residents approve of livestock grazing as a legitimate use of public lands, the same percentage as guided recreation and mountain biking. The survey conducted by the University of Idaho Social Science Research…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
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