FISHING -- Outdoor Life once headlined Montana's Bighorn River as the Best Trout Stream in America. Apparently the predators heard the news. A fly fisherman got the surprise of his life last month when he cast for the river's noble trout and hooked up...
WINTERSPORTS -- Schweitzer Mountain spokesmen say the ski resort is committed to staying open daily through April 5 despite a meager snow pack that's forced Mt. Spokane ski area to temporarily close. That's good news for locals who are kicking off the annual Sandpoint Winter...
OUTDOOR EDUCATION -- A Senate committee will hold a hearing today, Feb. 11, at 1:30 p.m. on “No Child Left Inside,” a bipartisan bill (SB 5843) that provides $1.3 million for programs to get kids to away from their screens and back outdoors. A...
WILDLIFE -- Just recently we heard about a case of chronic wasting disease involving a bull elk on a Utah game farm. This week, belated news about the disease showing up at an elk farm in Canada: Alberta game-farm elk tests positive for chronic-wasting disease...
PUBLIC LANDS -- As several Western states -- including Washington -- continue to debate legislation that seeks to take over federal lands within their borders, the majority of people seem to have a clearer understanding of who owns what. A nonpartisan survey of Rocky Mountain...
PUBLIC LANDS -- Sportsmen's groups and outdoors business have scheduled rallies at the Idaho and Montana capitols to protest efforts by some state lawmakers to take control of federal public lands. The groups contend state takeovers would ultimate result in the public losing access...
WINTERSPORTS -- Warm weather, rain and a lack of snow have forced Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park to suspend operations this week while crews on snowcats try to move enough existing snow to reopen runs by the weekend. Read the story here.
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The first confirmed report of grizzly bear activity this year in Yellowstone occurred on Monday, as a grizzly bear that had emerged from its den was observed scavenging on a bison carcass in the central portion of the park, the Billings Gazette...
HUNTING -- Sportsmen recently bid $50,000 to $200,000 for elk hunting packages offered by seven states to raise money for wildlife habitat conservation. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation raised a total of $655,000 for fish and wildlife agencies in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada,...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Nine members have been added to the committee that advises the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on wolf recovery and management. Their appointments, for two-year terms that run through 2016, bring the Wolf Advisory Group’s membership to 18. Jim Unsworth, who...
TRAILS -- Trails users on the South Hill Bluff today found a live ponderosa pine crudely hacked down by someone using an ax. The apparent vandalism is below 37th and High Drive. A lot of people have chipped in to create the trail system and...
FISHING -- The first spring chinook of 2015 was recorded passing over Bonneville Dam on Sunday, Feb. 8. We're a few months away from "Game on!" but this is a wake up call for Columbia River anglers. Much more surprising was last week's passage of…
FISHING -- Save for the periods of high, off-color water, the winter steelheading in Idaho's Clearwater River has been outstanding, says state Fish and Game Department regional fisheries manager Joe DuPont. Catch rates have been as low as five hours per fish, which is considered...
HUNTING -- Applications for Idaho spring black bear hunts must be filed by Feb. 15 and spring turkey controlled hunt applications must be in by March 1. Other Idaho spring dates to note: April 1 -- Leftover controlled hunt tags for spring turkey and bear…
HUNTING -- Surveys conducted this winter showed a substantial increase in elk calf-cow ratios for elk in portions of North Idaho as the region's elk seem to be digging out of six-year slump. Up to just a few years ago, the Panhandle Region was among…
STEWARDSHIP -- Picking up after ourselves and our dogs is an ethic that needs some reinforcement, according to outdoor enthusiasts hitting the region's rivers and trails last week during the big thaw. As snow recedes we're reminded that some people are litterbugs, and other people...
FISHERIES — Federal officials have adjusted their approach to reducing the large colony of double-crested cormorants in the Columbia River estuary because the large black seabirds eat too many young salmon and steelhead. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now proposing to shoot fewer…
WINTERSPORTS -- If you like snow, Go East! The snow pack situation around the region is generally below average and continued to deteriorate with the unusually warm and wet pattern of late, says the National Weather Service in today's report. The only location that made...
PUBLIC LANDS — Utah’s push to wrest control of 31 million acres of federally controlled land would lead to less public access, less public involvement in land-use decisions and more drilling and strip mining, according to a new report by legal scholars. The report, by...
OUTDOOR INDUSTRY — Chuck Buck, the chairman of Buck Knives Inc., has died. He was 78. His son, CJ Buck, tells the Coeur d’Alene Press that his father died Friday of congestive heart failure while surrounded by family. The company that has a history going…
NATIONAL PARKS -- Yellowstone National Park will require an overnight backcountry permit fee starting May 1. The National Park Service says the money raised from the new fee will help pay the costs of running the park’s backcountry program. Under the new fee, anyone obtaining...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Audubon Society chapters in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene have interesting programs open to the public this week: Tuesday, Feb 10 -- African Safari photos and stories will be shared by Janet Callen and Darlene Carlton, who recently completed a 12-day wildlife-rich safari…
WINTERSPORTS -- Washington still offers decent opportunities for cross-country skiing, despite last week's record high temperatures and rain. Nordic skiers glide over Langlauf course Nordic skiers travel to Washington to get their Ks One benefit of the unseasonably warm weather: the roads to the ski...
FISHING -- Conservationists are suing federal wildlife managers over a decision to hold off on protections for a unique population of fish in Montana. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in August said arctic grayling don’t need special protections because efforts by landowners and government…
FISHING -- Over the next few months, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be collecting public input and ideas for fishing rules that will be in effect from 2016 – 2018 and also asking where anglers need new or better access facilities. The…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
| Feb. 2015 | ||||
| 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| 23 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 | 08 |
| 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 | 02 |
| 01 |
