HUNTING -- I was pretty confident going into today's hunt. I had a shotgun and an English setter that covers real estate like the wind.But the valley quail didn't fly.Instead, they challenged us to a footrace through the Lincoln County sagebrush.The birds won, by a…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- A scenic boat cruise is one of the more enjoyable ways to view the annual winter bald eagle gathering at Lake Coeur d'Alene's Wolf Lodge Bay.Here are a few options;Dec. 26-Jan. 2: Coeur d'Alene Resort 2-hour cruises start at 1 p.m. Cost:…
NORDIC SKIING -- Etta, the owl beautifully carved out of cedar, has been stolen from its perch overlooking the the Hoot Owl nordic ski trail at 49 Degrees North."Please put out the word," said Keith Wakefield, who helped design and create the ski area's nordic…
TRAILS -- A $100,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation will help put railings and other safety features on a 770-foot trestle -- one of the jewels in the rough of the rail trail that runs 33 miles from Republic to the Canada…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- The buzz is growing over Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget-cutting proposals that would, among other things, merge the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department to into a new mega agency and reduce the Fish and Wildlife Commission to an advisory role or eliminate it…
WILD FOWL -- In a testament to the species' hardiness, reports of white wild turkeys among the region's big wintering flocks are fairly common.First, one must marvel that there are big wintering flocks after two bad winters in the past three years followed by this…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is on the chopping block in Gov. Chris Gregoire’s Tuesday proposal announced to consolidate state agencies and eliminate boards and commissions to save nearly $30 million.Among other mergers, a new Department of Conservation and Recreation would…
WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT -- Idaho’s top fish and game official has pleaded guilty to one count of trespass to hunt and ordered to pay a $500 fine, the Associated Press reported this afternoon. Idaho Fish and Game Director Cal Groen told a judge Tuesday he wasn’t…
WILDLIFE -- Hunting from a tree stand puts a hunter's scent above the ground, where critters often come and go without a clue that a human is present.Sometimes the critters don't come and go, through. Sometimes they just keep coming.Check out this video of a…
GUNS -- A Columbia Falls High School student who inadvertently brought an unloaded rifle to school in the trunk of her car will not be expelled, the Associated Press reports.The school board made its unanimous decision Monday night, and the 16-year-old honor student and varsity…
PARKS -- Glacier National Park’s Centennial year has become its busiest.Even though November’s visitor count was down 14 percent compared to the same time last year, the 13,000 visitors last month were enough to push this year’s total visitation past the 1983 record year, according…
WILDLIFE -- Winter weather is tempting moose to wander into towns and neighborhoods to nibble tender landscaping plants. In most cases, Idaho Fish and Game Department officers recommend giving the moose a day or two to find its way back into the wild. "It found…
POACHING PATROL -- Washington Fish and Wildlife Department enforcement officers in the Spokane Region seem to be answering an increased number of serious poaching calls, Capt. Mike Whorton said today.Recent examples include...
FISHING -- The 2011 spring chinook salmon run into the Columbia river should be a good one, although not in the sensational range of the run that moved upstream this year.State and federal fisheries experts last week issued a preliminary forecast of 158,000 springers moving…
PROGRAMS -- The Spokane Mountaineers are featuring two programs tonight featuring some excellent outdoor photography.Tim Coleman of Conservation Northwest will discuss the Columbia Highlands Initiative and proposals for wilderness areas in the Okanogan and Colville National Forests.Jon Jantz of WILDLIGHT Photography, a Washington climber, traveler,…
WILDLIFE -- While the Rocky Mountain reigon's wildlife control agents are forced to focus on wolves, coyotes, grizzly bears, black bears and mountain lions are making a killing on livestock."Our wildlife control people spend so much time with wolves that they’re being taken away from…
WILDLIFE -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the wolverine should be to be added to the list of endangered and threatened species, the Associated Press reported this morning.But, the federal agency adds, adding the wolverine now is precluded by higher priorities — that…
WINTER SPORTS -- You have to love the spirit of the Panhandle Nordic Club and the volunteers who have helped develop the Fourth of July Pass ski and snowshoe trails.They help maintain the trails. They bake cookies to give to the I-90 snowplow drivers as…
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING -- The great skiing conditions of Saturday deteriorated today into a slushy slog at the Mount Spokane nordic ski trails.To add insult to injury, the power was lost to the Selkirk Lodge this morning. The trails couldn't be groomed Saturday night because of…
FISHING – A cold winter wind was blowing down the Snake River today, but the steelhead fishing was hot.With the able assistance of his 10-year-old son, Josh, shore angler Tim Wills landed this bright steelie around 1 p.m. near the Wawaiwai boat launch. The Wills…
BIRDING -- They come just a few at a time from their home in the arctic, but they stand out like NBA players on a grade-school tour bus when they arrive in Lincoln County each winter.Snowy owls are always welcome sights to Inland Northwest birdwatchers.…
OFF-ROADING -- The controversial issue of making it legal to ride ATVs and other non-highway-suitable vehicles on more public roads is back on the front burner in Stevens County.Amendments to OHV Ordinance 06-2009 is set for discussion at a special Dec. 20 County Commissioners hearing,…
WILDLIFE -- A month after a wildlife underpass opened under Idaho Highway 21 east of Boise, the animals seem to be getting the hang of it, according to the Idaho Statesman.Boise River Wildlife Management Area manager Ed Bottum says the animals almost immediately began using…
NUISANCE WILDLIFE -- I have a gift to offer the region's rural residents who are being besieged by wintering turkeys that are congregated in flocks and fouling barnyards.Just invite me to come out with my one remaining 2010 turkey tag and I can virtually elminate…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.