Outdoors
What's there to do in the great outdoors? Here we've got a bevy of local outdoor activities and destinations to explore.
Heritage Museum seeks copies of old photos; readies for May 18 opening
The museum opens for the season at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, with the annual “Opening Day Celebration.”
Let's Talk Outside: Fire to Ice
By BRIAN BAXTER
Ashes to Education
In Greek Mythology, a Phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or born again. Associated with the sun, a Phoenix obtains new life by rising …
Bears attracted to improperly disposed carcasses, expert warns
Improperly disposed deer carcasses have been attracting bears too close to human habitation, a local bear expert warns.
Hunters must be aware of still-active bears
Recent grizzly bear attacks involving hunters reinforces the importance of being bear aware in Montana, even with a thick layer of snow on the ground in most parts of the state.
Forest Service reports on post-wildfires efforts
The U.S. Forest Service Northern Region continues to make progress on restoration efforts following the 2017 fire season. The updates below highlight the status of the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER), along w…
Now is a good time to apply for apprentice hunter program
Montana’s general deer and elk season opened Oct. 21. If you want to expose a young person to hunting and mentor that person through their first hunt, now is a good time to consider signing them up for the Apprenti…
Forest Service reopens trails, roads closed due to West Fork fire
Just in time for the opening day of hunting season, the Kootenai National Forest on Oct. 18 reopened Forest Service lands and roads it had closed Sept. 26 as a result of the West Fork fire.
Be bear aware while hunting this fall
It’s important for all hunters to practice bear aware behavior. In Montana, bear country can be anywhere in the western half of the state and sometimes beyond.
TIP-MONT works to stop poachers
Montana’s outdoor crime-stopper help line, TIP-MONT, has an online option to report poachers and other hunting-season violators.
Hunting outlook looks on par with last year, despite fires
The general hunting season for big game starts Saturday and hunters should expect game numbers to be good, despite fires and a harsh winter.
Big game forecast for Northwestern Montana
In the northwest corner of Montana, the story for 2017’s hunting season was really started last winter with deep snowfall across much to the region.
Avoid these 10 common hunting mistakes
Each fall tens of thousands of Montana men and women spend anywhere from a few hours to a several weeks hunting. Most have a wonderful time; a few run afoul of…
Hunting lands recovering from wildfire season
With hunting seasons for most of Montana’s game animals underway or about to begin, sportsmen and sportswomen are heading into a landscape recovering from some…
Wildlife officials increase surveillance efforts
Chronic wasting disease has not yet been discovered in Montana’s wild populations of deer, elk and moose, but as the disease continues to expand to the north, south and east of the state, Montana Fish, Wildlife and…
As the smoke clears
As the smoke clears, the east face of the Cabinet Mountains wears a white skirt of early season snow. The rain has soaked down into the ground. Cooler temperat…