Outdoors

Striking a balance between energy, environment

Published on Tue, 01/14/2020 - 4:44pm
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It’s 32 degrees outside. About nine mule deer shuffle through the bitter waters of Fremont Lake. A buck shakes, sending droplets of water flying. He pauses to look back at the herd trailing behind him and then trudges ahead, taking another step along a 150-mile journey to his winter range in the Red Desert.

Study: Grand Teton elk hunt not major draw for grizzlies

Published on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 12:00am
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JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — An annual elk hunt in Grand Teton National Park doesn’t draw in and concentrate large numbers of grizzly bears, scientists have concluded. The November to December

The Magpie’s Color

Published on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 12:00am
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Some of the hardest questions to answer start with why. Why will fish bite one day and not the next, or even stop biting when they were having a feeding

Grand Teton park to begin killing invasive mountain goats

Published on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 12:00am
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JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — An operation to kill the mountain goats that have invaded Grand Teton National Park and threaten the existence of the park’s struggling bighorn sheep herd is

CWD looms large on hunters’ horizon

Published on Tue, 12/31/2019 - 2:45pm
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KALISPELL (AP) — This year was a dark one for Montana hunters and lovers of wild game meat with the announcement that, for the first time, a wild elk and a wild moose were found infected with chronic wasting disease.

CWD is a contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. There is no known cure, and it is fatal to infected animals. Animals may be infected for up to two years before showing any symptomatic signs of infection.

16 more deer positive for CWD as bulk of test results back from general season

Published on Tue, 12/31/2019 - 2:44pm

The last big batch of test results from animals harvested during the general season and sampled for chronic wasting disease has turned up 16 new positives mostly in areas where the disease is already known to exist, according to a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. 

For the first time, a deer tested positive from hunting district 705 in southeast Montana, the press release said.  

A second white-tailed buck tested positive in HD 322 in the Ruby Valley near the town of Sheridan in southwest Montana.  

National Ice Fishing Tournament at Hebgen Lake Jan. 10 to Jan. 12

Published on Tue, 12/31/2019 - 2:43pm
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West Yellowstone, Montana will host an NAIFC (North American Ice Fishing Circuit) National Qualifier from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12, according to a press release. 

The qualifier — an ice fishing tournament — takes place on Sunday and is open to any two-person team. Teams range from locals to national level pro’s to teams just wanting to learn more about ice fishing. Teams can register up to 6 p.m at the Saturday night reception and rules meeting, the press release said.

Glacier’s mountain goats seek ‘air conditioning’ on summer days

Published on Tue, 12/24/2019 - 12:32pm
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An unusual study has found that mountain goats in Glacier National Park really do chill out and de-stress on hot summer days when they rest in the snow.

Calling the move “air conditioning” for mountain goats, researcher Wesley Sarmento said that much like humans, the animals want to combat the heat to stabilize their metabolic rates. When the goats cooled down, their breathing rates were reduced by as much as 15%.

’Tis the season of winter

Published on Tue, 12/17/2019 - 12:00am
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Can we all agree that winter is here? We probably could have reached that consensus of opinion after the snowstorms of late September and early October, but at times since

Alaska students butcher moose carcass to learn life skills

Published on Tue, 12/17/2019 - 12:00am
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Students at an Alaska high school have received lessons in anatomy, life skills and Alaska cultural traditions through an unusual study source: a moose carcass. About