CategoryStewardship | The Consummate Outdoorsman, Gary Lewis, Shares His Insights

Links to the Past Best Left in the Ground

When you hunt, fish, hike or camp anywhere in Oregon, you’re never far from traces of the past. If you take the time to look, an ancient trail through the pass, petroglyphs above the river, broken pottery in the water and obsidian flakes in old campsites all bear mute testimony to those who’ve gone before.

A Bone-Picker’s Guide for Beginners

Here in the Northwest, deer begin to shed their antlers in February. By the end of March, most mule deer and blacktails have dropped their headgear. Elk cast their antlers a few weeks later and it is not uncommon to see a bull carry last year’s antlers into the early weeks of April. Pick up […]

Raising Money for Mule Deer in the West

“Two-hundred-ninety-five-thousand dollars!” That shout came from the middle of the packed ballroom. In the back, guys stood flat-footed, cell phones at their ears, their off-site bidders outmatched before the bidding even started. John Bair, the auctioneer, reeled from the shock. “I have two-ninety-five,” he said.

NAMHA Files Complaint Against ODFW’s Muzzleloading Rules

I built my first muzzleloader in 1989. With that Kentucky rifle, I learned to measure powder, start the round ball with a patch and smell the sulfur bloom of blackpowder smoke. Since that time, I’ve owned and shot several Kentucky and Hawken rifles similar to those carried by the mountain men and pioneers. For me, […]

Access and Habitat: a Partnership for Private Hunting Access

How much is one deer worth? I asked myself that question when I saw one of the latest press releases from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. There was a time when one buckskin was worth about one dollar, hence the term ‘buck’. Try paying for anything with a pile of buckskins these days!