The Consummate Outdoorsman, Gary Lewis, Shares His Insights

Get on Deck for Year-Round Fishing on the Oregon Coast

Up on the bridge, the captain fired the 350 horse diesel and the engine leaped to life. Below, the deck hand cast off mooring lines and we slid away from the dock, Newport’s bay front fading into the fog-shrouded morning. Before us, the mist parted, revealing the Yaquina Bay Bridge, spires and arches lifting high […]

Being Prepared for Bow Hunting Means Starting Now

I worked my way out of the valley timber and eased through a stand of trees on a long finger ridge. The rim above, where winter snows melted in late spring, extended long timbered fingers down to the valley. Deep canyons and meadows between the ridges grew knee-high grass in the summer where snow and […]

Optics Voodoo

It is well that rifle scopes are such marvels of engineering. There are but few hunters in this world that really know anything about the design and manufacture of the expensive tubes atop their favorite rifles. Those of us who miss a shot from time to time have little experience with the grinding of lenses, […]

Small Game Accuracy for your Blackpowder Big Game Rifle

“Last year, shooters took 40,000 rats out of these fields. We still have too many.” With the rancher’s words ringing in our ears, we followed a dirt track through the alfalfa to the top of the ridge and parked on the skyline. From where we stood, we could see the tops of the Ochocos, surrounding […]

Retrace Explorers’ Route on the Lewis and Clark Safari

I’ve heard some hunters worry that “Hunting’s getting to be a rich man’s sport. Pretty soon, the average fellow won’t be able to find a place to hunt.” Look in the back of any hunting magazine and you will find ample opportunity to spend your money on gear and trips. Yes, it can be expensive. […]

Beauty Tips for Beater Bolt-Actions

It rides in his truck, a beat-up bolt-action well older than Lee Sandberg’s 27 years. Chambered in 22-250, the Remington is topped with a Cabela’s scope and Weaver rings. Relegated to the role of a working rifle, it is close to hand in case Sandberg needs to dispatch a coyote that threatens his flock.

A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way to Keeping Your Hunting Dog Happy

A couple of years ago, I spent a day hunting chukar on a rimrock north of Madras. An early season hunt, we were all a little out of shape. The dog most of all. Confined to a backyard for the summer, the extra pounds she carried were slowing her down. By the end of the […]

Encounters with Critters Enrich our Outdoor Experiences

Once I carried a bow to the top of my favorite ridge, finding fresh deer beds in a marshy area, grass still springing up in them when I arrived. The only thing still grazing in that little meadow was the large hump-backed rodent we call a porcupine. The sun was slipping beneath the hills to […]

Favorite Lures

Largemouth Bass It’s no secret that bass grow big when they can feed on hatchery trout. A bass can easily cream a trout up to one-third its own size. A couple of years ago, Lucky Craft Lures entered the premium swimbait market with the Real Bait Premium Trout line and they became a favorite. These […]

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 […]