Alaska Outdoors

Off the Trails: November musings and mysteries

November brought many small delights and some puzzles along the trails. On the first day of November, near the swamp on the Lemon Creek trail,… Continue reading

In this June 2016 photo, halibut is offloaded at the Pacific Seafoods plant in Kodiak . With the halibut stock stabilizing and bycatch at a historic low point, fishery biologists are optimistic that the worst of a decade-long decline in the harvest has passed.

Halibut stock stable, flat harvest likely

ANCHORAGE — Stocks have stabilized and bycatch is as low as it’s been since 1960, however the halibut quota for next year will edge down… Continue reading

In this June 2016 photo, halibut is offloaded at the Pacific Seafoods plant in Kodiak . With the halibut stock stabilizing and bycatch at a historic low point, fishery biologists are optimistic that the worst of a decade-long decline in the harvest has passed.

Pebble suits proceeding; DNR rebuts reclamation report

ANCHORAGE - Pebble Limited Partnership is asking for legal fees to wrap up one lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency and hopes to settle another… Continue reading

Thunder Mountain viewed through a winter wonderland on Nov. 26.

Wild Shots

Submit your wild shots: The Empire Outdoors page is looking for superb images of Alaska’s wildlife, scenery or plant life. Send your photos to: Outdoors… Continue reading

Thunder Mountain viewed through a winter wonderland on Nov. 26.

Wildlife Wednesdays: Beavers at Mendenhall

The Alaska Wildlife Alliance presents its speaker series, Wildlife Wednesdays, at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library from 7-8 p.m. on Dec. 7. The presentation “Beavers… Continue reading

Glacier Bay National Park gets app

Glacier Bay National Park now has its own app. The program, called “Glacier Bay National Park Chimani,” runs on iPhone and Android devices, and allows… Continue reading

Hubbard Glacier calves into Disenchantment Bay north of Yakutat.

Alaska Science Forum: State taking shape near Yakutat

The forces shaping Alaska never sleep, especially near Yakutat.I once visited the fishing town of about 800 people and many dogs. My assignment was to… Continue reading

Hubbard Glacier calves into Disenchantment Bay north of Yakutat.
In this Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 photo, provided by Mel Buckmaster, Wayne Douville poses with an eight-point doe he shot in Abrams in northeastern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin hunter kills trophy eight-point … doe?

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A Wisconsin hunter has killed an eight-point ... doe?WLUK-TV reported that Wayne Douville was hunting near Abrams in northeastern Wisconsin on… Continue reading

In this Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 photo, provided by Mel Buckmaster, Wayne Douville poses with an eight-point doe he shot in Abrams in northeastern Wisconsin.
Barrow's goldeneye female, showing the diagnostic yellow bill.

Off the Trails: Flapping around in a super full moon

In mid November, the tide tables told us that there would be some big (over 20-foot) tides during the daylight hours. These were associated with… Continue reading

Barrow's goldeneye female, showing the diagnostic yellow bill.

Pennsylvania hunters can use semi-automatic weapons

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a bill into law that expands the list of firearms permitted for hunting in Pennsylvania to include… Continue reading

Colorful sunrise over Eagle Peak.

Wild Shots

Submit your wild shots: The Empire Outdoors page is looking for superb images of Alaska’s wildlife, scenery or plant life. Send your photos to: Outdoors… Continue reading

Colorful sunrise over Eagle Peak.

JGC November shoot results

The Juneau Gun Club held it’s November shoot Nov. 5-6. Brice Norton, 14, took high over-all honors with a score of 271/300 (90.3 average) with… Continue reading

Thanksgiving Turkey shoot

The Juneau Gun Club, the Juneau Shooting Sports Foundation, the Juneau Archery Club, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will hold a Thanksgiving… Continue reading

Archery area closed to Mountain Goat hunting in Unit 1C

Biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game in Douglas announced an early closure to the mountain goat hunting season under the state registration… Continue reading

Iliamna Lake Seal not endangered, NMFS says

The National Marine Fisheries Service determined that the Iliamna Lake Seal, a population of seals that overwinter in Alaska’s largest lake, is ineligible for listing… Continue reading

An Arctic ground squirrel in Katmai National Park in late August.

Wild Shots

Submit your wild shots: The Empire Outdoors page is looking for superb images of Alaska’s wildlife, scenery or plant life. Send your photos to: Outdoors… Continue reading

An Arctic ground squirrel in Katmai National Park in late August.
Pictured is a map of the sea floor off western Alaska showing Zhemchug Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world. It is from a 1970 paper in Marine Geology by D. Scholl, E. Buffington, D. Hopkins and T. Alpha.

Alaska Science Forum: A visit to one of Earth’s greatest canyons

People wait years for permits to raft the Grand Canyon. Michelle Ridgway once visited a much larger canyon in Alaska, one that most people will… Continue reading

Pictured is a map of the sea floor off western Alaska showing Zhemchug Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world. It is from a 1970 paper in Marine Geology by D. Scholl, E. Buffington, D. Hopkins and T. Alpha.
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Off the Beaten Path: Wolves of the Noatak

Note to reader: This is last piece in a three-part installment that focuses on encounters with wolves I had during a walk in the Brooks… Continue reading

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Off the Trails: The color green

All summer long, we live in a sea of green. The forest, the bogs, the meadows are awash in greens — silvery, yellowish, dusky, bluish,… Continue reading

Alaska Science Forum: Should birds stay or should they go?

Biologist Susan Sharbaugh, formerly of the Alaska Bird Observatory, once spoke about the strategies birds employ to survive in our season of darkness and cold.… Continue reading