To connect themselves to a hopeful future, two men buried a bottle of whisky. To connect themselves to a reckless past, they dug it up.Up here, on the pass, I can see more than just terrain. Of course there is alpine…

For decades, the stretch of Bozeman Creek passing through town has mostly been out of sight and out of mind. But there’s a small group of concerned citizens trying to change that. They’re not the first to do so, but with…

Getting to know the wildlife that call your campsite home.Plop. (WTF?)Plop. (Grrr.)Plop. (Grrr—Blitzen, relax.)Okay, who’s tossing pebbles on the roof of my tent and freaking out the pooch? I know it’s not Sasquatch. He…

How two early explorers helped establish Yellowstone Park.In this day and age, it’s tough to imagine Yellowstone National Park needing an introduction. Nearly four million visitors pass through its gates each year. And if…

Succumbing to the allure of the West.If you’re like me, maybe fear has held you back from a lot of things. It’s easy to let fear of failure, fear of starting over, or fear of letting people down ultimately make decisions…

Image by Mark Portman…

Preserving both past and future. There’s something about autumn that feels inherently nostalgic. Maybe it’s the first frost, stirring memories of new beginnings and years past. A sudden chill in the air can transport…

Setting the wheels in motion.In keeping with their mission to expand trail access for all users, Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) broke ground northeast of town this summer, officially launching construction on Bikefill, a…

BUM's the word. As Montana’s population continues to skyrocket, wildlife safety has become increasingly important. Most residents are already familiar with the mantra, A fed bear is a dead bear, which calls to mind the…

Click here for a larger graphic. 

Click here for a larger graphic. 

Getting along on public land. Living in Montana, we’re lucky to have a tremendous amount of public access and vast, beautiful places in which to recreate. Many of our trails allow for multi-use activities such as…

A few of Montana's unexplained natural phenomena. There’s no denying the magic that surrounds Montana. For generations, artists, poets, photographers, and filmmakers have tried to capture its essence in places that…

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A guide to Bozeman's best-kept hunting spots.It’s been a few years since we spilled the beans on the area’s best backcountry ski tours (“Secret’s Out,” Winter 2022-23), and despite the backlash we wouldn’t change a thing.…

Autumn stargazing.Writer and naturalist Hal Borland once opined: “Autumn is the eternal corrective.” Who could stand with autumn on a hilltop, he asked, and fail to see the span of the world and the meaning of the rolling…

Solutions for inaccessible public lands.Montana’s 33 million acres of public lands are where we hunt, fish, camp, hike, and otherwise recreate. These acres fill freezers and clear minds. For many Montanans, they’re why we…

Catching fish and protecting Greater Yellowstone. It’s a beautiful day. Surprisingly warm for Gardiner in the fall. We’re driving to the Park (Yellowstone, in case that wasn’t clear) for a day of fishing. And—dang it!…

The old adage that skiers are built in the off-season becomes increasingly evident every autumn, whether you’re a high-school athlete or an aging ski bum. Here’s the Bridger Ski Foundation’s (BSF) quick guide to making the…

A full fall experience. Another year has gone by, and here we are again—it’s autumn in Bozeman. Take a moment, close your eyes, and think about what the season brings to mind. Is it the smell of woodsmoke drifting…

What to do when wildlife and vehicles cross paths.“It’s not the deer that is crossing the road, rather it’s the road that is crossing the forest.” —Unknown Sharing the road with wildlife is part of living in Montana.…

Unscrupulous privatizers are taking over our state—one trail, one mountain range, and one land-swap at a time. We need to stop them, before there’s nothing left for the rest of us. There’s a photo of my wife that I…

Do the trout in Hyalite creek love in the ringof stones and waterfalls, sing in the hissof water through their gills? Do theydoubt like me in the shadowed shelvesbeneath reflected cottonwoods?And who am I to ask if not…

All dressed up and nowhere to go.Drive through Montana in the fall and you’ll see local small-town establishments—wood-paneled dive bars, single-story flat-roof motels, convenience stores that seem more like regional energy…

Property lines are not walls.If the debate over corner crossing in Montana was solely about access to 871,000 acres, it sure would be a lot simpler. Instead, it has become one of the most contentious public-land issues in…

A fall visit to Tippet Rise, for mountain biking and art viewing.After a long summer and lots of weekends on the road, boxes checked, and most of our to-do list accomplished, my girlfriend and I sat around one Friday…

Taking on the topwater trope.We all know an I only person. You know, I only drink craft beer, I only eat grassfed beef, I only read nonfiction. Flyfishing has its own version of this affliction: I only fish dry flies.…

A secret society of ambitious masochists. There’s a certain type of person who willingly leaves a warm bed before sunrise, drives into the darkness, and thinks, “Yes, this is exactly where I want to be.” Science…

A lesson in respect for trail-builders. We had two options: backpack four miles on an established trail in the Pintlers, or hike five miles on trail, then bushwhack another three to a lake in the Beartooths.Three miles…

On the restorative power of nature.Growing up, I never thought anything of being a female hunter—it was simply a way of life. Even before I was old enough to legally hunt, I would tag along, following in the footsteps of my…

Ways to show respect for our wild kin.It’s perfectly natural for one animal to kill another—the aphorism Eat or Be Eaten has defined a simple truth of life on Earth for at least a billion years. But in the human experience,…

One artist’s contribution to conservation.Artist Claire Emery carved and painted these woodcuts for her 2026 calendar collaboration with the Vital Ground Foundation. Each monthly image tells a story about the nonprofit’s…

Heeding Wordsworthby Mike EnglandI sit in my chair, reading of art.’Tis fascinating stuff, moreso than DescartesWould admit; contained therein is truthThat I feel from my toes up to my tooth.But even as I admire a Turner…

A turkey-day alternative.Thanksgiving harkens back to Indians forgiving Pilgrims over a feast of passenger pigeon and beans. Back then, ingredients were locally harvested and readily available. In this economy, though, if…

An uphill battle for public access.The secret is out, and as anyone who traversed our highways this past summer can attest, Montana’s lands and waters are the envy of the recreating nation. With over 30 million acres of…

Enhancing both control and freedom with superior electronics. The invention of barbed wire may have ended the open-range era of the American West, but “virtual fencing” might just bring it back. Cows fitted with GPS…

Protecting your ears while hunting.An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Never was an aphorism more accurate, or impactful, than when hunting and shooting. Take it from anyone who’s lost his or her hearing, or…

The beauty of a paddleboard is portability, which calls for quick, convenient streamside prep, lest it defeat the whole purpose. Enter the Shark 3 Rechargeable Electric SUP Pump ($180) by Outdoor Master. No more see-sawing…

Reining in plastic pollution with biodegradable shotgun shells.Doing the right thing can be a double-edged sword. I used to darn near ruin hunts trying to avoid littering—in focusing on where my spent shotgun shells landed,…

The Backwater Fishing Board ($549) by Glide is built with space and stability in mind, which makes it ideal for plying the trout-filled backwaters during fall. Numerous attachment points and accessories, including a…

When roaming the hot, dusty prairie in search of game, water’s a scarce resource that runs out quickly—especially with a bird dog in tow. For a spare, out-of-the-way supply, with the luxury of a quick shower, spraying dirty…

The dry, beaming sun can turn a summer calendar packed with long hikes into a drag—quite literally when all you’ve got are heavy-duty boots. Typically, I gravitate toward footwear with a tall ankle to catch my falls, but…

There’s an undeniable romance to the classic fly-covered fishin’ hat. But style doesn’t help when the fish are rising and you can’t extract the elk-hair caddis from your cotton cap, or you mangle it in the process. Enter…

Sometimes the coolest products come from companies you've never heard of. Take Infinity X1, for example. A couple years ago, I came across their Hybrid Power Flashlight, which is brighter than any other handheld flashlight…

Despite its ubiquity in marketing and advertising—and the concomitant efficacy at selling products—hyperbole is anathema to good writing. Which is why I’ve always mocked the use of the term “sleep system.” System, really?…

Inundated as we are with synthetic materials, it's easy to become inured. Until you see something different, and a hard truth strikes you, as distinctive as the thunk of a well-placed arrow. Despite all their practicality,…

My golden retriever, Finn, has spent most of his life as a country pup, so he's not a big fan of wearing a collar. But when he does, I want it to be comfortable—and a little stylish, too. When I started looking for a new…

After summiting Kilimanjaro, I donated my Oboz boots to one of the porters. The boots still had plenty of life left in them, and truthfully, part of the reason I gave them up was so that I didn't have to lug them around on…

Whether you're going for one-bag travel, supplementing an additional bag while on the go, or just carrying essentials around town to and from work, the Civic Travel Bag by Evergoods fits the bill. Yep, it's at home just…

When I started looking for a new sleeping bag, I had one goal: find something ideal for backpacking and bike-packing. My old sleeping bag basically filled my entire backpack, so I wasn’t just chasing weight savings. The Sea…

Gone are the days of crappy lanterns, trying to light wicks that invariably fall off and crumble. And now, gone are the more modern, battery-powered lights that run out of juice and leave you in the dark. Duracell's 5000L (…

If you're tired of carrying multiple tools on your outdoor adventures, Montana Knife Company's Blackfoot 2.0 ($300) should be your all-in-one choice. The steel blade can handle everything from demanding field work to camp…

If there's one thing I've learned about hunting in Montana, it's that every ounce matters. That's one of the reasons I couldn't wait to add Montana Knife Company's Speedgoat Ultra ($375) to my arsenal. Weighing in at only 2…

Impressively warm and lightweight without the bulk, the Patagonia Sindit Vest ($199) makes a great everyday piece. Its versatility and style take you from town errands, to dog walks, to the trails, without the need for…

Few words suffer the overuse of "innovation," which is recklessly applied to the most trivial of changes. But every once in a while, it suits—and if anyone has earned the right to the term, it's Exped. They've upped the car…

Whatever your specific needs might be, you expect one thing when you go into your cooler, and that's for things to be, well, cool. Whether it's a case of beer or a whitetail deer, whichever brand does that one basic task…

Goodbye, US Military, hello White Mountain! That's what I said after 30 long years with my trusty old wool blanket from my army days. Trusty, but also small and scratchy—attributes I willingly endured, given the impressive…

At last! After a half-dozen raincoats, I finally found the one I was looking for. It's the Kuiu Northridge Rain Jacket ($259) and unlike all the others, this one fits well, stretches (a little), is neither too light nor too…

In Montana, every season is puffy season. Patagonia has mastered the fit & features of the timeless jacket with its Down Sweater Hoody ($345)—this impeccable puffy boasts 800-fill power down, a soft, flexible,…

As someone who can be sensitive to wool, I was pleasantly surprised by the Midweight 245 from Minus 33. The merino wool is soft against my skin and doesn't have that scratchy feeling I normally associate with wool layers.…

It wasn’t until the strap on my crossbody wallet had been tied in knots and the seams had been taped shut that I finally admitted it was time for an upgrade. That’s where the Dakine Renovation Crossbody ($51) came into my…

Aptly named, the ultralight Helly Hansen Odin Infinity Minimalist Jacket feels like wrapping paper. It sounds like wrapping paper, too, so it's not the best choice for hunting. But for everything else that calls…

On a remote and technical bike-packing adventure deep in the backcountry, the NestOut 2-Panel Solar Charger ($90) gave me a convenient way to charge up my phone and headlamp en route. Unfolded, the charger fit perfectly…

The Merrell Jungle Moc is a thing of beauty… really. To the untrained eye, it’s just a slip-on shoe. To me, it’s the archetype of footwear. No laces, no nonsense, just a sleek, robust design. It’s become the pair…

Right off the bat, the Vallon and Zeiss collab with the polycarbonate lenses is the real deal—the clarity is out of this world. That, combined with the wide frame and comfortable nosepiece on the Watchtowers, makes for…

Last fall, I fell in love with my Weston meat grinder. So when I found myself heading into spring turkey season in need of a new slow-cooker, I knew exactly where to look.The 2-in-1 Indoor Smoker and Slow Cooker from…

At last—a high-cushion, all-purpose athletic shoe that goes easy on my aching joints. Apart from a short jog across the street, chronic foot and knee pain had kept me from road-running and playing basketball & tennis…

As someone who hikes year-round, I like to keep a rotation of pants and shorts in my truck at all times—because you never know when an after-work dash up the M is calling your name. But if I had to choose just one pair to…

Some say hunting is a lot of work. Maybe, but it's also a lot of fun. And if you process your own game, the work and the fun continue well after you’ve pulled the trigger.  After years of cranking away with a manual…

If you’re looking to dive headfirst into the fall spirit, This Haunted Land: Reckoning with Ghosts and the Stories That Shaped America (Torrey House Press, $25) should do the trick. Local author Betsy Gaines Quammen takes…