Outdoors

JOHN SCHANDELMEIER

Hares are different critters

When I was a kid on the homestead, I was a rabbit hunter. Or at least I thought I was hunting rabbits.

Eagle River bear-mauling survivor surprised to be alive

When a brown bear charged him Saturday from about 30 yards away while he was on his property bordering Chugach State Park, Howard Meyer had one thing on his mind: "I thought that it was the end of my life."

More bear attack stories

Outdoor hotline (5/15/12)

Notices and listings of upcoming outdoors events

Hikers fear a favorite Chugach park trail has been ruined

The South Fork Trail in Eagle River has long been a beloved access point to Chugach State Park. So last summer, when visitors found an excavator churning earth on the trail as part of a "realignment project" by the state, the response was anger.

Mammoth tusk smuggling trial starts Monday

The federal trial for a well-known Alaska guide charged with helping a client smuggle a 10,000-year-old mammoth fossil to Pennsylvania starts Monday in Fairbanks.

Anchorage man plans year on uninhabited island

Charles Baird is going off the grid for a year. The 40-year-old oil company employee and filmmaker from Anchorage will move to the mostly uninhabited Latouche Island in Prince William Sound at the end of May, completing a dream he's been contemplating for 17 years.

Fairbanks hunter recalls weekend mauling in Kodiak

One minute, Rodd Moretz was high-fiving his 13-year-old son, Caleb, after shooting the biggest brown bear of his life. The next minute, he was tumbling down the hillside with another giant brown bear, wondering if he was going to die and how things could have gone from so good to so bad so quickly.

Read more about bear attacks in Alaska

JOHN SCHANDELMEIER

Difficult to gauge wolf control impact

There are people at both extremes on the controversial issue of wolf control. Some hunters would like to see a very high moose population with almost no wolves competing with them. Others, mostly non-consumptive users, while recognizing the need and rationale for hunting, would like to see no predator control of any kind.

Hunter kills one bear, tussles with another on Kodiak Island

A brown bear "pounced" on a hunter Saturday on Kodiak Island after he killed another bear nearby, troopers say. Rodd A. Moretz of Fairbanks suffered only minor scalp injuries.

More stories on Alaska bear attacks

Moose Federation gets more funds for controversial program

For the second straight year, the Alaska Moose Federation has received more than $1 million in state funding for a "rescue and relocation" program that didn't move a single moose last winter.

It's time to raise your bear awareness

Although the heavy winter snow may have them wanting to hit the snooze button, it won't be long before local bears begin to rise and shine for the spring. That means now is the time to begin making preparations to avoid dangerous encounters with Alaska's most notorious forest dwellers.

Climber falls 150 feet, rescued on Moose's Tooth, agency says

A Japanese climber fell 150 feet and spent several hours on Moose's Tooth in Denali National Park early Saturday before being rescued by the Alaska Air National Guard.

Ted Nugent admits to illegal bear kill

Activist and musician Ted Nugent has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors admitting he illegally shot and transported black bear in Southeast Alaska two years ago, according to the agreement.

PDF: Nugent plea agreement

Anchorage hunting guide now faces federal charges

An Anchorage-based hunting guide accused of illegally shooting moose, leaving them to rot and then using their carcasses as bait for his clients' brown bear hunts is facing new charges in federal court.

Guide shot moose to bait bears, prosecutors say (5/15/2010)

Outdoor hotline (4/17/12)

Notices and listings of upcoming outdoors eventsRead more here: http://www.adn.com/outdoors/#storylink=cpy

JOHN SCHANDELMEIER

Trumpeters are first to arrive in Alaska and last to leave

The swans have returned to the Copper Basin. One can set the calendar by them, because for as long as I can remember, they show up at the outlet of Paxson Lake on April 6.

Fairbanks man dies in snowmachine crash

A Fairbanks man died in a snowmachine crash Thursday along the Nakolik River, north of Kotzebue in Northwest Alaska, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Motorists can drive Denali Park road as far as Teklanika River

Favorable weather and work by road crews means drivers on the Denali Park road can go as far as the Teklanika River Rest Area at Mile 29 beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Herding a bull moose with plane proves costly to father and son

A man and his son, accused of using an airplane to herd a large bull moose before the father shot it south of Fairbanks, have reached a plea deal.

JOHN SCHANDELMEIER

Predicting the season is strictly for the birds

Birds have always been our best indicators of the season, and this year follows as the eons before.

State proposes causeway for popular lakefront

A 230-foot causeway would be built into a popular Interior Alaska lake under a proposal advanced by state park officials.