My sense of the West was formed watching at a distance the previous decades of conflict shaped by environmental laws passed in the 1970s

While the fate of Montana or any state’s wildlife doesn’t rest on semantics, every time we talk about hunting in a public space we are engaged in public relations

Soon computer-generated imagery will cure Hollywood’s firearm negligence. There’s no longer reason for firearms on set in inexperienced hands when realism can be created with pixels.

Long ago I used to describe the whirl of flushing quail as that of miniature helicopters

Winter has arrived and even as the days grow slightly longer with each sunset, the next two months will test my pup’s patience, as my own

Here’s a tip for winter reading: have your employer schedule a remodeling project just as the reading season begins

While the dismal weather the week before Christmas took some of the shine off the holidays, hopefully it foretells a winter of deep snow slowly melting into fabulous trout streams this summer

Climate change, extreme fire and non-native blister rust have ravaged whitebark pine, which last week was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act

The most important reward we give our bird dogs is opening the door and setting them loose at the start of the hunt

Unfortunately, the increasingly lax regulations adopted by Montana and Idaho, as well as those which always existed in Wyoming, means my ideal of ethical hunting will be further tarnished by gratuitous slaughter

When it comes to hunting, legally and safely, that’s a no-go criticism zone

The key is to find a nice bird and shoot it, but not too hard. Headshots are best for holiday birds, but if you’re a killer like me, any shot that manages to put a bird on the ground is a minor miracle

Jade bolted after the pheasant for a moment — a trait that will serve us well with wounded birds — then came back for a scratch behind the ears while I purred, “Good girl. What a good girl.”

There have been some signs that my 12-year-old English setter is losing the drive that produced five or six seasons of near-flawless fieldwork

I love all bird dogs but English setters are my hunting partner of choice. Setters are quirky and stylish, and no breed hunts with more grace.