Columns
Searching for opinion based articles? Below we'll share opinion news articles on a wide variety of topics.
Northern Pike: Love or hate?
Before we get full time into outdoor columns about hunting, let me do a final end-of-summer column about fishing.
Adventure on the high seas
Last week I found a curious email in my inbox at work with my brother’s name in the subject line followed by the words “Brigantine Romance.”
Traveling salesmen enriched our lives
“Mom, the Rawleigh man is here,” I remember calling out to my mother every couple of months during my childhood. It was my duty to alert her of any incoming traveling salesmen — and there were several regulars — so…
Potential land easements could increase public access in Northwest Montana
If you are a camper, hiker, hunter, angler, 4-wheeler, huckleberry picker or just like the outdoors, you are about to be given a huge gift of land for recreation use.
Border business a bit bewildering
Three years ago I went on the shortest-ever shopping trip to Canada — around 30 minutes.
Life as we knew it
A coworker and I were taking a short walk on Wednesday in the Inter Lake neighborhood to refresh and regroup, and were mulling over the news of the day. The governor had just issued his directive mandating masks an…
Travels with Chet
Back in the summer of 1977 while I was in college and my brother Steve was in his first year of grad school, our dad wanted to “test drive” a 40-foot Winnebago to see if RVing was the kind of thing he’d enjoy in hi…
Condiment war: Ketchup versus mustard
Every Fourth of July, when hot dogs inevitably are on the menu at most family picnics, the battle between ketchup and mustard resurfaces at the Hintze household. Actually it’s an ongoing spat.
A life well-lived, and left well
In mid-March my 93-year-old mother, who had so far lived independently in her own home in Cincinnati, was hospitalized. Though I made the 911 call due to her severe back pain (incurred while folding bedsheets) it w…
Dad’s love of music lives on
Dad’s been gone 11 years, but his music still plays in my mind.
Everything’s ‘just ducky’
In the wake of a global pandemic, protests and political pandemonium, my recent forays to do some springtime birdwatching have provided me with a much welcome respite.
‘Stepping’ into the Fitbit routine
My daughter Heather gave me a Fitbit for Mother’s Day, so I am now among the millions of people who are slaves to the wearable fitness tracker strapped to their wrist.
Change is good!
Well, with two of the biggest weekends for fishing in Northwest Montana behind us (traditional opener and Memorial Weekend back to back) it looks like the weather is finally going to give us that last little push w…
Time for anglers to hit rivers; don’t forget new regs
For the most avid of anglers, especially for fly anglers who live to drift and/or wade the moving waters of Montana, this weekend is a holy one.
A tribute to mothers of all ages
It’s been an extraordinary year so far for everyone as the COVID-19 pandemic has dropped the bottom out of our normal lives. Even as we inch our way toward what seems normal, everything is different than our pre-pa…
Spring best season for wildlife watching
Last week I had a tough choice to make. Should I spend some time at my lake cabin and do some fishing and turkey hunting or head east and spend a few days on my farm?