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.
2020 trends include bionic kitties, 'flexitarianism'
Now that we’ve all survived the holidays and have plunged into a new year and decade — the “Roaring ’20s” — I feel compelled to share some information I’ve uncovered about what we can expect in the way of trends in…
Hunting season not the end of fishing
Happy Hunting!
When scents make sense
Many anglers in many parts of the angling world would never dream of leaving the dock, stepping onto the river bank or even taking the kids to the trout pond without some kind of scent or attractant to help seal th…
Turnover times...
When we hear the word turnover, especially in the fall, it usually means someone coughed up the ball.
Take care when headed out on ice
The early arrival of frigid, winter weather signals an early ice fishing season across most of the West and Midwest, a condition that has hardcore ice anglers very excited.
St. Paul home of ice angler's annual show
Every year, for the last 20-plus years, avid ice anglers have gathered in St. Paul to talk ice fishing, showcase products and basically kick off each ice fishing season with a party that equals no other in the ice …
Ice fishing fever is on the rise
In my last column, I wrote about the awesome ice fishing extravaganza that is the St. Paul Ice and Winter Sports Show!
Holidays made happier by friendly folks
As a new year flings open its sash to let in the fresh air and the passing year shutters its window and turns out the lights, there are a few people I encountered during December whose kindness made the holiday hub…
Travel makes the world a smaller place
One of the added delights of the holiday season is the chance to catch up with some of the neighborhood kids who were fixtures at our house when our two daughters were growing up. They’re scattered all over the cou…
A Christmas reflection
In one of the last lectures in the mindfulness meditation lecture series I listened to recently the author tells an old story about a woman of means named Kisa Gotami, who lived during the Buddha’s time, whose youn…
The muscle behind the music
The sounds of Christmas music soothe our souls and evoke special memories, whether it’s listening to carols on the way to work or attending any of the myriad holiday concerts offered this time of year.
Take a virtual history tour through Montana
The Montana Historical Society’s Explore Big website, which launched in 2017, has expanded substantially this year. The website, Explorebig.org, and free mobile app now give users instant access to nearly 1,750 sto…
Blessed by a phone call with Mom
One of my biggest Thanksgiving blessings this year was a 10-minute phone call with my mother the day before the holiday.
A meditation on mindfulness
The other evening I happened to notice I was grinding coffee beans with my left hand while shaking the salad dressing bottle with my right. I’ve pretty much been this way (doing two things at once) since I became a…
Feminist issues still hot-button topics
I happened to see internationally known feminist and writer Gloria Steinem being interviewed on one of the late-night talk shows recently. She’s been making the rounds to promote her latest book.