Friday, August 21, 2026  |  Oregon's Outdoor Journal
Oregon Badlands Wilderness: A 2-Day Desert Backpacking Loop Through the High Lava Plains Near Bend

Oregon Badlands Wilderness: A 2-Day Desert Backpacking Loop Through the High Lava Plains Near Bend

Twenty minutes east of Bend, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness offers some of the strangest and most rewarding desert backpacking in the state — ancient juniper forests, lava tubes, rimrock, and total solitude.

By HFR Staff  ·  August 21, 2026
Arrow Speed vs. Arrow Weight for Bowhunters: The Trade-Off and Why Heavy Arrows Win in Timber Country
Archery

Arrow Speed vs. Arrow Weight for Bowhunters: The Trade-Off and Why Heavy Arrows Win in Timber Country

Every bowhunter faces this choice: shoot fast and light, or slow and heavy. The physics are settled. The right answer depends on where you hunt — and for most Pacific Northwest elk and deer hunters, heavy is right.

August 21, 2026
Defensive Carbine Training for Pacific Northwest Shooters: Courses, Drills, and Building Real Rifle Skills
Shooting

Defensive Carbine Training for Pacific Northwest Shooters: Courses, Drills, and Building Real Rifle Skills

The AR-15 is America’s most popular rifle, but most owners have never run it under pressure. Here’s how Pacific Northwest shooters can find quality defensive carbine training and build skills that actually matter.

August 21, 2026
Tundra Swan Hunting in Oregon: Tags, Pacific Flyway Routes, and Eastern Oregon Marshland Tactics
Hunting

Tundra Swan Hunting in Oregon: Tags, Pacific Flyway Routes, and Eastern Oregon Marshland Tactics

Oregon offers one of the most unique hunting experiences in the West: a limited tundra swan season through ODFW’s permit system. Here’s everything you need to know to draw a tag and put a bird on the strap.

August 21, 2026
Fall Steelhead on the Clackamas River: Bank and Wade Tactics for Oregon's Metro-Area October Run
Fishing

Fall Steelhead on the Clackamas River: Bank and Wade Tactics for Oregon's Metro-Area October Run

The Clackamas River is one of Oregon's most underrated fall steelhead fisheries — 30 minutes from Portland and loaded with wild fish by mid-October. Here's how to get into them from the bank and on foot.

August 21, 2026
USPSA Production Division: Getting Competitive with a Stock Pistol at Oregon's Practical Shooting Clubs
Shooting

USPSA Production Division: Getting Competitive with a Stock Pistol at Oregon's Practical Shooting Clubs

USPSA Production division is one of the fastest-growing entries into practical pistol competition — stock gun, minimal modifications, pure skill. Here's how to get started at Oregon's active USPSA clubs.

August 20, 2026
Tam McArthur Rim Trail: Oregon's Most Stunning Cascade Panorama Above the Town of Sisters
Backpacking

Tam McArthur Rim Trail: Oregon's Most Stunning Cascade Panorama Above the Town of Sisters

The Tam McArthur Rim offers one of the most dramatic views in the entire Oregon Cascades — a high volcanic ridge above Three Creek Lake with jaw-dropping sight lines to the Three Sisters, Broken Top, and Mount Jefferson.

August 20, 2026
Hunting Water in Late Summer: How to Find and Hunt Springs, Wallows, and Stock Tanks for Oregon Deer and Elk
Hunting

Hunting Water in Late Summer: How to Find and Hunt Springs, Wallows, and Stock Tanks for Oregon Deer and Elk

When August heat locks down deer and elk movement to a few critical windows, water becomes the great equalizer. Here's how to find and hunt water sources on Oregon public land before the archery opener.

August 20, 2026
Wilson River Fall Chinook Salmon: August Scouting and September Tactics for Tillamook County's Premier Run
Fishing

Wilson River Fall Chinook Salmon: August Scouting and September Tactics for Tillamook County's Premier Run

The Wilson River's fall Chinook run is one of Oregon's most productive and accessible coastal salmon fisheries. Here's how to scout it now and crush it when the fish show up in September.

August 20, 2026
Anthony Lakes Fishing Guide: Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout in Oregon's Blue Mountains
Fishing

Anthony Lakes Fishing Guide: Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout in Oregon's Blue Mountains

A complete fishing guide to the Anthony Lakes basin near Baker City — alpine brook trout, rainbow trout, and the scenic cirque lakes of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest at 7,100 feet elevation.

August 19, 2026