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Sam Lungren
Sam Lungren
Sam Lungren is MeatEater's Fishing Editor and a former freelance writer/photographer, commercial fisherman, and editor of BHA's Backcountry Journal. Though originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, he's been in Montana for almost a decade and probably isn't leaving—except during steelhead season. Send him an email sam@themeateater.com or follow him @samlungrenmedia.

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Natural History

Photos: 30,000-Year-Old Intact Cave Bear Carcass Stuns Scientists
Russian scientists recently unearthed an unusual specimen—the intact remains of a long-extinct cave bear, providing a lens into understanding one of the largest predators to ever roam the planet.
The preserved carcass, revealed by melting permafrost and still barring its teeth, was discovered by native reindeer herders. Researchers at the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Siberia, removed the bear in order to study it.
“Today...

Gear

How COVID Caused a Nationwide Shortage of Fishing and Hunting Gear
Many a MeatEater reader and crew member has ventured into sporting goods and fishing stores this summer only to be met with empty rod racks and sparse shelves. Most leave without the gear and tackle they sought, wondering what gives. Did the pandemic break overseas supply chains? Is the industry collapsing? Or are so many people getting into the sporting pursuits that retailers literally can’t keep their shelves stocked?
I reached out to some...

Environmental Issues

Pebble Mine Falls Short on Critical Permit. Is It Dead?
Under pressure from hunters, anglers, conservationists, and even the Trump family, the Trump Administration announced today that it would not issue critical Clean Water Act permits for the contentious Pebble Mine. While this action does not outright kill the Canadian firm Northern Dynasty Mineral’s long-running effort to mine gold, copper, and molybdenum in Alaska’s pristine Bristol Bay region, it is a major setback that drastically narrows their...

Firearm Hunting

Ask MeatEater: Pistol or Bear Spray in Grizzly Country?
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers (and if we don’t, we’ll make them up). Every day, fellow MeatEaters send us more than 100 emails regarding hunting, fishing, cooking, conservation, and more. So, we decided to publish a series dedicated to our favorite FAQs. This is Ask MeatEater.
I have friends in Alaska who carry just a 9-iron golf club on hikes for brown bear protection. Now, I’m not suggesting this is a perfect solution; I only want to...

Public Lands & Waters

BLM Leadership Nomination Withdrawn, But William Perry Pendley Remains Acting Director
President Trump has withdrawn the nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management. The highly controversial former oil and mining industry lawyer, who publicly called for the outright sale of federal public lands, has drawn anger from public land users and advocates across the country—especially in the last few weeks. The Governor of Montana sued to block his appointment, a coalition of 45 Senators demanded immediate...

Freshwater

King of Panfish: How to Catch Crappies
You might not see a lot of crappie-shaped logos on hats or stickers on trucks. You won’t see crappie tournaments on TV, although they do exist. Slabs may never capture the imaginations of all serious anglers anywhere muskie, bass, trout, walleye, or other large and charismatic fishes swim—but that can work to your advantage. Crappies may be overlooked as a sportfish, but they’re not as tablefare.
Jesse Griffiths, owner of the popular Dai Due...

Saltwater

Photos: Florida Man Attacked by Shark After Bite from Gator
Justin Stuller is well on his way to some kind of Floridian grand slam. After enduring a nasty alligator bite a decade ago, he was bitten by a large lemon shark earlier this month. What comes after that? Barracuda? Burmese python? Wild boar?
Stuller, guide and owner of Estero River Outfitters, took his family down to the Keys for a short lobster season. On the second day, right after they reached their lobster limit, he noticed a hogfish with its...

Environmental Issues

Donald Trump Jr. Declares Opposition to Pebble Mine as It Nears Final Permits
On July 24 the Trump Administration’s Army Corps of Engineers released its final environmental impact statement regarding the Pebble Mine, setting the massive Southwest Alaska copper and gold project on track to receive the most important permits needed to break ground, perhaps within the month. Hunters, anglers, commercial fishermen, and area tribes have fiercely opposed the project for decades, but yesterday that chorus gained a loud and...

Public Lands & Waters

President Trump Signs the Great American Outdoors Act into Law
With a stroke of his pen, President Donald Trump handed the conservation community one of their greatest achievements in recent memory. The Great American Outdoors Act became law on Tuesday, August 4, ending a decade-long battle to reauthorize and fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
“It’s a big win for bipartisanship. Perhaps it’s only fitting it took public lands to bring a divided government together,” said Sen...

Policy & Legislation

The Great American Outdoors Act Passes Congress
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a margin of 310 to 107. This historic bill now moves to the desk of President Trump, who tweeted in favor of the bill today and is expected to sign it into law.
This legislation, which has been called the biggest thing to happen to public lands in a generation, includes full and permanent funding at $900 million annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and...