In their May issue that hit Newsstands this week, Outdoor Life picked its top 200 towns for sportsman. They define their criteria as "Towns that, in addition to having excellent and abundant hunting and fishing opportunities nearby, are also great places to raise a family and provide a high quality of Life."
Their number 1 town? Bend, Oregon. Their rationale:
"Surrounded by millions of acres of Forest Service Land, grassland and wetlands, and hundreds of miles of fishable rivers and streams 00 and with nearly 300 sun-filled days a year to enjoy this embarrassment of sporting riches, — Bend, Oregon tops this year's list of the best towns for sportsmen."
For fishermen, they add that Bend gives you close access to the Descutes, Crooked and Metolius rivers for rainbow and bull trout, a reasonable commute to great steelhead water, and that in Bend you're less than 4 hours away from salty opportunities on the pacific coast. It doesn't hurt that Bend features 8 breweries if you happen to enjoy a cold beer.
Their top ten rounds out like this:
2. Pinedale, Wyoming
3. Rapid City, South Dakota
4. Kodiak, Alaska
5. Saratoga, Wyoming
6. Cooper Landing, Alaska
7. Lewiston, Idaho
8. Pendleton, Oregon
9. Sheridan, Wyoming
10. Bismarck, North Dakota
Think your town got snubbed? Let the arguing begin.
-Rick Bach
