Craig Press Merges Two Magazines to Define Northwest Colorado’s Outdoor Identity

Steamboat Springs —The Craig Press is ending a labor of love. Colorado Hunter & Angler Magazine hits the racks this week. It is the final issue of a project that has defined Northwest Colorado’s outdoor identity for years.

The publication has merged with the now-defunct Yampa Valley Adventures: Northwest Colorado Angler. The goal was simple: provide readers with deeper insights into the region’s fishing opportunities. But the story behind the magazine is as much about the people making it as the pages they fill.

This is a passion project for Craig Press reporter John Camponeschi and the writer behind the byline. Their ambition was guided by a single belief: hunting and fishing are integral to the fabric of Northwest Colorado. With the support of publisher Rob Galloway, they spent months crafting a publication that reflects the area’s outdoor heritage.

They didn’t plan it in a boardroom. They planned it on the water.

The editorial outline for this year’s edition was forged during an afternoon of fishing on the Yampa River last spring. Camponeschi and the writer skipped the emails, texts, and Zoom calls. They went fishing.

The day was brilliant. Sunshine hit the water. A magnificent caddis hatch exploded. The Yampa Valley surrounded them, blue sky reflecting in the current and off the surrounding mountains. It was, as the writer noted, a perfect day.

They split up. They tried their own methodologies. The trout were finicky. A thunderstorm passed through. The fish remained stubborn. The writer won’t say who caught the biggest fish.

Afterward, they retreated to trucks to discuss the magazine’s direction. Nature interrupted. A small herd of elk, all cows, guided newborn calves through a pasture. They helped the young ones cross a small creek. A mile later, a bull moose stood in a small pond, cooling off.

The two men marveled at the sight. They thought about how fortunate they were to live in a place where such things happen. They didn’t want to take it for granted. It reinforced their shared notion: hunting and fishing are about shared experiences, forming relationships, and coveting the natural environment.

That is what they wanted to build into the magazine. Profiles of the people who shape the outdoor landscape of the Yampa Valley.

The edition features Kirk Deeter, editor of Trout Magazine. It profiles Thomas Miller, sporting clays champion at the Feathered Elk Ranch. It highlights Hellander Outfitters. It introduces local guide Alex Thompson. And it includes personal reflections from Camponeschi on seeking solitude in the field. The writer contributes a story about a German wirehair pointer who passed away.

The result is a publication that focuses on people, experiences, and beauty. It is a snapshot of the community’s relationship with the land.

Readers in Northwest Colorado have grown familiar with Colorado Hunter Magazine over the past several years. This merger changes the format, but not the mission. The magazine now carries the weight of two traditions into one volume.

The Craig Press has been the vehicle for this effort. Galloway provided the support. Camponeschi and the writer provided the sweat equity. The result is on the newsstands.

It shows that local journalism can still be intimate. It can still be built on a riverbank, not just in an office. The trout were stubborn, but the story got out.

The magazine is here. The Yampa River keeps flowing. The elk keep guiding their calves. The moose keep cooling in the pond. The work is done.