December 17, 2013

Park Rapids, Minn. — Rob Naplin, a longtime employee of the DNR who most recently was area wildlife manager in Park Rapids, died suddenly last week. Naplin, 64, fell while cleaning ice from sewer vents on his roof. He was area wildlife manager in Willmar for seven years before moving in 1984 to Park Rapids,

Minneapolis — The coming together of the treaty rights and the federal Lacey Act further muddied the treaty waters late last month when a federal judge agreed to drop charges against five American Indian tribal members charged with illegally catching and selling walleyes caught from some of Minnesota’s most popular lakes, like Upper Red, Winnibigoshish,

Harrisburg — Deer in parts of Pennsylvania have their own texting plans. As part of the Deer-Forest Study – a cooperative research project being conducted by the Game Commission and partners – several deer in Pennsylvania are wearing GPS radio collars that can be controlled via text messages. Short text messages are sent from the

Sandusky, Ohio — Over the past several years, it has not been uncommon to hear fishermen express relief now that the zebra mussel problem has gone away. It’s an interesting opinion – but untrue. They have, in fact, eliminated Lake Erie’s native large clams, substantially reduced the fish populations by altering the foundation of the

Auburn, N.Y. — If you’ve got a fishing license and you live anywhere near Owasco Lake, you’ve probably gotten a survey in the mail recently from the DEC. Fisheries officials hope a significant number of anglers respond to the survey, which will help them shape future management decisions on the lake’s fishery. At 11 miles

Gladstone, Mich. — Twenty-three-year-old Kacey Gartland, of Gladstone, shot the second-highest-scoring black bear known taken in the state this year. Her trophy bear is also the third-biggest bruin known killed in Michigan by women. She got the record-book bear in Dickinson County on the evening of Sept. 25, the first day of her hunt, while

Blame for the dramatic decrease in this year’s first firearms season ranges from the traditional (nasty weather) to the irrational (hungry cougars).