Minnesota Mixed Bag: St. Paul Ice Fishing Show begins Friday

St. Paul — The 2024 St. Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show begins Friday and continues through Sunday at St. Paul RiverCentre. As the ice-fishing season gets under way, the show will feature more than 190 exhibits including products and services, fish houses, rods and reels, tackle, electronics, apparel, and much more.

There’s also a full lineup of seminars that will help you catch more walleyes, crappies, trout, and other fish through the ice this winter. Get tips from some of the best in the business, including Eric Haataja, Matt Breuer, “Tackle” Terry Tuma, Jason Mitchell, and others.

General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $6 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids age 5 and under. Show hours are 1-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8. For more information, visit: stpaulicefishingshow.com

MORE COVERAGE FROM MINNESOTA OUTDOOR NEWS:

Minnesota man ventures south to answer a calling in world championship

Minnesota’s deer harvest to top 2023; crossbow take nears equal footing with vertical bows

Early ice getting positive reviews in Minnesota, officials urge anglers to use caution

ARROWHEAD ICE FISHING SHOW IS DEC. 13-15 IN DULUTH

Duluth, Minn. — The Arrowhead Ice Fishing and Winter Show is set for Dec. 13-15 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

Visit the show to stock up on the ice-fishing gear you’ll need this season, plan an ice-fishing vacation to one of the state’s premier destinations, or take in a seminar or panel discussion featuring ice-fishing personalities including Brad Hawthorne, Justin Soffa, and others.

Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15. Admission is $10 for those age 18 and older, $6 for those ages 6 to 17, and free for kids age 5 and under. Visit arrowheadiceshow.com for more information.

MINNESOTA DNR TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON BUFFALO RIVER STATE PARK PLAN

St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR is initiating updates to the Buffalo River State Park management plan to guide future development and operations.

The new management plan will set the direction for the park for the next 15 to 20 years. It will include recommendations for managing natural and cultural resources and providing recreational and interpretative opportunities to park visitors.

The DNR invites those interested in providing input to an open house on Monday, Dec. 9, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Minnesota State University Moorhead Regional Science Center in Glyndon.

Buffalo River State Park is located 14 miles east of Moorhead and sits along the winding Buffalo River. Many of its facilities were built by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s and early 1940s and are on the National Register of Historic Places.

For information, visit the park website.

For information about the open house or management plan, contact Gratia Joice, principal planner, at (651) 259-5328 or gratia.joice@state.mn.us

WISCONSIN DNR: GUN DEER HARVEST IS UP

Madison, Wis. – At the Dec. 1 conclusion of the Wisconsin gun deer season, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced an increase in the number of deer hunters, as well as an increase in gun-deer harvest this year.

Preliminary figures indicate the number of deer hunters in Wisconsin slightly increased compared to 2023. As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, sales for deer-hunting privileges reached 791,023, up from 788,697 for the same time period last year. Of those, 553,652 were for gun privileges only, up from 553,479 in 2023.

Preliminary figures show hunters registered 189,622 deer during the 2024 gun deer season, including 89,787 antlered and 99,835 antlerless deer. Compared with 2023, the gun season harvest total is up 5.2% statewide, with the antlered harvest up 3.6% and the antlerless harvest up 6.6%.

Since the opening of the bow and crossbow seasons, Wisconsin hunters have registered 289,361 deer. This harvest is 8.7% ahead of the same time last year.

‘NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE’ GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE

St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR has announced another phase of the No Child Left Inside grants. These grants help more children cast a line, study animal tracks, hike or bike, or engage in other activities to learn more about nature. Apply before 2 p.m. on Dec. 17.

Public entities and nonprofit organizations serving youth younger than 18 may apply for the grants. A special category of grants in this phase is held for organizations working in metropolitan environmental justice areas and serving youth from nonnative English speaking communities.

For more information about the grant program, instructions for how to apply, and a link to the application, visit the No Child Left Inside grants web page of the Minnesota DNR website.

IOWA’S GUN DEER SEASONS ON TAP

Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa’s most popular deer-hunting seasons are just around the corner, when roughly 100,000 hunters take to the timber for the long-awaited gun seasons.

Iowa’s first gun season is Dec. 7-11. The second gun season is Dec. 14-22.

Last year, hunters reported harvesting about 60,000 deer during these two seasons, which is more than half of the total deer harvested for all seasons, and wildlife experts are forecasting a similar harvest.

So far this fall, youth, disabled hunter, early muzzleloader, and archery hunters have reported the kill of more than 25,000 deer through the harvest reporting system, which is about the five-year average.