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Thursday, August 13th, 2026

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Eric Morken

Eric Morken is a writer and web editor for Outdoor News who lives in west-central Minnesota with his wife and two daughters. Morken graduated with a journalism degree from Augustana College (now Augustana University) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 2007. He has worked in the journalism field ever since, and his outdoor work has been in print and digital publications across the country. When not writing about the outdoors, Morken is an active participant in them. He can be found doing some casual fishing in the summer and chasing turkeys in the spring, but his passion is centered around bowhunting whitetails. It’s a year-round commitment of scouting and hunting different regions of Minnesota and surrounding states on public and shared-private lands every chance he gets. Contact Morken at emorken@outdoornews.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricOutdoorNews or on Instagram @elmorken.

Another View: The habitat issue and its role in overcrowding public lands

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, Opinion /

Out-of-state hunting trips are one of my favorite parts of each fall season, but it’s getting harder to find nearby places to travel for Minnesota deer hunters.
I have bowhunted whitetails on public and private land in Missouri, South Dakota, and North Dakota. All three states have now implemented some sort of regulation change to limit opportunities for nonresidents on public land.

Another View: The habitat issue and its role in overcrowding public lands Read More »

Focus on a few fundamental truths for a better bowhunting season

Featured, Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

I got a text from a friend who has been putting many hours in scouting for whitetails this year.
He was seeing good sign on a big piece of public land – scrapes, rubs, and great trail systems indicating many deer are using the property. At the end of the day, he found himself with plenty of information but no real plan on exactly how to hunt the sign he was finding. My buddy is in his early 20s and what he’s going through gave me flashbacks to what I went through at that age.

Focus on a few fundamental truths for a better bowhunting season Read More »

What’s the perfect archery release? Get the most out of your release aid

Featured, Featured, Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

P.J. Reilly has likely shot as many release aids as almost anybody in the archery world.
Now in his 14th year with Lancaster Archery Supply, Reilly is a public face for the huge archery retailer based in Lancaster, Pa. He is an avid bowhunter and has written “best-of” gear reviews on releases based on his testing, along with hosting countless video reviews for Lancaster’s social media channels. Reilly figures he has shot more than 100 release aids. So what is the top quality that he is looking for out of a good release for bowhunters?

What’s the perfect archery release? Get the most out of your release aid Read More »

Push is on to create a ‘citizens conservation advisory council’ in Minnesota

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Fishing, National Hunting, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Almost 40 states have some form of a citizens conservation advisory council with members who are advocates for their state’s natural resources.
The role of these citizen councils is to advise their state natural resources agency and politicians on policy that is important to game, fish and wildlife issues. Minnesota is one state without such a council or board, but the group that organized Minnesota’s first Duck Summit this past March to address concerns about duck hunting in the state is pushing to change that.

Push is on to create a ‘citizens conservation advisory council’ in Minnesota Read More »

Gear review: First impressions of the Carbon Synergy climbing sticks from Latitude Outdoors

Gear & Gadgets, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Eric Morken recently got the new Carbon Synergy climbing sticks from Latitude Outdoors after hunting with a set of carbon sticks from a different company the last few years that did not meet his expectations.
In this video gear review, Morken shares his thoughts on how these Carbon Synergy sticks compare in all the important areas that make for a great climbing stick for mobile hunters.

Gear review: First impressions of the Carbon Synergy climbing sticks from Latitude Outdoors Read More »

DNR asks public to assist in monitoring Minnesota turkeys by reporting sightings this summer

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, National News, News /

With wild turkeys now firmly established in the state and hunting for them as popular as ever, the Minnesota DNR is placing more emphasis on monitoring turkey populations. Hunters have an opportunity to assist in the efforts.
The DNR is asking the public to report all of their pheasant and turkey sightings through an online survey open from July through August. It’s part of a nationwide effort initiated by the National Wild Turkey Federation as state agencies share important information on turkeys.

DNR asks public to assist in monitoring Minnesota turkeys by reporting sightings this summer Read More »

Video: Easy steps to finding great whitetail setups

Featured, Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

With so much information at our fingertips today as whitetail hunters, it’s easy to take in a ton of information. Sometimes, especially for relatively new hunters, this can lead to a lot of second-guessing in the woods and ultimately cost us deer.
In this video, Eric Morken goes through the three main ingredients that come together to create a great setup within security cover on a river bottom property he hunts.

Video: Easy steps to finding great whitetail setups Read More »

Proctor sophomore wins first-ever shoot-off to earn title at Minnesota clay target state tournament

Featured, Home Page News, Minnesota, National News, News /

Laine Graves had never shot in a moment quite like what he faced last Friday at the Minnesota State High School League’s Clay Target State Tournament, but to say he was completely unprepared for the pressure he faced would be disingenuous.
Graves just wrapped up his sophomore year at Proctor High School. He was one of the top 10 shooters in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League by season averages this spring. He’s now competed in four state tournaments, making it each year since seventh grade.

Proctor sophomore wins first-ever shoot-off to earn title at Minnesota clay target state tournament Read More »

Eric Morken: Gear that stood out from the 2025 hunting season

Featured, Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

I bowhunt whitetails in multiple states from late August through December. There’s pheasant hunting with my black Lab, Gus, from October through January and turkey hunting multiple states in the spring.
That covers a wide range of weather and hunting conditions in the Upper Midwest. Here are some gear items that stood out from this past year after hundreds of hours in the field.

Eric Morken: Gear that stood out from the 2025 hunting season Read More »

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