Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
My Account

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Main Menu
Menu
Search
My Account
Wednesday, September 30th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Main Menu
Menu
Subscribe to Outdoor News

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.

Mixed bag of success as many Minnesota hunters face a wet waterfowl opener

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

It felt like a “ducky day” in Minnesota for Saturday’s waterfowl opener.
Many hunters shot through rain and strong southeast winds that moved across the state from overnight Friday through Saturday afternoon. That likely affected participation, but passionate waterfowlers are a hardy group.
“Everything that I’ve heard was generally pretty good,” said Nate Huck, Minnesota DNR migratory bird consultant, of early reports after opening weekend.

Mixed bag of success as many Minnesota hunters face a wet waterfowl opener Read More »

Minnesota’s Hunter Walking Trails system adds hundreds of miles

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

Minnesota’s hunters who rely on hunter walking trails to get around on public land now have many more miles to use this fall.
The Minnesota DNR recently announced updates to the state’s hunter walking trails system that includes more than 40 new trails. Jesse Roberts, the DNR’s assistant Region 1 wildlife manager, said the updates added about 300 miles to the hunter walking trail system.

Minnesota’s Hunter Walking Trails system adds hundreds of miles Read More »

Understanding food, drought conditions for early season bowhunting

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

Driving home at dusk after a quick scouting mission on Sept. 7, a huge buck and another younger buck made their way across the gravel road a few hundred yards in front of the truck.
The bucks had been bedding in a little patch of brushy cover not far off the road that was surrounded by standing corn. The corn is a food source itself, but it’s also an extra layer of security that makes these tiny pockets of brush, small sloughs or grassy fencelines places where big bucks will spend their days in late summer and early fall. An additional draw in this specific situation (and why these bucks were likely here) was a second food source that is a rarity on the landscape in this area of Minnesota.

Understanding food, drought conditions for early season bowhunting Read More »

Disqualification reconfigures Minnesota youth trap league’s spring ’26 leaderboard

Featured, Minnesota, National News, News /

The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League is starting its fall season, but a disqualification recently reshuffled the list of award winners at a conference and state level from the league’s 2026 spring season.
On Aug. 11, the MSHSCTL sent a release to the state’s coaches notifying them that it had received information concerning improper scoring procedures used by a team in the 2026 spring season. The release states that the league conducted an investigation and determined that the Ortonville High School clay target team, which won Class 3A’s Conference 1 after the regular season, had violated league policies and procedures by submitting incorrect scores during the 2026 conference spring season.

Disqualification reconfigures Minnesota youth trap league’s spring ’26 leaderboard Read More »

Three weather conditions bowhunters can use to get more aggressive

Featured, 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 recently wrote a bowhunting column where I encouraged hunters to simplify their approach and focus on a few basics about whitetails.

One of my suggestions was to get into the woods any chance you get regardless of conditions. That said, there are setups that require waiting for specific conditions to hunt them effectively. Here are a few weather factors that allow bowhunters to get more aggressive.

Three weather conditions bowhunters can use to get more aggressive Read More »

Video: Reviewing Iron Will single bevel broadheads after five years of using them

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 has used a number of different broadheads over 20 years of bowhunting, but he has stuck with Iron Will single bevels the last five seasons because of consistent results that have made it hard to switch.
After using their standard single bevel for a couple of years, he has used Iron Will’s wide single bevels with bleeder blades the last few years and seen great results with them on whitetail hunts in the Upper Midwest where his shots are all at less than 35 yards.

Video: Reviewing Iron Will single bevel broadheads after five years of using them Read More »

Dove hunters a small but passionate group in Minnesota

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

September means the start of another hunting season in Minnesota, and one season that kicks things off won’t draw a ton of fanfare.
Mourning doves don’t rise to the popularity of other small-game in the state like waterfowl, grouse and pheasants. But the Sept. 1 dove opener is a fun tradition for the 5,600 or so hunters who pursue these small, speedy birds.
“I’d be hard-pressed to imagine that you’re not hooked if you get a limit of doves once,” the DNR’s New London area wildlife supervisor, Cory Netland, said.

Dove hunters a small but passionate group in Minnesota Read More »

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 »

GET THE OUTDOOR NEWS DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Sign up for the Outdoor News Weekly Newsletter and get 2 months of FREE access to OutdoorNews.com – packed with hunting, fishing, and conservation news. No Catch.

This offer includes digital access only (not the printed edition)

Email Address(Required)
Password(Required)
Name
What outdoor activities interest you?(Required)

PLEASE READ

Accessing Your Full Subscription Just Got Easier. Introducing Single Sign On.

 We’ve simplified things. Now you only need one password to access all your Outdoor News digital content.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Click Continue below.
  2. You’ll be taken to the OutdoorNews.com sign-in screen.
  3. Don’t have an account yet? Create one—it’s quick!
  4. After signing in, click the E-Edition Login button again. When the pop-up appears, just click Continue.
  5. You’ll either:
    1. Land on the e-edition selection screen (you’re in!)
    2. Be sent to a help page if we didn’t detect a subscription.

If you hit the help page, follow the directions so you don’t miss out on any of our great content.

One login. Every edition. Easy.

Let’s get you reading!

Continue...

PLEASE READ

 We’ve simplified things. Now you only need one password to access all your Outdoor News digital content.

Here’s how it works:

• Click Continue below.

• You’ll be taken to the OutdoorNews.com sign-in screen.

• Don’t have an account yet? Create one—it’s quick!

• After signing in, click the E-Edition Login button again. When the pop-up appears, just click Continue. You’ll either:

  1. Land on the e-edition selection screen (you’re in!)
  2. Be sent to a help page if we didn’t detect a subscription.

If you hit the help page, follow the directions so you don’t miss out on any of our great content.

Continue...

Help Shape the Future of OutdoorNews.com!

We know you love the outdoors—now we want to make OutdoorNews.com the ultimate destination for all things hunting, fishing, and conservation.

Take our brief 3 minute survey to share your thoughts, and help us build the best outdoor website on the planet. As a thank you, we’ll send you a special offer!

Together, we can make OutdoorNews.com even better.

Take the Survey

Introducing The Outdoor News Foundation

Donate Today

For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month!

Sign Up Now

Some restrictions apply. Not valid with other promotions. $1 per month for 6 months (you will be billed $6) and then your subscription will renew at standard subscription rates. For more information see Terms and Conditions. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. Offer valid thru 3/31/23.

Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Click here to login.