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Wednesday, September 30th, 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.

The right light settings, and other factors to help get in and out of the deer woods undetected

Featured, Featured, 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 /

Anyone who has hunted whitetails long enough knows the feeling. You’re almost to your treestand after moving slowly through the woods in the dark when the sound of an alarming blow and scattering hooves running through the leaves break the silence.
Many hunters wrestle with the best ways to get in and out of a hunt location without being seen or smelled by deer, and for good reason. You may get away with more during the rut when bucks throw caution to the wind and travel longer distances, but entrance and exit strategies are critical to consistently filling tags.

The right light settings, and other factors to help get in and out of the deer woods undetected Read More »

Who will partake in this year’s Minnesota governor’s deer opener event?

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

The 2024 Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener in Minnesota is about four months away, but planning for the annual event that highlights the state’s deer-hunting tradition recently began.
This year’s firearms deer season opens Nov. 9. Last year’s Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener featured a two-day schedule of events in southeastern Minnesota with part of the focus aimed at listening sessions and recruiting new hunters, as well as highlighting the importance of hunting and fishing to conservation efforts in the state. The location for the 2024 event has not been announced, but plans are focusing on a general region of the state.

Who will partake in this year’s Minnesota governor’s deer opener event? Read More »

Perfect scores wrap up Minnesota’s state trap shooting tournament at Minneapolis Gun Club

Featured, Minnesota, National News, News /

The top trap shooters from the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League met at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake on June 21 with individual and team titles on the line during the Minnesota State High School League’s State Tournament.
The nine-day championship shoot in Alexandria that ran from June 10-18 this year was a team-qualifying event for this state tournament in Prior Lake. The top 40 teams from the entire championship qualified for the state shoot last Friday. Each year, the top 100 male and top 25 female shooters in the league based on regular-season averages also qualify to compete for individual titles in both male and female divisions at the final state tournament. 

Perfect scores wrap up Minnesota’s state trap shooting tournament at Minneapolis Gun Club Read More »

Two different paths to perfect rounds at the Minnesota trap shooting championships

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

Senior Joshua Gilbert of Champlin Park High School in Minnesota provides a case study for what youth trap shooting leagues offer kids.
With very little shooting experience, Gilbert joined the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League four years ago. The spark started when his dad inquired about his interest in hunting, but first they wanted to see how he liked busting clay targets.
“(My dad) asked if I wanted to go hunting, and I said, ‘No, I just want to shoot trap,’” Gilbert said. “The rest is history.”

Two different paths to perfect rounds at the Minnesota trap shooting championships Read More »

Interested in bowfishing? Conditions this June make it a good time to try in Minnesota

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

For anyone who has considered trying bowfishing, there may be no better time than the present in Minnesota.
June is a prime month for those who seek rough fish in the state’s waters via bow and arrow. Rising water temperatures make fish visible in the shallows during early summer, and heavy rains across parts of Minnesota this spring actually have improved conditions.
“This is probably my favorite time, and honestly a lot of bowfishers’ favorite time to go out,” said Cody Klaus, of Lakeland.

Interested in bowfishing? Conditions this June make it a good time to try in Minnesota Read More »

Gear to prioritize when building a whitetail Sitka system for each part of the season

Features, Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, National Hunting /

Does a hunter need high-quality clothing to kill deer? It’s not a necessity for everyone, but it can certainly make hunting a more enjoyable experience, as well as keep a person in the woods longer and help one be physically and mentally ready. 
If hunting is your passion, then good clothing becomes well worth the cost over many hours spent in the woods. Here is what my clothing system currently includes for each part of the whitetail season, as well as the pieces I would prioritize if I was just getting started building a clothing system from Sitka. 

Gear to prioritize when building a whitetail Sitka system for each part of the season Read More »

Huge trap shooting championship kicks off in Alexandria, Minnesota

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

The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League’s 2024 Trap Shooting Championship is up and running at the Alexandria Shooting Park in west-central Minnesota.
The event, which runs June 10-18 this year and is dubbed the “world’s largest shooting event,” will host more than 8,000 student athletes from more than 350 schools in Minnesota. All league-registered student-athletes are invited to shoot at the championship where they compete against trap shooters from programs of their similar team size. They also shoot against others at their same experience level in novice, junior varsity and varsity divisions.

Huge trap shooting championship kicks off in Alexandria, Minnesota Read More »

A passion for bettering habitat makes Craig DeJong Minnesota Outdoor News’ Person of the Year

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

In late April, at his home near Glenwood in west-central Minnesota, Craig DeJong was asked to reflect on the many wildlife habitat projects he’s helped come to fruition.
“Would you want to see one?” DeJong asks. “I’d like to show you one because a picture is worth a thousand words on that.”
An hour later, DeJong is standing along a shoreline overlooking a small wetland on a state wildlife management area that’s been completely revitalized during the past few years. A mix of birds sing on this cloudy afternoon, a bit of mist in the air. The honking of Canada geese overwhelms the songbird chorus. It’s a completely different scene from only a handful of years ago, before work was done on the property.

A passion for bettering habitat makes Craig DeJong Minnesota Outdoor News’ Person of the Year Read More »

Angler lands world-record paddlefish in Missouri during his first time ever snagging

Home Page News, National Fishing, National News /

The 2024 paddlefish snagging season in Missouri got off to a remarkable start when an angler harvested a new world record fish at the Lake of the Ozarks.
According to a press release from the Missouri Department of Conservation, Chad Williams of Olathe, Kansas, snagged a 164-pound, 13-ounce paddlefish on March 17. The fish shattered the previous state record in Missouri of 140 pounds, while also narrowly surpassing the previous world record of 164 pounds. Call it a bit of beginner’s luck for Williams.

Angler lands world-record paddlefish in Missouri during his first time ever snagging Read More »

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