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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.

What the ideal morning setup looks like during the early archery season

Featured, Featured, 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 consumes plenty of whitetail media has surely heard mixed opinions on hunting mornings during the early archery season. Is it worth it or not? 
That depends on what you are looking for. Mornings during the early season can be a good time to fill a doe tag if you have that option. But what about older bucks? Many voices in the whitetail world say skip the mornings until bucks are on their feet longer when it gets closer to the rut, but there are situations where it can work in September and early October.
Here are the ingredients that need to come together.

What the ideal morning setup looks like during the early archery season Read More »

Youth Outdoor Activity Day in Minnesota draws thousands to Alexandria Shooting Park

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Minnesota, National Fishing, National Hunting, News /

The annual Youth Outdoor Activity Day in Alexandria has become a model for how to host a one-day event that focuses on introducing and keeping kids active in the outdoors. Sunday’s event was another example of that. 
This year’s youth day at the Alexandria Shooting Park featured ideal weather conditions and drew 4,643 people, including an estimated 2,785 kids. The six-hour, completely-free event hosted by Douglas County Pheasants Forever and the Alexandria Viking Sportsmen Club provided participants with more than 50 outdoor-related activities for kids.

Youth Outdoor Activity Day in Minnesota draws thousands to Alexandria Shooting Park Read More »

Here’s what to pinpoint with scouting leading up to archery deer season

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 /

It had been almost a year since I’d been on this property in North Dakota, and my first order of business was checking out a specific bedding area. 
It’s actually more of a single bedroom – the tip of an oxbow so small on a narrow river system that the cover is going to hold only a deer or two, but that deer could very well be the biggest buck on the property. I believe the buck I tagged during the 2022 archery season was bedded here before he presented me with a shot coming out to the edge of the standing cornfield. 
My buddy Sam Schmid and I were back on the property a few weeks ago as we followed a subtle trail through the canary grass and found a good-sized deer bed.

Here’s what to pinpoint with scouting leading up to archery deer season Read More »

New ownership group brings archery to Alexandria at west-central Minnesota shooting park

Featured, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, News /

The Alexandria area in west-central Minnesota is a popular destination for outdoor users across the state, most notably those who want to spend time on the water fishing or otherwise recreating on the hundreds of lakes in the area.
Now there’s a reason to grab a bow when coming to town. A new ownership group that took over this year at the Alexandria Shooting Park has wide-ranging plans for the future of that park. Part of those plans involves making archery a primary component of the park’s offerings.

New ownership group brings archery to Alexandria at west-central Minnesota shooting park Read More »

Could antler point restrictions be the answer for a more balanced deer herd in parts of Minnesota?

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

For decades, Minnesota DNR surveys have shown that many hunters want change, but there’s little agreement on regulations to increase the number of older bucks. The result continues to be a deer population that lacks a balanced age and sex structure in many parts of the state.
Could a state like Missouri, with a similar number of hunters and a gun season that, like Minnesota, falls during its peak breeding period, be a model for how a limited antler point restriction could do something to improve the balance of that age and sex structure in areas where CWD is not present?

Could antler point restrictions be the answer for a more balanced deer herd in parts of Minnesota? Read More »

Easily train your bird dog to recover big game before this fall 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 /

My mind was still racing with nervous energy as I walked back to the truck along the standing cornfield last September at last light.
I had just shot a great buck with my bow. The shot hit its mark perfectly, but the deer ran into the corn after the shot. That’s an uneasy feeling. After waiting a half an hour, I got down from the tree and followed the blood into the corn for about 20 feet before losing the trail for a few seconds.
“Back out,” I thought. “This is what you trained him for.”

Easily train your bird dog to recover big game before this fall season Read More »

Minnesota’s youth trap shooters shine at huge 9-day championship in Alexandria

Featured, Minnesota, National News, News /

Cole Krueger shot a career-best score at the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League’s trap shooting championship in Alexandria on June 20. While he certainly was proud of that, there was a tiny bit of “what if” lingering in the back of his mind when the day was done.
Krueger had just wrapped up his junior year at Prior Lake High School. He busted 99 out of a possible 100 clays on a hot and windy day.
“I like it because it’s my highest score, but I knew exactly what happened when I missed that one shot,” Krueger said. “The wind just pushed it a certain way where it bounced up right when I pulled the trigger.”

Minnesota’s youth trap shooters shine at huge 9-day championship in Alexandria Read More »

Crossbow sales heat up slowly in Minnesota after legislation change

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

It will take a couple of years to get a handle on how many more hunters will head to the woods with crossbows following recent legislation that allows crossbow use for all ages during Minnesota’s regular archery season. 
If hunters are curious about what the effect of that legislation might be, so too are archery-gear proprietors around the state who are attempting to determine how many more crossbows to have on hand right now. So far, representatives from archery shops in Minnesota are reporting mixed customer interest as hunters learn about the new crossbow regulation.

Crossbow sales heat up slowly in Minnesota after legislation change Read More »

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