Since 1986, the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society has handed out an annual conservation award that recognizes organizations and individuals that show outstanding commitment to the state’s natural resources.
This year’s Conservation Award went to a small group in western Minnesota that does big work for wildlife.
Small conservation group honored for doing big work in western Minnesota Read More »
It was a little over an hour into Minnesota’s 2025 spring turkey season when two toms gobbled from about 100 yards away through the aspens.
I had sat tight in this spot since daylight, calling periodically at birds that had roosted on the neighboring property. A series of scouting runs that revealed scratchings on this trail through the timber left me confident this was the place to be on opening morning.
Up your consistency with these turkey decoying tips Read More »
Years ago as wild turkeys were expanding their range across Minnesota, hunters in some parts of the state were still learning about the new recreational opportunity.
After a public meeting in Alexandria that focused on turkey hunting, a DNR staff member said in a side conversation that he believed many areas could support a two-turkey spring limit.
“But hunters don’t want it,” he said at that time.
But after record spring harvests in 2024 and 2025, it seems that opinion may have changed.
Talk of a two-bird limit for Minnesota’s spring turkey season taking place Read More »
Tom wild turkeys soon will be strutting all over Minnesota as the birds become more aggressive in establishing a pecking order within flocks as the breeding season begins.
It’s also when videos emerge on social media showing turkeys clogging intersections, chasing people, or just generally being a nuisance within city limits. When one of those videos goes viral, it can create a sense that wild-eyed toms are widespread. But how prevalent are cases of turkeys in metro areas creating conflicts with humans?
Public forums are being held in many counties across central and southern Minnesota right now as county board members hear from constituents regarding the use of rifles for deer hunting in what were previously shotgun zones.
It’s a safe bet that some of those meetings have been more contentious than what took place in Alexandria on the evening of Feb. 18. The five Douglas County commissioners did not vote on the issue, but what they heard from the more than 20 people who spoke was overwhelming support of implementing rifles for deer hunting county-wide.
Gus’ body language gave off all the classic signs as we approached a corner near the end of a long walk along the edge of a cattail slough.
At age 7, he is in his prime years as a bird dog. Young enough where stamina isn’t an issue and experienced enough to consistently piece together the puzzle. His pace quickens when on a bird, but he’s methodical in his approach, dissecting every detail. Gus froze and glanced back at me. Almost simultaneously, a rooster erupted from the cattails.
Has South Dakota seen any negative effects from longer pheasant seasons? Read More »
Wet flakes kept flying during the first big snowfall in west-central Minnesota this past November.
It was the kind of heavy snow that lays down grasslands, and in this case, even cattails. That initial blast of snow and then the on-and-off thawing and freezing over the month of December laid some of the smaller sloughs in this area nearly flat, making some cover almost useless for pheasants that typically use cattails in big numbers at this time of year.
Changing snow trends raise some wildlife concerns during Minnesota winters Read More »
Steve Carney is doing exactly what he was meant to do with his life as a fishing guide and outdoors communicator for almost 50 years. There’s no doubt in his mind.
As a young kid, Carney, now 72, would get dropped off by his dad at Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis with a rod and a handful of jigs. He’d spend his entire days fishing around the lake from shore until his dad picked him up after getting done with work at 5 p.m.
Minnesotans are well adjusted to the cold, but the arctic blast that covered the state this past weekend raises questions for wildlife.
For hunters and those who care about wild critters, the most common question is, “How does anything outside survive this?”
The good news is that wildlife species native to Minnesota are well equipped to handle these extreme cold snaps when quality winter habitat is available.
After recent cold, how has this Minnesota winter been for wildlife? Read More »
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