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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.

Minnesota conservation officer, state trooper remove live deer from basement of Hibbing home

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

Anyone who reads the field reports from Minnesota DNR conservation officers each week knows that officers respond to a wide range of situations.
Reports run the gamut – from humorous at times to serious poaching incidents for those tasked with protecting the state’s fish and wildlife resources. There aren’t many calls that necessarily surprise a CO, but it’s safe to say that Derek Peterlin did not expect his day to end as it did Feb. 24, when he helped remove a live deer from the basement of a house in Hibbing after the deer had broken through a window.

Minnesota conservation officer, state trooper remove live deer from basement of Hibbing home Read More »

Eric Morken: How much gear is too much gear for the mobile turkey hunter?

Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, National Hunting /

As someone who loves to run and gun for turkeys, I often find myself questioning how much gear is too much gear to bring into the field. 
I’m not exactly a minimalist. You don’t need decoys to shoot turkeys, but I’m a sucker for the experience of shooting a bird over a decoy when it all goes to plan.  It’s an exhilarating hunt being stuck motionless against a tree with a bow in your hand, waiting for a strutting tom 10 yards away to provide a chance to draw and get an arrow off.

Eric Morken: How much gear is too much gear for the mobile turkey hunter? Read More »

Struggling with a mouth call for turkeys? Here’s why that may be

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 /

If you’ve ever bought a mouth call for turkey hunting only to give it a couple of hours before declaring that it’s not the call for you … well, you’re not alone.
Most mouth calls cost around $10, and maybe that explains why they are easy to discard when you don’t get the sound you’re looking for right away.
“You don’t need to be proficient with a mouth call to kill turkeys, but there are so many advantages to a mouth call,” said Minnesota’s Shane Simpson.

Struggling with a mouth call for turkeys? Here’s why that may be Read More »

A fun and effective approach to running and gunning for turkeys

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 /

It was late May in 2022 when my daughter and I got positioned against a huge oak on a narrow tree line between crop fields for our last turkey hunt of the Minnesota season.
The toms already were gobbling as first light peeked over the horizon. I waited a few minutes and then let out some soft yelps on a mouth call. A tom 75 yards down the ridge below us cut me off with a thunderous gobble that left Aubree and me looking at each other with wide eyes.

A fun and effective approach to running and gunning for turkeys Read More »

Take your digital mapping to the next level

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 /

How humans read and view modern maps is one of the biggest advancements when it comes to changes in the world of hunting.

For most, long gone are the days of looking over a physical map. GPS units had their moment, but now utilizing digital maps at home on a laptop, or through an app on a smartphone while in the field, has become the preferred route for many. It does not replace what a hunter can learn from boots-on-the-ground scouting, but digital mapping apps certainly provide a great starting point.
“It’s putting your boots on the right ground versus just putting your boots on ground,” said Jared Larsen, a whitetail and turkey marketing manager with onX.

Take your digital mapping to the next level Read More »

A lesson in the importance of eye protection for hunting, scouting

Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, National Hunting /

The winter of 2023-24 in Minnesota could not have unfolded any better for those who love to scout for whitetails.
The period of time with no snow on the ground and before green-up in the spring is a great time to be in the woods. Trail systems and the prior fall’s rut sign jump off the page and really show how deer use the terrain. I was determined to take advantage of this mostly snowless winter in southern and central Minnesota by getting into the woods every chance I got. 

A lesson in the importance of eye protection for hunting, scouting Read More »

National Deer Association report shows a record level of mature bucks in the nationwide harvest

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

The National Deer Association released its 2025 Deer Report on Jan. 16 with a new interactive report that makes it even easier for hunters to see harvest trends in the states where they hunt.
The annual report is a comprehensive look at nearly everything a hunter would want to know about whitetails across the country. According to the report, U.S. hunters shot more than 3 million whitetail bucks during the 2023-24 season and set a record for the most mature bucks in the harvest.

National Deer Association report shows a record level of mature bucks in the nationwide harvest Read More »

Eric Morken: Gear that stood out from the 2024 bowhunting season

Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, National Hunting /

January and February for a deer hunter are the months to reflect on what went right and wrong during the recently-completed season when it’s still fresh in one’s mind. 
What deer do one year won’t necessarily be the case the following season. Landscapes can change, but there’s also many situations that are repeatable. 

Eric Morken: Gear that stood out from the 2024 bowhunting season Read More »

A large buck-doe harvest gap in Minnesota this year

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

A common refrain DNR wildlife managers hear from a segment of Minnesota deer hunters is the desire to see more mature bucks, as well as a more balanced age and sex structure in the state’s whitetail herd.
There are biological advantages to a deer herd that has a balanced age and sex structure. Social order works better. It helps ensure a synchronized breeding period, some experts say.
That balance leads to more competition for breeding, which means bucks tend to be more visible to hunters during daylight over longer stretches of a season.

A large buck-doe harvest gap in Minnesota this year Read More »

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