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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.

Northeast Minnesota deer study meant to help set regs enters year two of three

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

Researchers are almost a month away from starting the second year of a three-year study that should help DNR wildlife managers in northeastern Minnesota get a better understanding of deer densities and, in turn, be better equipped to set regulations accordingly.
Eric Michel, a former lead researcher with the DNR, headed the project in its first year, but Michel has since taken a new job at Mississippi State University with the MSU Deer Lab. The study is now a collaborative effort between MSU and the Minnesota DNR, with MSU graduate student Parker Kreie helping to conduct the research and analyze the data.

Northeast Minnesota deer study meant to help set regs enters year two of three Read More »

For Minnesota turkey hunters, a record harvest within reach for a second straight year

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

If harvest numbers are a good indication of the turkey population’s health, then Minnesota bird numbers are currently in a good place.
It’s possible this spring that hunters could set a new harvest record – just one year removed from the high mark was set in 2024, when hunters shot nearly 16,660 birds. Total harvest through this past weekend was 15,335 birds. That’s just above last year’s mark at the same juncture of the season.

For Minnesota turkey hunters, a record harvest within reach for a second straight year Read More »

Pinpointing what led to a great week in the turkey woods

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

It was hard to believe we weren’t hearing anything on the final morning of Minnesota’s first turkey-hunting season this year.
Where were the gobbles? This was in stark contrast to the two mornings I drove to the property to listen for roosted birds leading up to the hunt. Toms were abundant – and vocal – those days.

Pinpointing what led to a great week in the turkey woods Read More »

Doe harvested in western Minnesota aged at 16-1⁄2; how rare is such a deer?

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

Every year that a wild white-tailed deer lives in Minnesota likely means it survived a few close calls.
There’s the threat of a tough winter, as well as encounters with predators, vehicles, and hunters. There might be changes in habitat, along with other curveballs that nature might throw at wildlife. For a whitetail to live well beyond a decade, what obstacles must it have overcome? That’s the first thing that came to mind for Alexandria’s Sam Schmid after he received aging results from a doe he shot with his bow last year. It was determined to be 161⁄2 years old.

Doe harvested in western Minnesota aged at 16-1⁄2; how rare is such a deer? Read More »

Video: Tips for hunting whitetails in the bottoms of hill country

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 hunts whitetails in hill country, even in smaller, more rolling hills, knows it is challenging to get away with hunting in the bottoms within this kind of terrain.
So many factors come into play. There’s rising and dropping thermals that are important to understand. This pertains to where and when you choose to set up, as well as understanding how deer use those thermals to their advantage when it comes to how they travel, especially when bucks are trying to be efficient looking for does during the rut.

Video: Tips for hunting whitetails in the bottoms of hill country Read More »

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 »

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