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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.

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 »

Minnesota muzzleloader harvest up 1% from 2023; and is there any concern with crossbow harvest?

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

Hunters who took part in the Minnesota muzzleloader deer season that ran Nov. 30 through Dec. 15 saw somewhat similar success to what hunters had during the regular firearms season  –  an increase in the deer kill from 2023, but still down from the five-year mean.
Muzzleloader hunters registered 8,253 deer this year. That’s up 1% from a year ago and down 11% from the five-year mean (about 9,200).

Minnesota muzzleloader harvest up 1% from 2023; and is there any concern with crossbow harvest? Read More »

Classic food sources missing? Try these alternatives to punch your December deer tag

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

Most whitetail media coverage regarding late-season deer hunting is centered on food sources such as food plots or crop fields.
Deer will flock to these areas to fuel up for winter. But what if you don’t have those classic late-season food sources on land you hunt? You’ll have to search a little, but you can still have success in mid- to late December with a bow or muzzleloader. Here are a few things to consider.

Classic food sources missing? Try these alternatives to punch your December deer tag Read More »

Video: Rebounding from a bad shot during the whitetail rut

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 /

I was set up in my hunting saddle on a crisp Nov. 4 morning as a light wind blew my scent over the river from a tree that was overlooking a funnel between bedding areas. 
It was a perfect scenario for the whitetail rut, but my heart was not in this hunt. The day before, I had rushed a shot on a good buck, and that’s what I was dwelling on. That buck came to the base of my tree, smelled my ground scent and spooked. He ran out in front of me and stopped in my shooting lane less than 20 yards away.

Video: Rebounding from a bad shot during the whitetail rut Read More »

A quick chat with Dr. Bronson Strickland of the Mississippi State University Deer Lab

Home Page News, National Hunting, Quick Chats /

Dr. Bronson Strickland sees firsthand how difficult it is for some students to know exactly what it is they want to do with their professional lives once they reach college.
Strickland, the St. John Family endowed professor of wildlife management at Mississippi State University, did not experience the stress of that unknown himself. He was in junior high when a friend told him about another friend whose dad was a deer biologist.
“When I heard that, my question to my friend was, ‘There’s a job where you can be a deer biologist’” Strickland said. “I knew from that point on.”

A quick chat with Dr. Bronson Strickland of the Mississippi State University Deer Lab Read More »

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