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Wednesday, November 6th, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Search
Wednesday, November 6th, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Natalie Ryder

Minnesota DNR brings felony charges in illegal spruce tops case

The Minnesota DNR is pressing felony charges against Blake Buschman of Babbitt, for the recent illegal harvest of more than 5,000 spruce top trees on private and county property, according to the St. Louis County criminal complaint.
Babbitt Conservation Officer Anthony Bermel said this isn’t the first time he has caught Buschman harvesting batches of spruce tops, when he seized about 1,300 tops in late October. He also caught him last October when he was in possession of more than 1,500 spruce tops.

Minnesota DNR brings felony charges in illegal spruce tops case Read More »

Early, pre-opener license sales tick up from 2023 ahead of Minnesota’s firearm deer season

As hunters across Minnesota sight in their shotguns and rifles for the firearms deer opener on Saturday, Nov. 9, area wildlife managers across the state are projecting mixed conditions that could be favorable for some, and trickier in other areas.
Central and south-central Minnesota are looking favorable for a solid opener and firearm harvest as abundant numbers of deer have been seen across the landscape so far this year. With the rut underway, hunters are optimistic. 

Early, pre-opener license sales tick up from 2023 ahead of Minnesota’s firearm deer season Read More »

Relationships mattered for retired Minnesota DNR fish manager Jack Lauer

Looking back on his almost 40-year career with the Minnesota DNR, most recently the past 16 years as southern region fisheries manager, Jack Lauer says he viewed the job as more than that of simply a government employee.
“We have really good resources. So, my job wasn’t to be the bureaucrat, but was to be a person who helped preserve what we have in Minnesota,” Lauer said.
Lauer, who recently retired, said he didn’t see his role as the regional manager as one that operated in a vacuum apart from local agencies.

Relationships mattered for retired Minnesota DNR fish manager Jack Lauer Read More »

Deer-removal permits due to crop damage net limited harvests in Minnesota

Recently, in southern Minnesota’s Deer Permit Area 274, a farmer killed five more deer than allowed on his out-of-season deer-removal permit and did not report it to the DNR’s area wildlife office.
As a result, he received a petty misdemeanor citation for violating the permit, and that will weigh against him if he ever applies for a permit to shoot deer causing crop damage in the future.
“That’s the first time we’ve ever had a report of that, and I don’t like to hear that, either, obviously. That’s not what this program is about,” said Dave Trauba, interim DNR Wildlife Section manager.

Deer-removal permits due to crop damage net limited harvests in Minnesota Read More »

Volunteers still the backbone of firearms safety courses in Minnesota

In the era of technology, in-person classes and field day training for firearms safety has become a thing of the past for adults, while field day training for youth under the age of 16 is still required in Minnesota.
That’s something the Minnesota DNR intends to keep.
“The classroom courses are not going to be going away,” said Capt. Jon Paurus, safety training education manager for the DNR Enforcement Division.

Volunteers still the backbone of firearms safety courses in Minnesota Read More »

ENRTF-funded metro whitetail study ramps up in Minnesota

Seeking to fill in the data gap of white-tailed deer movement and disease transmission across the Twin Cities metro area’s suburbs, University of Minnesota Associate Professor Meggan Craft sought funding from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund.
“What we know a lot about deer biology is from rural areas, and so we don’t really know how deer move, what their activity patterns are, during the day and night,” Craft said of the information researchers hope to obtain.

ENRTF-funded metro whitetail study ramps up in Minnesota Read More »

Some miss the old days, but changes for Minnesota’s Camp Ripley bowhunt mostly smooth sailing

Around this time, for the past 70 years, Camp Ripley in central Minnesota would have been buzzing with activity as officials there prepped to host the military base’s annual weekend-long deer hunt for a couple thousand archers who’d harvest a couple hundred whitetails.
This year, however, Camp Ripley transitioned the 53,000-acre National Guard base’s hunting season from a one-time event to a season-long opportunity for 150 hunters to access per day – and the results are what they wanted.

Some miss the old days, but changes for Minnesota’s Camp Ripley bowhunt mostly smooth sailing Read More »

Trapping season 2024 features new regulations, and a new zone in Minnesota

Otter, bobcat, and fisher trapping seasons in Minnesota will change this year with a longer window for otters, and a larger geographic reach to take one bobcat and one fisher.
“The primary change is that you’re now allowed to take both fishers and bobcats statewide, including southern Minnesota,” said John Erb, DNR furbearer and wolf research scientist.
The limits on all the species is unchanged – still only five bobcats, two pine martens and fishers combined, and four otters may be trapped by hunters across the state.

Trapping season 2024 features new regulations, and a new zone in Minnesota Read More »

Minnesota’s Lake Winnie land exchange sees movement in D.C.

When Bowen Lodge owner Bill Heig saw that around 35 acres of public land was available by auction near his business on Minnesota’s Lake Winnibigoshish shoreline, he stepped in with the winning bid.
“A big California development group wanted to purchase, and they were aggressively doing that. We thought, wow, we have to stop that,” Heig said.
No, he didn’t purchase it to develop it for himself or to expand his family’s resort operation. Rather, he bought the property to preserve it.

Minnesota’s Lake Winnie land exchange sees movement in D.C. Read More »

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