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Natalie Ryder

Minnesota Senate bills altered in environment omnibus

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

After an almost three-hour meeting late last week, the Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy committee approved S.F. 2077, its omnibus package, sending it to the Senate Finance Committee.  
Unlike the House environment committee, the Senate hammered out bills to be included in the omnibus budget package. Those bills include youth earning bear-hunting preference points earlier, eliminating the shotgun zone, extending crossbow use for all, lowering license fees for disabled vets, a continuous bass season, establishing a foraging task force, and repealing the prohibition of beaver consumption.

Minnesota Senate bills altered in environment omnibus Read More »

Those involved in the fishing business grapple with forward-facing sonar

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

Longtime angler and Minnesota fishing guide Steve Scepaniak remembers the first time he went fishing at age 2 with his dad. As he grew up fishing in his free time, angling technology began to advance while he honed his skills.
“I was a little kid sitting on my dad’s knee when the ‘green box’ came up. That was the first sonar ever made, and it was a blast,” Scepaniak recalled of the Lowrance Fish-Lo-K-Tor.

Those involved in the fishing business grapple with forward-facing sonar Read More »

Bemidji State University to study muskie survival, movement in Minnesota’s Leech Lake

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

A widely anticipated study will begin as soon as next month in an effort to determine if there is increased muskie mortality on Minnesota’s Leech Lake due to savvier angling pressure. 
As a call to action, in coordination with the Minnesota DNR, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and MN-FISH, researchers at Bemidji State University will lead the charge in tagging and tracking muskies for three years. Bemidji State University Professor Dr. Andrew Hafs is still in the early stages of applying for permits to fit muskies with tracking devices and subsequently monitor them during the tenure of the study. 

Bemidji State University to study muskie survival, movement in Minnesota’s Leech Lake Read More »

Minnesota ‘environment’ committees see budget decline

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

With just more than a month left in this year’s legislative session, House and Senate committees have received their proposed operating budget constraints for the upcoming biennium.
Facing the multi-billion-dollar deficit in coming years, both the Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee and the House Environment and Natural Resource Finance and Policy Committee are working with less general fund dollars.

Minnesota ‘environment’ committees see budget decline Read More »

Continuous bass season, shotgun zone on the table as deadline nears in Minnesota

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

Leading up to the omnibus package deadline of Friday, April 11, the Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resource Finance and Policy Committee had heard many bills to potentially include.
During the past two weeks, bills regarding a continuous bass season, a DFL-backed Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund bill and new community grants carve-out, eliminating the shotgun zone, and special permitting for industry water use were heard and laid over.

Continuous bass season, shotgun zone on the table as deadline nears in Minnesota Read More »

Yet another mild winter could aid Minnesota’s turkeys, pheasants

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

Looking back on the 2024-25 winter, turkeys and pheasants mostly didn’t get pounded by either low temperatures or heavy snowfall amounts. That positive news likely will lead to promising hunting seasons – the former this spring and the latter this fall.
“It’s the combination of the two (cold and snow) that really gets to them. So the fact that we never really had huge snow loads and didn’t really have the super cold to go with it – I think they did really well for the most part,” said Nate Huck, DNR resident game bird specialist.

Yet another mild winter could aid Minnesota’s turkeys, pheasants Read More »

Discussion on forward-facing sonar, walleye limit among hot topics at MN-FISH summit

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

On Thursday, March 27, about 200 anglers from across Minnesota attended the MN-FISH Summit in Grand Rapids to hear from industry experts on various topics. 

MN-FISH President Ron Schara and Tom Neustrom, an officer with the fishing advocacy group, kicked off the meeting with opening remarks on the legislative advocating that MN-FISH has tackled since it was organized in 2018. At this year’s summit, key topics on the agenda included muskie and pike management, forward-facing sonar, reducing the statewide walleye limit, and fish stocking.

Discussion on forward-facing sonar, walleye limit among hot topics at MN-FISH summit Read More »

Minnesota budget plan cuts one-third of payments in lieu of taxes

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

Looking down the barrel of an even larger budget deficit than originally projected in the fall of 2024, Gov. Tim Walz revised his initial budget proposal by carving more out of pockets in a new proposed state budget.
One of the new proposed cuts is to payments in lieu of taxes to local governments (counties, townships), now slated to see a potential $17 million reduction, or a decrease by about 34% over the next biennium. PILT is paid to offset property tax losses due to public land ownership in counties.

Minnesota budget plan cuts one-third of payments in lieu of taxes Read More »

Bait shortage continues to batter Minnesota’s fishing industry

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

Again, this year, many bait and tackle shops’ shiner supplies dried up early in the Minnesota ice-fishing season.
“It was kind of a rough winter. There wasn’t much for shiners after the end of January. I think the state, they could have sold another 5,000 gallons of shiners if they’d had them,” said Bill Powell, owner of Fred’s Bait & Tackle in Deer River.
Being in the industry for a long time, shortages aren’t anything new and have been getting worse for certain areas of Minnesota.

Bait shortage continues to batter Minnesota’s fishing industry Read More »

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