Thursday, June 11th, 2026

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Thursday, June 11th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Rob Drieslein

Outdoor Insights: Minnesota waters of the Mississippi River producing big pike

Got out for a morning of fishing on Pool 5A of the Mississippi River in Minnesota last Saturday with my dad and three of my kids.
Angling started slow, then for a solid 20 minutes, the northern pike were on a tear. Casting old-school spoons, my boys had multiple strikes and brought three into the boat, all thick specimens over 30 inches. They released two, but the third took the lure deep into the gut, so he came home for a Saturday night fish fry. Delicious.
Curious about our good luck, I called DNR Fisheries in Lake City for more information about the status of northern pike along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

Outdoor Insights: Minnesota waters of the Mississippi River producing big pike Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Legal action in corner crossing debate, and a job that sounds too good to be true

“It doesn’t matter what side of the barbed wire or political aisle you stand on, we are all public land owners with a vested interest in our public lands,” said Ryan Callaghan, BHA president and CEO. “Corner crossing while respecting private property is a practical ‘middle ground’ that the vast majority of Montanans support.

Outdoor Insights: Legal action in corner crossing debate, and a job that sounds too good to be true Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Minnesota legislative session sets bad precedent for future Outdoor Heritage Fund funding debates

The legislation indeed passed before the Legislature adjourned Sunday, and the State Capitol’s streak of getting dedicated sales tax dollars into the ground on time remains in place.

Outdoor Insights: Minnesota legislative session sets bad precedent for future Outdoor Heritage Fund funding debates Read More »

Action Alert: With three days left in Minnesota legislative session, tell your legislator to get Legacy funding done NOW!

We’ve got a late-breaking 2026 Minnesota Legislative Session emergency that demands the attention and action of every sportsman and sportswoman in the state.
At stake is $191 million in dedicated sales taxes that the Legislature appropriates for habitat via the Outdoor Heritage Fund. These are not general tax dollars, these are the Legacy dollars that citizens permanently dedicated back in 2008.

Action Alert: With three days left in Minnesota legislative session, tell your legislator to get Legacy funding done NOW! Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Minnesota crossbow vote details how detached politicians are to hunting topics

As Outdoor News reported last week, language making crossbow use permanent during the Minnesota archery season passed 133-0 in the House and 67-0 in the Senate last month. If you’re a voter desperate for bipartisanship in Minnesota, I give you crossbows during the archery season. But really? 200-to-zero? When’s the last time the legislature voted 200-to-zero on anything?

Outdoor Insights: Minnesota crossbow vote details how detached politicians are to hunting topics Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Confirmed Minnesota cougar cubs force a skeptic to reevaluate; and Outdoor Heritage Fund demands help

The verified video of three cougar cubs in northern Minnesota last week qualifies as one of the biggest outdoors stories of the year. Social media chatter after the story broke ranged from amusing to conspiratorial.
Some folks insist that the DNR has been secretly concealing the presence of a legitimate cougar population, which seems odd given that the agency issued the actual press release about these cougars and the story went viral nationwide within hours. Others say that local folks have known about a wild population of cats for decades.

Outdoor Insights: Confirmed Minnesota cougar cubs force a skeptic to reevaluate; and Outdoor Heritage Fund demands help Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Notes on upcoming Lake Mille Lacs meeting, walleye and perch limits, and walk-in access dollars

Minnesota DNR Fisheries has scheduled an informational public meeting next Thursday, May 7 (6 to 8 p.m.) for anyone interested in fisheries management on Lake Mille Lacs.
You can read details here, but the in-person gathering aims to discuss the status of the fishery, background on the creel survey program and 2026 results, species population modeling, and the process of setting regulations.

Outdoor Insights: Notes on upcoming Lake Mille Lacs meeting, walleye and perch limits, and walk-in access dollars Read More »

Outdoor Insights: U.S. Senate repeal on BWCA watershed mining ban sparks anger — and a conservation reckoning

The U.S. Senate vote that repealed the moratorium on sulfide-ore copper mining in the Boundary Waters watershed last week felt inevitable after Donald Trump was elected president in 2024. Leading up to last Thursday’s action, insiders were telling me they had the votes to stop the repeal, then the White House got involved, twisted some arms, and the measure passed 50-49.

Outdoor Insights: U.S. Senate repeal on BWCA watershed mining ban sparks anger — and a conservation reckoning Read More »

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