Tuesday, July 28th, 2026

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Tuesday, July 28th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Rob Drieslein

Outdoor Insights: Here are the details of the closure of Minnesota’s Hill Annex Mine State Park

Outdoor News devoted ample space to the transfer of Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the local tribal community in February, so to be consistent, I couldn’t let the recent press release from the Minnesota DNR regarding the closing of Hill Annex Mine State Park go without asking some follow-up questions.
The agency announced last week that the state is de-authorizing the 625-acre property between Grand Rapids and Virginia as a state park, and it will again become a working, privately-operated mine.

Outdoor Insights: Here are the details of the closure of Minnesota’s Hill Annex Mine State Park Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Is a tripling of the pintail bag limit in 2025 really likely?

News headlines quickly amplified by social media a couple weeks ago suggested that a 300% increase in pintail bag limits across North America was a foregone conclusion for 2025 waterfowl hunting seasons.
A commentary in Outdoor News last week clarified what’s actually happening. The good news: A jump from a one-bird pintail limit to a three-bird limit next year could happen. Minnesota hasn’t seen a three-bird pintail limit since the 1990s. The reality: Unless water conditions in prairie Canada change dramatically between now and then, a tripling of the pintail bag isn’t likely.

Outdoor Insights: Is a tripling of the pintail bag limit in 2025 really likely? Read More »

Pheasants Forever initiates restart with Minnesota’s Red River Valley chapter

Pheasants Forever management notified its Red River Valley chapter in Minnesota this past winter that it was halting the chapter’s activities and implementing a “restart.”
Rebooting the Grand Forks-area chapter means replacing its officers and refocusing it on “The Habitat Organization’s” core mission. The shakeup comes after the chapter has received several honors from PF National in recent years.

Pheasants Forever initiates restart with Minnesota’s Red River Valley chapter Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Here’s why it will soon be legal to sell wild game body fat in Minnesota

Among the laws that passed during the recent Minnesota legislative session, one struck me as deserving more scrutiny. It’s a simple, two-word addition to state statute 97A.512 that addresses the sale of inedible portions of game animals. The two words? “Adipose tissue,” or what we commonly refer to as body fat.
For background, there’s a reason the venison burger you receive from your meat processor has been stamped “Not For Sale.”

Outdoor Insights: Here’s why it will soon be legal to sell wild game body fat in Minnesota Read More »

Jumbo perch are thriving on Minnesota/Wisconsin waters of the Mississippi River

A few years ago, while fishing with my kids on a Mississippi River backwater near Winona, Minn., my dad and I got into a mess of yellow perch, big ones. After an hour of the jumbo frenzy, I asked, “Where’d all these perch come from?”
Fishing the Mississippi in the 1980s, my buddies and I targeted walleyes, northern pike, and catfish, in that order. Panfish were not a priority, and I rarely remember even seeing a perch on the Mississippi or its backwaters.
Thanks to improving water clarity and more vegetation, something amazing happened. Perch rebounded, big time.

Jumbo perch are thriving on Minnesota/Wisconsin waters of the Mississippi River Read More »

Outdoor Insights: No evidence CWD has jumped the species barrier, but don’t take foot off the gas in CWD management, proper venison handling

News stories erupted nationwide based on a 376-word scientific journal abstract by the American Academy of Neurology on April 9. It suggested there might be a connection between a couple of people who died (the study didn’t say where) of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a prion-based illness, and chronic wasting disease.

Outdoor Insights: No evidence CWD has jumped the species barrier, but don’t take foot off the gas in CWD management, proper venison handling Read More »

Outdoor Insights: A bill that makes sense from Minnesota regarding sales or transfer of state lands

Sen. Steve Green, R-Fosston, introduced Senate File 5393 last week, which in simple terms would require supermajority approval for certain sales or transfers of surplus state lands. It would require a three-fifths majority vote in each house of the Legislature to transfer properties that don’t comply with the definitions of tax-forfeited properties.

Outdoor Insights: A bill that makes sense from Minnesota regarding sales or transfer of state lands Read More »

Outdoor Insights: Keep Minnesota’s public land public

On Friday, April 5, some state conservation groups are hosting a 3 p.m. public lands rally at the Minnesota State Capitol. The weatherman calls for a balmy 52 degrees and sun, but a chill wind might just penetrate the building’s corridors, because these days, public lands face threats from across the political spectrum.
In 2024 we have state and federal Democrats feverishly working to assuage their white guilt and right history’s wrongs by transferring public properties – currently open to all races, creeds, and colors – to tribal entities.

Outdoor Insights: Keep Minnesota’s public land public Read More »

Outdoor Insights: A carp barrier in Minnesota, and what are DFL legislators thinking with land transfer bills?

After stagnating for months, the possibility of an Asian carp barrier at Lock and Dam 5 in southeastern Minnesota rose like a phoenix last week.
An upbeat February state budget forecast means more sales tax dollars in Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund coffers, and there’s one item on the council’s agenda on Tuesday, March 26: a Mississippi River carp deterrent. The proposal isn’t a lock, but proponents of the new funding mechanism are upbeat.

Outdoor Insights: A carp barrier in Minnesota, and what are DFL legislators thinking with land transfer bills? Read More »

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