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Ryan Rothstein

Ryan Rothstein: It’s not too early to be thinking of mock scrapes

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 /

Between swatting at deer flies and reapplying bug spray for the millionth time, my arms are getting a workout in recent weeks. But there’s one thing I like to do this time of year to begin setting the table for deer season. Though it might seem odd, I’m focused on establishing mock scrapes right now.
If you’ve never messed around with mock scrapes, I can give you a litany of reasons why you should.

Ryan Rothstein: It’s not too early to be thinking of mock scrapes Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: Unplug from doom scrolling and get back to what matters in life

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

I recently found myself on a hillside, round about sunset, hand collecting seed from porcupine grass. If you’re wondering why someone would do such a thing and are now questioning my sanity, I assure you that it’s entirely for my sanity.
Apart from that, porcupine grass is a really cool, and very important, native cool-season prairie grass that is nearly impossible to buy as seed.

Ryan Rothstein: Unplug from doom scrolling and get back to what matters in life Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: A summer fawn’s potential, a hunter’s optimism

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’m not an optimist by nature. But as deer hunters, every single one of us is prone to bouts of hopefulness, whether we admit it or not. How else do you explain rising before dawn to go sit in miserably cold temperatures waiting around on the chance that something walks by? Hope is the only explanation.
Something that I love about whitetails is the consistency they provide me.

Ryan Rothstein: A summer fawn’s potential, a hunter’s optimism Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: Minnesota needs to get serious about woody invasives

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

The longer I’m in the land management game, the more I realize the best whitetail properties are those within resilient landscapes. What I mean by that is at least 50% of the land in the immediate area consists of native habitat.
Ag land is obviously a component of most whitetail country, and it buffers their numbers. But there is no replacement for quality native habitat. Can whitetails survive in less-than-ideal or even marginal habitat?

Ryan Rothstein: Minnesota needs to get serious about woody invasives Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: Chasing the perfect firearm for Minnesota’s new deer rifle era

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

It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited in early June about an upcoming firearms season. No doubt, 2026 is going to be a historic season for many hunters in Minnesota, as it’ll be the first time in eighty-some years that a majority of deer hunters will be able to use centerfire rifles.
After my county voted to move forward with following the new state law, I had all the excuse I needed to buy myself a new rifle.

Ryan Rothstein: Chasing the perfect firearm for Minnesota’s new deer rifle era Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: The gamble that saved my 2026 turkey season

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

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my turkey hunting career, it’s that you never know quite what you’re going to get. I’ve had years where turkey hunting seemed easy. This year was not one of those.
It was a year in which not much seemed to work. I tried almost every call in my vest. I called frequently. I called sparingly. I called loud. I called soft.

Ryan Rothstein: The gamble that saved my 2026 turkey season Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: An oversized, tight-lipped tom seems destined to rewrite the usual playbook

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

If I have it my way, by the time you read this, I’ll have punched my turkey tag. As it is, I’m ruminating on a gobbler that has me intrigued, and I don’t know that I have a great plan to get close to him.
I typically hunt Minnesota’s Season A unless we are still piled up with snow. Occasionally, I’ll slip into Season B. But rarely do I go much beyond that because I just prefer early season turkey hunting. Well, prior commitments and weather are not playing nice for me this year, so I’m staring down the third season as my go-to plan.

Ryan Rothstein: An oversized, tight-lipped tom seems destined to rewrite the usual playbook Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: Make the most of your spring whitetail scouting window

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

It’s always amazing how quickly the world shifts into high gear as winter lets go. After being cooped up inside for several months, everything starts all at once and suddenly we find ourselves getting pulled in a hundred different directions.
It’s easy to overlook whitetails right now with everything else coming at you, but your 2026 deer season could easily hinge on your late April scouting.

Ryan Rothstein: Make the most of your spring whitetail scouting window Read More »

Ryan Rothstein: Passing on outdoor traditions is more important than ever

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

It’s important to me to put my money where my mouth is. I preach the gospel of habitat from any stump I can find, but it’s more important to put those words into practice. I’m fortunate that I can access private land, which invokes an even greater responsibility to care for the land.
It’s difficult to find many pieces of land that don’t bear the scars of American “progress.” If there’s an upside, there is a metric boatload of habitat restoration opportunity on the landscape.

Ryan Rothstein: Passing on outdoor traditions is more important than ever Read More »

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