Lately, I’ve been thinking we could be in for a tough deer season. If that sounds ludicrous on the surface, I agree.
Deer numbers in at least one-third of Minnesota are as high or higher than they’ve ever been, and populations elsewhere are rebounding. But the reason I think we could be in for a tough one has nothing to do with deer numbers.
You’ll have to pardon my oversight. The areas I hunt most aren’t under a feeding and attractant ban, so frankly, I haven’t had to think about this until now.
Ryan Rothstein: Getting creative to attract whitetails Read More »
We hunters have a certain fondness for tooting our own horns. Whenever there is criticism of hunting, our response almost universally invokes hunters’ role in recovery of wildlife species and the funding our equipment purchases and license dollars generate for wildlife management.
That’s a valid statement. But that shouldn’t let us off the hook. If we’re honest with ourselves, the recoveries we celebrate really aren’t as spectacular as we like to imagine.
Ryan Rothstein: Assessing America’s wildlife recovery journey Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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