Tim Spielman, Author at Outdoor News

Tim Spielman: In the dark, windy woods, the death of a buck is a tough experience to witness

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, Nature Page & Night Sky / Tim Spielman

On Oct. 9, my black Lab was the first to make the discovery. Going about her morning-relief rituals, she began an incessant barking – not the usual hey-neighborhood, I’m-up, sporadic barks.
At the far edge of my lawn, I could see something white. There’d been frost overnight – and my eyesight was still a bit bleary – but a singular frosty area didn’t make any sense. So I walked over to see what Liza’s fuss was about.

Tim Spielman: In the dark, windy woods, the death of a buck is a tough experience to witness Read More »

Streams of Thought: Is a longer pheasant season coming in Minnesota?

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

More time to hunt pheasants? Sure, sign me up.
I’m not certain why the thought of pheasant hunting deeper into the month of January crossed my mind on a cold and blustery day last week (in early December), but it did. A Minnesota DNR Wildlifer had planted a bug in my ear during a conversation not long ago, so last Thursday, I gave Nate Huck, the DNR’s resident game bird specialist, a call to discuss the concept.

Streams of Thought: Is a longer pheasant season coming in Minnesota? Read More »

‘Hundreds’ of geese found dead or dying on Fairmont chain of lakes in southern Minnesota

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

Justin Sommer began to get the reports – and questions – early this week, shortly after a massive migration of geese arrived in the Fairmont area of southern Minnesota, where his shop, Sommer Outdoors, is located: mysteriously, hundreds, local folks estimated, of dead or dying Canada geese on the ice of the city’s chain of lakes.
“Probably over a couple hundred geese,” Sommer estimated on Tuesday morning.

‘Hundreds’ of geese found dead or dying on Fairmont chain of lakes in southern Minnesota Read More »

Minnesota’s deer harvest to top 2023; crossbow take nears equal footing with vertical bows

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

St. Paul — While Minnesota’s total deer harvest remained locked at a total of 156,509 as of Tuesday morning (the harvest reporting service remained “down” since Nov. 28, officials said), that’s a number high enough to likely ensure total harvest exceeds that of a year ago.

Minnesota’s deer harvest to top 2023; crossbow take nears equal footing with vertical bows Read More »

Streams of Thought: How can conservation – easements, etc. – compete with wind projects? Or can it?

5 Comments / Discussions, Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, Nature Page & Night Sky, Opinion / Tim Spielman

At the successful completion of a pheasant hunt in Murray County, Minn., just a few weeks ago, I sat on the tailgate of the Chevy and admired the blaze of a sunset and its reflection on a duck slough below while listening to the cackling of cock pheasants that had returned to roost in the grasslands of a spread of CREP land (perpetual conservation easement acres).
A few yard lights glowed from distant farms, and I heard the drone of a tractor to the north.
I thought about the many pheasant hunts during the past couple of decades on that land. And before that, “picking rocks” and baling hay, back when much of the land was in ag production.

Streams of Thought: How can conservation – easements, etc. – compete with wind projects? Or can it? Read More »

In Minnesota’s south, is it wind energy versus wildlife habitat?

7 Comments / Discussions, Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News / Tim Spielman

As the state of Minnesota and others push for renewable energy in the form of wind and solar, wildlife advocates – including conservation groups and state agencies – are facing a two-fold challenge: massive wind-project easements that preclude possible conservation acquisition or easements, along with potential wind projects’ effects on local wildlife.
Consider: According to the DNR, there currently are 70 “large wind energy conversion system” projects in Minnesota, nearly all of them in the southwestern portion of the state.

In Minnesota’s south, is it wind energy versus wildlife habitat? Read More »

Hunting dogs seldom fail to amaze, and kudos to a CO

Opinion / Tim Spielman

While other folks were giving their blaze-orange deer-hunting apparel a good wash in scent-reducing detergent, locating their ammo, and, in some cases sighting-in their guns (yes, I heard them), I was wandering the grasslands of southwestern Minnesota for three days last week in search of pheasants.

Hunting dogs seldom fail to amaze, and kudos to a CO Read More »

Streams of Thought: Tackling invasive buckthorn is both a physical and mental battle

1 Comment / Discussions, Featured, Home Page News, Minnesota, Nature Page & Night Sky, Opinion / Tim Spielman

As I brushed my teeth in front of a mirror on a recent Sunday evening, I noticed multiple red scratches on my forearms.
I wasn’t surprised I was mostly oblivious to the sting of pain from those minor wounds; I’d not long before cleaned the blood from the backs of my hands and a cut or two on my face. But it was the sweat, some of which had soaked my cap, that’d I’d found least appealing about my recent project: another afternoon of battling buckthorn.

Streams of Thought: Tackling invasive buckthorn is both a physical and mental battle Read More »

Minnesota’s youth, antlerless season deer kills both increase, while crossbow take inches upward

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

Participants in the youth deer hunting and early antlerless-only seasons in Minnesota – both held Oct. 17-20 this year – saw harvest increases over a year ago.
During the youth season, just over 6,000 deer were taken this year, an increase of 10% over last year’s kill of 5,670, according to the DNR. While there’s not a separate license for the season, to date about 20,400 youth deer licenses had been sold, down 1% from a year ago.

Minnesota’s youth, antlerless season deer kills both increase, while crossbow take inches upward Read More »

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Tim Spielman

Tim Spielman: In the dark, windy woods, the death of a buck is a tough experience to witness

Streams of Thought: Is a longer pheasant season coming in Minnesota?

‘Hundreds’ of geese found dead or dying on Fairmont chain of lakes in southern Minnesota

Minnesota’s deer harvest to top 2023; crossbow take nears equal footing with vertical bows

Streams of Thought: How can conservation – easements, etc. – compete with wind projects? Or can it?

In Minnesota’s south, is it wind energy versus wildlife habitat?

Hunting dogs seldom fail to amaze, and kudos to a CO

Streams of Thought: Tackling invasive buckthorn is both a physical and mental battle

Minnesota’s youth, antlerless season deer kills both increase, while crossbow take inches upward

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