John Myers Outdoors Duluth News Tribune

Dean Kegler may be the best wildlife artist you've never heard of:

Rural Duluth man may be the best wildlife artist you've never heard of Dean Kegler has won several state stamp competitions and is aiming for the federal duck stamp.

All this brown got you down? You may have to get used to a low-snow winter thanks to El Nino

You aren’t dreaming: Northland’s usually white Christmas may be in doubt Warm temperatures and an unusually dry spell have delayed winter across the region.

Don't forget about the ice fishing show in Duluth this weekend!

Northern Minnesota inventor hopes ice fishing rod holders catch on With a new website and new patents, an ice fishing fanatic peddles unique rod holders at the Arrowhead Ice Fishing & Winter Show.

Deer hunters angry after another poor season railed against wolves, the DNR and Democrats Wedensday night during a packed meeting in the Carlton hockey arena:

Angry deer hunters rally against wolves, DNR, Democrats After another poor deer season, hunters want an open season on predators. That was the message during a packed meeting Wednesday in Carlton organized by the new group Hunters For Hunters.

For those hard to shop for outdoorspeople in your life, we present the 2023 News Tribune outdoor gift guide. All items are available locally. Most items are under $50!

2023 Duluth News Tribune Outdoors Holiday Gift Guide All these outdoor gifts are available locally. Some are made in the Northland. More than half the items are $50 or less.

Minnesota has seen 23 new cases of chronic wasting disease in deer tested this autumn by the DNR. Three of those have been in the northern half of thee state; most have been in the southeast where CWD has been more prevalent:

More chronic wasting disease found in Minnesota deer Of 23 new cases so far this autumn, three have been in northern Minnesota.

New hunting group wants wolves killed so deer herd recovers, holding series of meetings across northern Minnesota:

New Minnesota deer hunting group to hold meetings on wolves Hunters For Hunters events are scheduled in Carlton, Aurora, Coleraine, Detroit Lakes and Bagley.

Wisconsin fi****ms season deer harvest down 17% from 2022, down 30% across northern counties - and 55% in Iron County!

Wisconsin fi****ms deer harvest down 17% statewide, down 30% in northern counties Last year was an unusually good year for deer hunters in the state, while 2023 has been closer to average or a little below average, depending on the region.

Northern Minnesota deer camp busted for leaving deer to rot, illegal tagging of deer:

Northern Minnesota hunters cited for leaving deer to rot Three membrs of deer camp received five citations for multiple hunting violations; rifle confiscated.

MacQuarrie on Muskies: This may be the last new collection of old Gordon MacQuarrie stories:

New collection of Superior native's muskie fishing stories is out This is likely Dave Evenson's final effort to expose new audiences to Gordon MacQuarrie.

Some people build a better mousetrap. This guy built a better ice fishing rod holder...

Northern Minnesota inventor hopes ice fishing rod holders catch on With a new website and new patents, an ice fishing fanatic peddles unique rod holders at the Arrowhead Ice Fishing & Winter Show.

I'm not giving up on the dog that doesn't give up on me...

John Myers column: Who's a good boy? This dog I won't give up on Blue has bad shoulders, severe OCD and still suffers seizures. But he has drive.

Wisconsin statewide deer harvest down 16% over opening weekend, nearly 30% in the northwest. Meanwhile a woman walking her dog was shot in the abdomen by a hunter who said he thought the dog was a deer:

Wisconsin opening weekend deer harvest down 16% from 2022, Douglas County off 27.6% The DNR says a woman walking her dog Sunday was struck by a bullet.

More lakes and rivers added to Minnesotra's imparied waters list:

Minnesota adds 20 wild rice lakes and streams to impaired list A group opposed to mining near the Boundary Waters hopes that adding Birch Lake will make permitting a copper-nickel mine more difficult.

Despite good weather for much of the season, Minnesota's statewide deer registrations are down 5% statewide from 2022 and down 17% in the northeast. Hunter numbers are down another 3% from last year:

Minnesota fi****ms deer registrations down 5% statewide Registrations in Northeastern Minnesota are down another 17 % from a dismal 2022; statewide license sales down 3%.

Report form the north woods: Beryl got his buck

Beryl got his buck, again The solitary woodsman from Greaney bagged a buck Wednesday morning after a fresh coating of snow.

It's not uncomon to find three generations hunting at a Northand deer camp, but not many have four. The Breiland's do... 96-year old Don is out there hunting...

4 generations hunt at Duluth family deer camp From 96-year-old Don to 19-year-old Carter, the Breilands celebrate the Minnesota deer hunt together each season.

Wisocnsin is like two different states when it comees to deer numbers, noth vs south.. Here's the report going into next Saturday's 9-day firerms deer season opener:

Wisconsin’s split personality with deer: more south, fewer north The earlier season should help, but weather during the nine-day hunt is a key factor in hunter success.

Deputy, game warden witness baby born in front seat of van in the parking lot of the Gosh Dam Place bar and eatery:

Northern Minnesota deputy, game warden witness baby born in seat of van An “erratic driver” turned out to be a grandma trying to get her daughter to the delivery room. Instead, the baby was born in the parking lot of Gosh Dam Place.

If you make or sell outdoors stuff for outdoors people in the Northland, you need to get in our outdoors holiday gift guide. It's free. Here's how. Do it now:

Local retailers, manufacturers: Send us your best outdoor gift ideas It's free, but act now to be included in the News Tribune's 2023 Outdoors Holiday Gift Guide.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/northland-outdoors/brule-river-protected-goodbye-railroad-crossing-hello-trout-and-salmon

Brule River protected: Goodbye railroad crossing, hello trout and salmon A crumbling, long-abandoned crossing over Nebagamon Creek has been removed, averting a washout disaster for the storied Brule River.

Yet another new aquatic creature has invaded a Minnesota lake:

New aquatic creature invades Minnesota waters Ten signal crayfish, which hail from Oregon and Washington, were found in an Alexandria-area lake. Also, zebra mussels were confirmed in three Itasca County lakes.

New research found that wolves kill many of the fawns they catch each summer near where people have altered the land - homes, deer shacks, ATV trails, roads and especially recent logging sites. We're tipping the scale in favor of the predator:

Wolves kill many fawns in areas people have impacted Research finds cabins, homes, farms, roads, ATV trails and logging sites are prime areas for wolves to find fawns in summer.

How not to get pinched during the Minnesota deer hunting season that starts Saturday: Top-10 violations to avoid:

How to not get pinched during Minnesota deer hunting season From baiting to not tagging your deer, don't do these top 10 violations.

The national ammunition shortage of the past three years has eased this autumn with most hunters able to find the ammo they need. But shooting wars across the globe could rekindle the shortage again:

Hunting ammunition shortage eases, for now After several years of scarcity, most hunting calibers are available now. But wars could pinch supply again.

A National Park Service proposal to ban ATV's on much of the frozen surfaces of Voyageurs Park lakes won't be finalized until at least 2024, so no changes for this winter:

Voyageurs Park frozen lakes ATV rules delayed until 2024 Use of ATVs on lakes won’t change for upcoming winter season.

Holy cow, moose well south of their current range wreaks havoc on Highway 53....

2 cars hit moose on Highway 53, injuring teen A moose crossing the road Saturday evening led to two crashes and one more car in the ditch.

Gov. Tim Walz is heading south (where the deer are) for this year's governor's deer hunting opener event with hunting and conservation groups:

Walz heads south for deer season opener event Deer hunting and conservation groups are joining in promoting the Minnesota hunting tradition.

This about covers it, except for how you cook the backstraps:

What you need to know for 2023 Minnesota deer season From new regulations to chronic wasting disease rules to your odds of bagging a buck, we have it all right here.

We crunched some numbers and the best place to deer hunt in Minnesota is: south of the Northland:

Want to shoot a deer in Minnesota? Head south Analysis shows Northeastern Minnesota is home to nine of the 10 worst areas for deer harvested per square mile.

Here's how to hunt grouse and be happy: Have a pointer named Sigg: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/northland-outdoors/grouse-hunting-guru-helps-manage-land-he-hunts-on

Did you hear that? If you have done a lot of hunting over the years, probably not. Take steps now to prevent hunting-caused hearing loss or you will regret it later:

Gunfire from hunting can hurt hearing forever Hearing protection, suppressors and subsonic shot all can reduce damage caused by blasts.

$21 million in federal habitat grants will be unlocked for the Minnesota DNR after the agency satisfied federal officials that it will do the right thing regarding logging on wildlife areas in the state:

After changes by Minnesota DNR, feds release $21 million for state wildlife habitat The money was on hold after federal officials expressed concern over logging on state wildlife management areas.

A billboard along US Highway 53 in Cotton has rekindled the debate over wolf management in Minnesota:

Billboard with Bambi rekindles debate over wolves in Minnesota Deer hunters' group blasts wolves for killing deer, but biologists say the science doesn't add up.

The number of small game hunters continues to decline in Minnesota, according to an annual survey by DNR, and the number of birds they bagged last year went down again too:

Survey says Minnesota bird hunters, harvests down again in 2022 Some hunters are buying stamps out of tradition but not going hunting.

Grand Rapids native Easton Fothergill is crowned the best collegiate bass angler in the nation.... Wait, you didn't know there was college bass fishing?

Grand Rapids native wins national college bass tournament The former Thunderhawk now fishes for Alabama's University of Montevallo.

Last weekend's Minnesota duck opener was one of the best in recent memory, with hunters bagging more ducks on average:

Minnesota's 2023 duck opener among best on record Most reports from across the state showed more ducks bagged than usual.

Now it's official...

Duluth's Russ Francisco enshrined into Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame Itasca County fishing guide Jeff Sundin was also inducted.

For the first time in more than 160 years the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe have netted lake trout from Lake Superior, celebrating both their treaty rights and the recovery of the big lake's trout population:

For first time in 160 years, Fond du Lac Band nets lake trout in Lake Superior Members have begun a limited subsistence netting program now that the fish have rebounded in the big lake.

If you heard a big burp in the woods lately it may have been a bear. Stuffed with wild foods, a lot of bruins are avoiding Minnesota hunters this fall:

Stuffed with wild food, Minnesota bears avoid hunters A bumper crop of acorns and berries is keeping them away from many hunters' bait stations.