From The Pages Of MN ODN Archives - Outdoor News

Expect lots of fishing talk this week with Tim Lesmeister and Rob Drieslein as the pair discuss ice-out crappies tactics and – new for 2026 – early open-water bass C&R fishing in Minnesota. Then Sharon “Birdchick” Stiteler visits again to talk about spring bird migration and her pet peeves with movies that can’t seem to get background bird sounds accurate and authentic. She and Drieslein also talk about prime spring eagle watching destinations. Then old buddy Dean Bortz, the editor of Wisconsin Outdoor News, visits with updates on the forthcoming Conservation Congress spring hearings on April 13, and what exactly happened with sandhill crane hunting in the Wisconsin legislature (again?!)

The post Episode 586 – Ice-out bass and crappie, nature sound editing, WI hearings and sandhill crane hunt appeared first on Outdoor News.

Guests this week include Tony Peterson with spring wild turkey hunting tactics. The Minnesota season starts April 15. Then Sharon Stiteler, the “Birdchick” drops in to talk about a spring bird migration that is running full-throttle. Tim Lesmeister and host Rob Drieslein talk about the 11% increase in Minnesota moose numbers and what that portends for hunting the giant deer in the state. They also talk about chatter in the state Legislature to create a Mark and Melissa memorial state park, and they remember movie tough guy Chuck Norris.

The post Episode 585 – Increase in Minnesota moose, wild turkey tactics, bird migration, new ’state park’? appeared first on Outdoor News.

Guests this week include Tony Peterson with talk on a possible two-bird spring turkey bag limit in Minnesota as well as final shed-hunting tips for the season. Cory Roeker from southern Minnesota then joins the show to talk about the 1,000 wood duck boxes he and his students have placed over the past four years, and he offers tips for hanging your own wood duck box. Tim Lesmeister and host Rob Drieslein talk about the upcoming hearing before an administrative law judge on the matter of lowering the statewide walleye limit from 6 to 4, plus the liberal 5-fish walleye limit for Upper Red this open water season. Finally, Logan Reidel from Minnesota Native Landscaping joins the program to share insight into making your property more wildlife and ecologically friendly as spring 2026 unfolds.

The post Episode 584 – MN walleye limits, 2-bag turkey talk, wood duck boxes, Minnesota Native Landscaping appeared first on Outdoor News.

Guests this week include Lt. Mike Lee of Minnesota DNR Enforcement as he works to generate applicants for the agency’s Conservation Officer Prep program and next CO Academy. Then Nate Hodgins from DNR Fisheries shares insight into the agency’s lake management planning process and the public comment period that is open right now. Tim Lesmeister and host Rob Drieslein talk a bunch of topics including the passing of Milo Hanson, the Saskatchewan farmer who shot the world record white-tailed deer 33 years ago. Other topics include the 3-walleye bag limit on Mille Lacs, lead ammunition and tackle debate, and hooking mortality chatter.

The post Episode 583 – Remembering Milo Hanson, become a CO, hooking mortality, fisheries management appeared first on Outdoor News.

Tyler Winter, from native Fish for Tomorrow, joins the program to advocate for native roughfish and remind listeners that the deadline to comment on lower limits for those species in Minnesota is Thursday, March 12. Then Dennis Anderson jumps into the show with host Rob Drieslein to promote the March 27-28 Duck Summit in Nicollet, Minn. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein address controversial Bureau of Land Management nominee Stevan Pearce and the announcement that Rep. Ryan Zinke is not running for Congress again out in Montana. They also discuss the quiet debate over whether America should allow hunters to sell their venison.

The post Episode 582 – MN Duck Summit preview, roughfish public comments, BLM nominee, venison for sale? appeared first on Outdoor News.

Nick Schlesser, Minnesota DNR area fisheries supervisor in Lake City, joins the program to preview walleye and sauger fishing on the Big (Mississippi) River in coming weeks. Then Stan Tekiela jumps into the show with host Rob Drieslein to talk raptors and other nongame topics. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein break down some of this week’s news headlines, including public lands chatter at the recent Pheasant Fest in Minneapolis, plus shotgun zone meetings, and the Lake Mille Lacs walleye quota and outlook for open water. They wrap up the program arguing about the list of 2026 Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame nominees.

The post Episode 581 – Pheasant Fest recap, Mississippi River ice-out preview, Stan Tekiela on owls, R&R HOF appeared first on Outdoor News.

Old buddy Joe Shead from Two Harbors, Minnesota, joins the show this week to discuss ice fishing and shed antler hunting opportunities. Then Stan Tekiela jumps into the show with host Rob Drieslein to chat about his recent Yellowstone trip and a red fox/long-tailed weasel encounter. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein break down some of this week’s news headlines, including ice caves on Lake Superior, upcoming fish house removal deadlines, South Dakota pheasant hunting in January, a Wisconsin chronic wasting disease update, and a quick snow-goose hunting outlook.

The post Episode 580 – Pheasant Fest, shed antler hunting, Stan Tekiela on nongame chatter, ice update appeared first on Outdoor News.

This week’s show begins with Matthew Schultz, program manager from Sportsmen For the Boundary Waters, who brings listeners up to date on the latest expectations for a vote in the U.S. Senate on repealing the mineral withdrawal order in the Rainy River watershed near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Then Mike Christensen, director of operations for Pass It On-Outdoor Mentors, shares the history of the youth mentoring group with listeners, plus its plans to expand further into Minnesota and Wisconsin. Tim Lesmeister helps host Rob Drieslein wrap up the program by breaking down some of this week’s news headlines, including native roughfish management debate in Minnesota, Steve Carney’s induction into the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame, and a fun recap of the Westminster Dog Show.

The post Episode 579 – Pending BWCAW Senate vote, Pass It On-Outdoor Mentors, Westminster dog show, roughfish appeared first on Outdoor News.

This week’s show begins with Jared Wiklund, communications director for St. Paul-based Pheasants Forever sharing a preview of the Feb. 20-22 Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic event coming to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Then Karla Bloem, executive director of the Houston, Minn.-based International Owl Center offers insight into what kind of owls you’re hearing outside your window this time of year, plus she previews the center’s Festival of Owls coming March 6-8. Tim Lesmeister helps Managing Editor Rob Drieslein break down news topics including the new 5-fish daily perch limit on Lake Mille Lacs starting this Monday, Feb. 9, plus the Minnesota DNR’s plan to apply new limits to multiple roughfish species and an outlook for the March 27-28 Duck Summit in Nicollet, Minn.

The post Episode 578 – Pheasant Fest preview, nongame chatter on owls, Mille Lacs perch, native roughfish appeared first on Outdoor News.

Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks off this week’s show with Brian Knutson from Outdoor News who gives listeners a report from the 2026 Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas. Then Sarah Middleton from the Minnesota DNR joins the show to talk about the agency’s public comment request on how the state can tune up or improve the annual hunting and fishing regulations booklets. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein wrap up the show with chatter on a host of topics including the U.S. House vote to repeal the 20-year moratorium on sulfide-ore copper mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed. They also talk about the Pass It On Outdoor Mentors program expanding into Minnesota, as well as a recap of the recent Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Icebreaker winter rendezvous at Breezy Point last weekend.

The post Episode 577 – SHOT Show, public comment on hunting regs, BWCA and mining, Pass It On in Minnesota appeared first on Outdoor News.