The Minnesota DNR released its 2026 August roadside survey results, and the numbers bode well for ring-necked pheasant hunting this fall. Tim Lesmeister and Rob Drieslein break it all down. Then Sharon “The Birdchick” Stiteler joins Drieslein to talk hungry hummingbirds and other aspects of fall migration. Eric Morken, the Outdoor News web editor and a hardcore bowhunter, shares his insight on whitetail behavior so far this late summer and previews his top tactics for the Minnesota archery opener next Saturday, Sept. 19. Lesmeister and Drieslein chat about some national topics, including the flash flood in the Grand Canyon and Bassmaster’s youngest ever Angler of the Year, Trey McKinney.

The post Episode 609 – MN pheasant count, early autumn bird migration, archery deer preview with Eric Morken appeared first on Outdoor News.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally has released the results of its 2026 annual spring waterfowl survey, and the results aren’t stellar. Rob Drieslein and Tim Lesmeister offer their gut response to the data, then John Devney from Delta Waterfowl chimes in to break the report down in detail. Becky Marcelliano from onX then joins the program to discuss the company’s latest tool for conservationists around the continent: its awesome new Public Lands Comment Hub, which will make it easier for you to chime in on national public policy issues affecting the outdoors. Other topics include an upbeat Iowa pheasant forecast, wild rice reports, and another new state record catch-and-release bowfin (dogfish.)

The post Episode 608 – Federal duck numbers, new tool from onX, record bowfin, hunting season, Iowa pheasants appeared first on Outdoor News.

Did you know the humble bluegill has become an aquatic invasive species in Japan? Host Rob Drieslein and Tim Lesmeister kick that topic around, as well as grizzly bear debate in California, and Drieslein gives a first-hand, fresh wild rice report from last weekend. Other guests include bear biologist Andrew Tri from the Minnesota DNR who offers some insight into the 2026 black bear hunting season, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 1. Drieslein also spends a segment with Doug Hartke from the Fox Lake Conservation League and Ducks Unlimited who talks about the 20 wildlife management areas in southern Minnesota’s Martin County. Conservationists played a big role in creating most of them, and there’s a special open-to-all dedication for new public lands in the area on Sept. 19.

The post Episode 607 – Bluegills in Japan, wild rice, black bear preview, Doug Hartke, Ambler Road debate appeared first on Outdoor News.

National issues dominate random chatter this week, including the Trump administration announcing that it intends to move forward with ending the popular 2001 U.S. Forest Service Roadless Rule. Also, much to U.S. Sen. Kevin Kramer’s chagrin, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced no further action examining drain tile easement setbacks. Here in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz delivered an executive order halting copper/nickel sulfide ore mining in the Boundary Waters watershed. Hosts Rob Drieslein and Tim Lesmeister break all that down, plus the latest upbeat state waterfowl spring breeding counts. Other guests include Backyard and Beyond nature columnist Stan Tekiela, and Brian Myres from the Minnesotans United for Conservation, who makes the case for a Citizens Conservation Advisory Council.

The post Episode 606 – Roadless rule, USFWS backs off drainage rules, Walz and BWCA, Citizens Council appeared first on Outdoor News.

Alaska tops the discussion this week following Rob Drieslein’s fishing trip there last week. He talks with Tim Lesmeister about fishing shallow August lake trout and Arctic grayling, then Stan Tekiela joins the show. He and Drieslein discuss the incredible, wild ecosystem in the north-central region of Alaska near Gates of the Arctic National Park where the Ambler Road threatens fisheries and wildlife. Lesmeister and Drieslein also break down Amy Klobuchar’s interview about outdoor topics last weekend at Game Fair and preview Lisa Demuth’s interview this coming weekend. The program also unveils the 2026 Outdoors Leaders Award recipient – tune in to find out who took the award this year. Finally, Erin Haws, Leech Lake large lake specialist, explains the process and ongoing public comment period behind the new fisheries management plan for the third largest lake entirely within the state of Minnesota – Leech Lake.

The post Episode 605 – Recapping Klobuchar interview, Alaska and Ambler Road, Outdoor Leaders, Leech Lake appeared first on Outdoor News.

Brad Parsons recently announced his retirement from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries division effective this September, and he joins Rob Drieslein for a two-part interviewing recapping his career and analyzing the state of sportfishing in the state. Tim Lesmeister also joins Drieslein to make the case for his favorite new location app, What3words. The pair also discuss the status of sharp-tailed grouse in Minnesota and Wisconsin where seasons for the gamebird have been restricted, or even closed.

The post Episode 604 – Retiring MN DNR fisheries chief Brad Parsons, “What3Words” app, sharp-tailed grouse appeared first on Outdoor News.

Nate Huck from the Minnesota DNR joins the show this week to outline the three-bird, any-duck bag limit alternative the agency is pitching to state waterfowlers. Tim Lesmeister and host Rob Drieslein talk warm-water fishing plus new chronic wasting disease surveillance from the Minnesota DNR this fall. They also discuss a new public comment period (through August 7) from the Trump administration on drain-tile rules near public wetlands, and the administration’s rule changes for the Endangered Species Act. Minnesota DNR Fish Health Supervisor Isaiah Tolo also joins the program this week to discuss the ample number of “fish mortality events” across the region this hot summer.

The post Episode 603 – Warm-water fishing, DNR’s Nate Huck on 3-duck bag limit proposal, Fish kills in 2026 appeared first on Outdoor News.

Should Minnesota offer waterfowlers a three-bird, any-duck bag as an alternative to the regular six-bird bag? Tim Lesmeister and host Rob Drieslein tackle that question to start the show. Then Brian Knutson, sales and marketing director for Outdoor News, visits the broadcast to share the latest news and fishing industry insights from last week’s ICAST show in Orlando, Fla. Scott Anderson from Ducks Unlimited then previews the situation in the Duck Factory as the waterfowl season looms, plus insight into DU’s National Trip Auction happening in August and the Ducks Unlimited Expo kicking off next weekend in Memphis, July 31-Aug 2. Lesmeister and Drieslein wrap up the show with bear talk, including grizzly bear delisting out west, and a CBC report on a retired couple fishing in northern Saskatchewan, who authorities believe were killed by a black bear last week.

The post Episode 602 – 3-duck limit in MN? ICAST, Ducks Unlimited, Black bear kills couple in Saskatchewan appeared first on Outdoor News.

Tim Lesmeister and Rob Drieslein start the show recounting two big news stories this week: the fires in northeastern Minnesota, and the surprising news that Minnesota DNR Fish and Wildlife Division Director Kelly Straka has decided to leave the agency. Then back-to-back guests Tony Peterson and Melissa Bachman jump into the program to talk about summer scouting for deer, and Melissa shares details of her Fleet Farm Summer Seminar series, which kicks off in early August. Lesmeister and Drieslein close down the show with several national headlines, including their take on the man who suffered an attack from a surly bison in Yellowstone National Park.

The post Episode 601 – Boundary Waters fires, a new DNR Fish and Wildlife director, summer deer, bison attack appeared first on Outdoor News.

Tim Lesmeister and Rob Drieslein start the show remembering their friend and one of Minnesota’s leaders on the state fishing scene, Tom Neustrom, 77, who died on Sunday, July 5. Then regular guest Tony Peterson visits to talk summer fishing tactics and issues. Charlotte Roy, Minnesota DNR grouse project leader then breaks down the results of 2026 spring ruffed grouse drumming survey and explains how the survey influences the outlook for hunting the gamebirds in the fall. Lesmeister and Drieslein wrap up the show with some fun topics, including their memories of a mid-1970s environmental and bicentennial icon, the cowboy hat-wearing Johnny Horizon.

The post Episode 600 – Remembering Tom Neustrom, summer fishing with Tony Peterson, 2026 MN grouse survey appeared first on Outdoor News.