Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman start this week’s Outdoor News Radio talking about the public review process tackling management strategies for the new 1,800-acre Keystone Woods Wildlife Management Area. Then new South Dakota columnist Josh Haiar joins Rob to talk about brewing legislation affecting hunting in the S.D. Legislature. Backyard and Beyond columnist Stan Tekiela drops in to talk about all the irrupting owls in the region this winter. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the program breaking down the big story involving federal natural resources professionals being laid off across the country.

The post Episode 528 – Keystone Woods WMA, South Dakota update, irrupting owls, federal layoffs appeared first on Outdoor News.

Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman kick off the program talking too much oxygen in some southern Minnesota lakes, youth bear permits, and 2025 turkey permits becoming available in coming days and weeks. Joe Henry from Lake of the Woods tourism jumps into the program with an update on the big border lake and outlook for late winter. New DNR Wildlife Section leader Dave Trauba then joins the program to discuss a host of topics, including the updated Minnesota waterfowl and pheasant action plans. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein then offer a brief movie review on the new Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, before wrapping up the broadcast with chatter on northeast elk and shed hunting licenses in Idaho.

The post Episode 527 – Turkey permits, Lake of the Woods, DNR’s Dave Trauba, Dylan movie review, shed hunting appeared first on Outdoor News.

Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman launch the show with talk of new, watered-down deer farm legislation and fishing regulation changes. Then Eric Morken jumps into the program to talk about winter whitetail scouting and using mapping apps like onX. For segment three, Kelsie LaSharr from the Minnesota DNR outlines next week’s public meetings as part of the state’s elk restoration process in northeastern Minnesota. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein wrap up the program with discussion on Land Tawney being back in the conservation mix plus a couple of controversial letters to the editor in this week’s print edition.

The post Episode 526 – Deer farm legislation, winter whitetail scouting, northeast Minnesota elk restoration appeared first on Outdoor News.

Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman launch the show talking about legislation taking another run at allowing rifles statewide for Minnesota deer hunting. Also, there’s new chronic wasting disease research and hot spots in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Then Land Tawney joins Rob for a long segment to discuss a new organization that he is co-chairing, the American Hunters and Anglers Action Coalition. Staff Writer Natalie Ryder introduces herself to listeners, then Tim Lesmeister jumps into the program to talk about a new proposed muskie regulation for Leech Lake, plus deer kill trends and rapidly growing crossbow use.

The post Episode 525 – Land Tawney returns to conservation scene, CWD updates, meet Natalie Ryder appeared first on Outdoor News.

Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman launch the show talking about new legislation affecting Minnesota’s outdoors plus the lack of walk-in access funding in the latest U.S. Farm Bill extension. Then Aaron Meyer from the Muskie and Pike Alliance visits to talk about the status of the DNR’s new muskie management plan. Kelly Pharis from the DNR joins the program to talk about the new 1,800-plus acre Keystone Wildlife Management Area in the metro area and a public review process now underway to gather comments on the new public land. Denali naming controversy plus crossbows and forward-facing sonar discussion dominates the final segment with Tim Lesmeister.

The post Episode 524 – Legislative session starts, DNR muskie plan, Keystone WMA, Denali and crossbows appeared first on Outdoor News.

Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman recap the highlights from the 2025 DNR Roundtable event held last Friday. Top topics include agency funding and new DNR Wildlife leader Dave Trauba. Then DNR Fish and Wildlife Division Director Kelly Straka joins the program to talk about the agency’s midpoint review of its 10-year deer plan and its strategy for combating the growing chronic wasting disease menace in southeast Minnesota. Tim Lesmeister brings it home with Drieslein with discussion on crossbows, grizzly bears, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on federal lands in Utah, and forward-facing sonar.

The post Episode 523 – Minnesota DNR Roundtable roundup, MN deer plan, ice update, live sonar talk appeared first on Outdoor News.

Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman start the show sharing the latest concerns about potentially exponential growth of chronic wasting disease in three southeast Minnesota deer permit areas. Then longtime contributor Joel Nelson from onX Fish jumps in to offer his insight on ice conditions and the latest hard-water bite. Eric Miller, the rifle product line manager at Anoka-based Federal Cartridge, shares the exciting news of the company’s latest cartridge offering just in time for the 2025 SHOT Show: the 7mm Backcountry. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the show with chatter on the increasing popularity of rifle suppressors, plus thoughts on former President Jimmy Carter and the sale of the Bob Mitchell fly shop.

The post Episode 522 – CWD blows up, ice update, new Federal 7mm Backcountry round, rifle suppressor talk appeared first on Outdoor News.

As 2025 kicks off, host Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman share what’s nearly the final deer kill numbers from 2024 in Minnesota (hint, up from 2023.) Then Glen Schmitt, the Outdoor News Fishing Report guru, offers an upbeat assessment on the state of ice fishing across the region this winter. Chris Knopf, executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters, discusses how former President Jimmy Carter played an important role in protecting the BWCA. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein close with a host of topics, including new CWD research and talk of changing the name of Denali in Alaska… again.

The post Episode 521 – Deer kill recap, ice update, remembering Jimmy Carter and BWCA, and Denali appeared first on Outdoor News.

As 2024 winds down, host Rob Drieslein shares some of the top interviews from the past year. They include Adam Van Tassell recounting his trip to South America for peacock bass, Marybeth Beseke on her quest to legalize bear fat sales, shotgunning expert Phil Bourjaily shares some shooting insights from Iowa, and Samantha Ewald lives to tell the tale of an angry mother bear who wasn’t thrilled when her cubs climbed up into the same tree as Ewald this past autumn. Happy New Year, everyone.

The post Episode 520 – Best of 2024: South American fishing, bear fat, hunter with bear cubs in her tree! appeared first on Outdoor News.

As 2024 winds down, Managing Editor Rob Drieslein devotes the first segment of this week’s program to discussing winter bird feeding and off-season “bird travel” with Sharon “the Birdchick” Stiteler. Then Tony Peterson visits to talk about ring-necked pheasant opportunities that still exist through the end of the year, then rabbit and squirrel tactics through the end of February 2025. To wrap it up, Tim Lesmeister and Rob tackle one of their periodic music segments by debating popular modern songwriters.

The post Episode 519 – Winter bird feeding, small game through Jan. 1 and beyond…, music chatter appeared first on Outdoor News.