Minnesota Outdoor News Radio

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.

Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks off the show talking ice with Minnesota Editor Tim Spielman. There’s also a breaking news story regarding hundreds of dead geese in the Fairmont area. Then Barry Allen from Ducks Unlimited recaps the 2024 duck hunting season for the Upper Mississippi Flyway. A scientist from the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute, Anna Mangan, joins the show to talk about intense research on two species of flying squirrels that are clashing in the treetops. Tim Lesmeister then drops in to recap the top 10 outdoors stories of 2024.

The post Episode 518 – Ice update, dead geese, duck recap, flying squirrel research, top 10 stories of 2024 appeared first on Outdoor News.

Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks off the show with ice-making chatter with Minnesota Editor Tim Spielman. Also, deer harvest is up in Minnesota from 2023. Then DNR Fisheries Chief Brad Parsons joins the program to talk about the statewide four-walleye bag limit proposal. Tony Peterson jumps in to talk about how the deer season has gone so far and tactics for December deer either via bow or muzzleloader. Tim Lesmeister shares his thoughts on the latest hunting accident reports and the shrinking sizes of perch in state lakes.

The post Episode 517 – Ice and deer kill update, DNR Fisheries Chief, Tony Peterson on late deer hunting appeared first on Outdoor News.

Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks off the show with ice-making chatter with Minnesota Editor Tim Spielman. Skim ice is forming across the state, but ice anglers need to be careful until 4 inches of walkable ice is available. Then columnist Patrick Durkin from Wisconsin drops in to talk about top outdoors topics across the St. Croix. The eagle cam has been in the news the past 10 days, and Lori Naumann from the DNR’s nongame program visits to share all the details about the camera’s official relaunch. Then Tim Lesmeister drops in to talk about the incredible number of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness cancellations as well as a letter to the editor that analyzed the growing use of forward-facing sonar among anglers.

The post Episode 516 – Ice-making, Wisconsin report, eagle cam, BWCA permit cancellations appeared first on Outdoor News.

Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks off the show with Minnesota Editor Tim Spielman. They preview the final (cold and windy) weekend of duck hunting in Minnesota, and discuss the effects of windmills on conservation habitat. Then fishing guide Darren Troseth drops in to chat about sturgeon fishing on the St. Croix. Patrick Berry, CEO of Montana-based backcountry Hunters and Anglers, then visits to highlight concerns about a State of Utah lawsuit that could affect public lands around the country. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the program with talk on President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum of North Dakota, and new research examining the dramatic clash of two species of flying squirrels in northern Minnesota.

The post Episode 515 – Grand duck finale, late fall river fishing, BHA’s Patrick Berry, and flying squirrels appeared first on Outdoor News.