Minnesota Outdoor News Radio

A continued mild February has host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein plus Editor Tim Spielman discussing whether any black bears left their dens early this month. Also, what are some of the top policy items that could come up this legislative session (hint, time to eliminate the shotgun zone.) Then Buddy Huffaker, executive director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, Wis., drops into talk about the 75th anniversary of “A Sand County Almanac” and the many events the Foundation will hold in March and throughout 2024 to celebrate the anniversary. Tim Lesmeister checks in again from New Zealand to talk about invasive white-tailed deer in Kiwi Kountry, plus they discuss the latest Mille Lacs walleye quota for 2024, sportshow season, and whether “crack bears” are a legitimate threat in Florida.

Unprecedented early February heat that jump-started maple-sap tapping a month early and could even open up some lakes dominates the early part of the show as host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks things off with Tim Spielman. They also discuss the recent decision by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers to move their annual National Rendezvous from the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Then Ed Hahn from the National Eagle Center in Winona jumps into the program to talk about the facility and the number of bald and golden eagles staff have seen during the bizarre winter of 2023-24. Tim Lesmeister checks in from New Zealand where he is fishing and hiking with family members for several weeks. In addition to sharing his experiences, he and Drieslein talk ticks, owls, and a potential world record Roosevelt elk that the Boone and Crocket Club may certify.

The “winter that isn’t” launches this week’s show as host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman talk about nonexistent winter severity index readings, which is good news for white-tailed deer across the region. Also, bad news for ice anglers and moose surveys, which both prefer a traditional Minnesota winter. Then two gals from Iowa tourism join the show to talk about the awesome recreational opportunities in the Lake Okoboji and “Iowa Great Lakes” region of Minnesota’s southern neighbor throughout the year. Phil Frebault of Outdoor News, then jumps into the broadcast to highlight some of the news and top new products from last week’s massive and revitalized Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the program with chatter on southern Minnesota winter trout stocking (in lakes), plus potentially higher nonresident fees in Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hosted its 2024 Roundtable community stakeholder gathering last Friday, and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman were on hand. They break down some of the top topics, including the growing presence of technology in hunting and fishing, on this week’s show. Then Dan Steele from White Bear Lake drops in to talk about the massive 39-inch lake trout he caught and released outside the Boundary Waters off the Gunflint Trail earlier this month. Steele also provides some insight on catching these massive native char that help make Minnesota unique. Tim Lesmeister helps Drieslein wrap up the broadcast with chatter on the swan-poaching incident in Stevens County, the updated Asian carp plan that the DNR unveiled last week, a proposal to allow catch-and-release bass fishing year-round, and a big eelpout in Indiana waters of Lake Michigan.

Managing Editor and Host Rob Drieslein along with Editor Tim Spielman kick off the show with a preview of the 2024 Minnesota DNR Roundtable, then they discuss the agency’s recent decision to transfer the Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the local tribal band. Then Dan Kaminski, a wildlife research biologist from the Iowa DNR, joins the program to talk about a 10-year research study that aims to understand why wild turkey populations are declining in some states, like Iowa. Tim Lesmeister and Drieslein then tackle a host of topics, including the new 2024 class of Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame inductees, the poaching of some swans in western Minnesota, the great crossbow debate, and the recent passing of state wildlife artist Jim Killen.

Managing Editor and Host Rob Drieslein begins the broadcast with Editor Tim Spielman and the pair take a final look at the 2023 white-tailed deer kill in Minnesota and how crossbows affected the archery kill. Then Colleen O’Conner Toberman from Friends of the Mississippi River visits to share details about some upcoming public meetings explaining the DNR’s new Invasive Carp Action plan. Tim Lesmeister drops in for the back half of this week’s broadcast to discuss Wayne LaPierre’s recent resignation from the National Rifle Association, the DNR plan to transfer Upper Sioux Agency State park to a local tribal band in February, as well as a conflict between cyclists and ranchers over gravel roads in Colorado.

Let’s kick off 2024 with reports about the poor and strange ice conditions across Minnesota. Host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein along with Editor Tim Spielman discuss rapidly changing hard-water conditions plus the discombobulated ice tournament outlook and Spielman’s final, and eventful, pheasant hunt of 2023. Then Tim Lesmeister drops in to talk about the status of duck seasons, winter trout opportunities, and Remington Arms’ decision to leave New York State. The pair then break down the top 10 biggest outdoors stories of 2023, then they discuss a fun feature in this week’s print edition: a top 10 list of classic hunting and fishing (and plenty of survival) films that the Outdoor News staff created.

In this special Best of 2023 episode, Host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein shares four of his favorite interviews from a busy 2023. First, adult onset hunter (and Minnesota Hunting and Trapping regs model) Keng Yang drops in to talk about his journey as a modern hunter and how he has mentored other new hunters in recent months. Then, former DNR nongame program leader Carrol Henderson reminisces about his friend and legendary football coach and outdoorsman Bud Grant, who died in March. The latest federal duck stamp winner (and former Stillwater resident) Chuck Black joins the program to recap the thrill of winning the contest last September and his career as a wildlife artist. Finally, Jaime Carlson offers some always-evergreen wild game cooking tips for folks wondering how to cook all the venison, upland birds, and waterfowl filling their freezers post-hunting season. Happy new year to all of our listeners.

Managing Editor and Host Rob Drieslein discusses the marginal ice conditions across much of Minnesota with Editor Tim Spielman, then the review the latest 2023 white-tailed deer kill tally and number of chronic wasting disease positives. Tony Peterson returns another week to talk hunting, then Tim Lesmeister joins Rob to talk a number of news topics, including the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, Whit Fosburgh’s announcement that he’s leaving the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, thousands of poached eagles to satisfy the black market demand for parts and feathers, and remembering America’s most deadly wild fire, which actually took place in Wisconsin.

Editor Tim Spielman helps host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kick off the show with late-season pheasant reports, plus the pair recap the Mississippi River Asian carp story and Backcountry Hunter and Anglers’ announcement that the group has hired a new CEO, Patrick Berry. Then Ellen Candler, a post-doc researcher at the University of Minnesota, shares the results of some recent white-tailed deer research that could help hunters with their treestand placement. Tony Peterson drops in to recap the deer season, talk deer numbers, and offer some tips and tactics for late season bowhunting. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap things up with chatter on Pheasant Forever and Quail Forever’s robust government affairs staffing, plus nighttime predator hunting and early ice fishing tactics.