Minnesota Outdoor News Radio

Minnesota waterfowlers are reporting one of the best openers in recent memory in 2023, and Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman break it all down. Then hardcore vertical bowhunter Tony Peterson jumps into the program with an update on the first two days of the archery deer hunting season and tactical advice for hunters as the calendar switches to October. Acclaimed wildlife artist and new federal duck stamp winner Chuck Black then calls into the show and talks about how he lives in Montana but his waterfowling heart remains in the state where he grew up: Minnesota! Finally, Tim Lesmeister helps Rob wrap up the show with several topics, including what heavy rains mean for the fall salmon spawn and run, one more quick report from the AGLOW conference in Bemidji, and the half-dozen flamingos that have attracted birdwatchers far and wide and look amazingly comfortable on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan.

This week, Managing Editor and Host Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman launch the show with discussion about waterfowler numbers nationwide plus the selection of the 2024 federal duck stamp at an event in Des Moines, Iowa. Then Tyler Obermoller from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources checks in to share details about the agency’s deer hunter wildlife observation study and how listeners and the general public can participate. Joe Albert from DNR Enforcement joins Rob to talk about the five K9 units that outdoors users might meet afield this hunting season. Finally, Tim Lesmeister calls into the broadcast from the Association of Great Lakes Outdoors Writers conference in Bemidji. Top topics include the continuing arms race in trail camera design.

Outdoor News Radio devotes an extra-long segment to chatting with DU scientist John Coluccy, who tackles questions from Rob Drieslein on the status of North American ducks, including declining mallards in the eastern U.S. and whether the mid-continent snow goose spring conservation order is working. Managing Editor Drieslein and Tim Spielman also discuss the outlook for archery deer and small game openers this weekend and the conservation outlook for the next federal Farm Bill legislation. (The current farm bill expires at the end of September.) Then Jon Hansen from Minnesota DNR fisheries drops in to outline new special and experimental fishing regulation proposals and how the angling public can chime in. Tim Lesmeister wraps up the show and asks Rob about his wild ricing experience last week, plus they share some tips for archery deer hunters this weekend.

We kick off this week’s show with host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman as they break down the upbeat forecast for ring-necked pheasants in Minnesota this fall. They also discuss the hot coho salmon bite on Lake Superior that produced a new state record silver salmon. Then Melissa Wagner from the Minnesota DNR joins the show to outline the agency’s efforts to stock genetically pure “driftless” strain brook trout into southeast streams. What’s up with brainworm killing moose in northeastern Minnesota? A researcher from the University of Minnesota, Tiffany Wolf, spends a segment with Rob explaining how gastropods – slugs and snails – are a key intermediary vector between deer and moose in spreading the lethal (to moose) brainworm. Finally, Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up the show with his thoughts on Midwest Mountaineering closing, his take on the great coho bite on Minnesota’s Great Lake, and that 800-pound record alligator in Mississippi.

Waterfowl talk dominates the first half of this week’s program, first with host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman discussing a warm kickoff to the early teal and Canada goose seasons in Minnesota this weekend, then Steve Knutson joins the program to talk about his new book, “Minnesota Duck Camps: 160 Years of History and Tradition.” Kevin Vick, president of Stock & Barrel Gun Shops then joins the show to talk about the grand opening kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 9 of “The Vault,” a collection of specialty and pre-owned firearms for collectors and enthusiasts, at S&B’s Eagan location. Tim Lesmeister helps Rob wrap up the program with their reaction to the announcement that Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is bringing its North American Rendezvous to the Twin Cities April 18-20, 2024, then Tim and Rob talk about a controversial wild horse culling plan at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

State Fair season has arrived along with the eve of multiple hunting seasons across Minnesota. Kicking off this week’s installment is host Rob Drieslein along with Minnesota Outdoor News Editor Tim Spielman who unveils the publication’s selection for its 2023 Outdoor Leaders Award: the Nicollet Conservation Club. Then Stan Tekiela drops in again to chat about some of his summer bird columns, including one on New World cuckoos, plus an upbeat summer bluebird update. Mark Norquist from Modern Carnivore joins Rob to discuss a new Learn to Hunt Upland Birds film series he produced, plus a great hand’s-on learn to hunt program coming to Minneapolis in September. Tim Lesmeister helps wrap up with a rant on South Dakota’s unwillingness to talk with an Outdoor News writer about the state’s pheasant population, plus some upbeat chatter on two lines being allowed on the Minnesota River.

Outdoor News Radio host Rob Drieslein co-brands this week’s special edition of the show with Mark Norquist of Modern Carnivore (modcarn.com). The two men chat about what’s new on the conservation scene, then devote most of the show to an interview with DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen. Topics include: forward-facing sonar, Minnesota deer and teal numbers, the lead ammo ban on 57 state SNAs, and Gateway WMAs, among other issues.

The passing of two names in Minnesota conservation, Shawn Perich and Rod Sando, consume a solid chunk of this week’s edition of Outdoor News Radio. Perich was a longtime columnist and staff writer at Outdoor News, and Sando was the Minnesota DNR commissioner for most of the 1990s. Tim Spielman and Tim Lesmeister join host Rob Drieslein to remember those men, plus Spielman shares some insights into whitetail deer hunt permitting for this fall. Other topics include the new national monument around the Grand Canyon, a quick wild rice season forecast, and nongame chatter (specifically the swift fox of the American West) with Stan Tekiela from the Outdoor News Backyard and Beyond page.

Aside from mallards, most waterfowl numbers in Minnesota have shown a decline since 2022. Managing Editor Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman discuss those trends as well as a sharp-tailed grouse conference that Spielman attended. Then Tom Glines from the Minnesota chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation joins the program to discuss the group’s recent 50th anniversary celebration in Caledonia, Minn. Backyard and Beyond columnist Stan Tekiela jumps in to share insights on least bitterns and other critters he photographed in state wetlands this summer, then Tim Lesmeister enters the fray with thoughts on the new gun laws that kicked into place for Minnesota effective August 1.

Backcountry Hunter and Anglers’ departing CEO and president, Land Tawney, joins host Rob Drieslein for a long conversation about his decision to leave the organization. Winchester Deadly Passion’s Melissa Bachman also visits the program to talk about her summer seminar tour and off-season scouting tips. On either side, the Tims – Spielman and Lesmeister – drop in to talk top news topics like lead ammo on scientific and natural areas and the dispute between two state tribal bands over whether to transport elk from northwestern Minnesota to the northeast.