Minnesota Outdoor News Radio

The final tally for the 2022 Minnesota white-tailed deer hunting season is in, and that’s – as well as the latest CWD totals – a top topic for Managing Editor/Publisher Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman as this week’s edition kicks off. Then Eric Meyer from the Minnesota Deer and Turkey Classic rolls in to talk about next weekend’s show (March 10-12) at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. Then Joe Albert, the communications coordinator for the Minnesota DNR Division of Enforcement, reminds listeners of fish-house removal deadlines and previews the nation’s top two national bass fishing tours, the Bassmasters Elite and Major League Fishing. Finally, Tim Lesmeister drops in with chatter about big snakes and other exotics in Florida and a profile of the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame’s (in Hayward, Wis.) latest inductee.

 

Host and Outdoor News Publisher Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman recap some of the content they covered at last weekend’s Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic in Minneapolis. Spielman especially highlights chatter about the 2023 Farm Bill. Then Drieslein and Mark Norquist from Modern Carnivore co-host two segments that they recorded at Pheasant Fest with Land Tawney and Katie McKalip from Missoula, Mont.-based Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Topics include big policy issues for 2023 like the corner crossing controversy in Wyoming plus long-term causes like bison restoration in North America. Tim Lesmeister helps bring the show to a conclusion with his take on how to legally search for antler sheds, and the Minnesota DNR setting limits for longnose and shortnose gar effective March 1.

Host and Outdoor News Publisher Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman kick off the conversation this week debating whether or not the state of Minnesota should buy out the deer and elk farm industry. They also chat briefly about ice conditions after a week of warmer temperatures and even some rain. Then Keng Yang, a Twin Cities-based outdoorsman who serves on several conservation boards, joins the program to talk about his seminar at Pheasant Fest entitled, “My Journey to Join the Upland Community.” Logan Nevins from Ducks Unlimited than calls into the program to promote the organization’s big Ducks Unlimited Expo at the Texas Motor Speedway in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area May 5-7. Tim Lesmeister helps bring the show to a conclusion – main topics include a possible continuous walleye season on the St. Croix, cottontail hunting via falconry, and Bill Marchel’s story about a photogenic ruffed grouse.

 

New legislation addressing chronic wasting disease in Minnesota popped this past week, and Rob Drieslein and Tim Spielman from Outdoor News update listeners on what’s in the bill. Then Jared Wiklund from Pheasants Forever drops in to preview the 2023 Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic, scheduled Feb. 17-19 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Tim Lesmeister and Rob kick around several topics, including the CWD legislation, an Outdoor News story outlining whether feral pigs could invade Minnesota from Canada, and fishy issues like whether fishing closures for spawning fish are necessary and when and where electronics are best.

News topics are running fast and furious as the calendar flips to February. Outdoor News Publisher and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein kicks off the show with Editor Tim Spielman and discussion on ice fishing reports, turkey permit deadlines for three state WMAs, and results of the Brainerd Jaycees ice event (and the 13-year-old who won the big prize). Phil Frebault then jumps in to recap the highlights of the recent Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas. The winners of last weekend’s cookoff at the Minnesota Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Icebreaker event at Lake Mille Lacs, Constance Cooke and Jordan Warren, then share their story and outlook for representing Minnesota at BHA’s national rendezvous in March. Tim Lesmeister then joins the show to offer his take on Rob’s recent story on how some hunters using cellular-enabled trail cameras in Minnesota may be inadvertently breaking the law.

The Minnesota DNR sprung a fishing license increase proposal on state anglers this past week, and there’s lots of discussion about the proposed price hike in this week’s Outdoor News Radio. Host and Publisher Rob Drieslein along with Editor Tim Spielman kick off the debate along with their breakdown of the Jan. 20 annual DNR Roundtable. Then Tony Peterson joins the program to talk winter rabbit and squirrel hunting, both of which run until the end of February in Minnesota. Rob then introduces recently hired Outdoor News Staffer Brian Mozey, who shares some of the latest budget number from Gov. Tim Walz, plus a preview of the Minnesota Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers IceBreaker event this weekend on Lake Mille Lacs. Old friend Tim Lesmeister then jumps in to taunt Rob about technology and share his thoughts on the proposed fishing license increase.

Host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein plus Editor Tim Spielman share an ice conditions update, plus a preview of the 2023 Minnesota DNR Roundtable. Then “Tackle” Terry Tuma – or “T3” as he’s affectionately known to anglers across the continent – joins the program with some mid-ice walleye fishing strategies. Tony Peterson jumps into the broadcast with a recap of the 2023 big game hunting seasons in addition to some thoughts on the many recent deer-related news headlines coming out of Buffalo County, Wis. Tim Lesmeister helps Rob wrap up the show with analysis of the recent Transportation Security Administration’s confiscated firearms report, a new N.D. state record eelpout/burbot, and attempts to ban hunting in France.

Big news in the conservation world broke this week with Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever announcing their new CEO and President Marilyn Vetter. Host and Managing Editor Rob Drieslein discusses that hiring with Editor Tim Spielman as well as the Minnesota DNR’s new population goal-setting for white-tailed deer in two regions of the state. Then Lucas Schulze from the DNR joins the program to tell young listeners about internship opportunities at the agency this spring and summer (deadline is Jan. 31!). Sick of hearing about lousy ice conditions? Then go fish the soft water of southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin for trout. Dave Anderson from On The Fly guide services offers some tips. Tim Lesmeister helps Rob wrap up the program with chatter on legislative priorities at the State Capitol and… what’s the deal with nutria in Chesapeake Bay?

It’s a new year and host Dan Ladd kicks off 2023 with a quick look back at 2022, mainly getting caught up on the latest developments with lawsuits challenging New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act. The conversation then turns to moose, with a discussion on hunting in northern New England and Canada, and a look … The Great Northeast Podcast: Moose, conservation groups, and 2022 Read More »

Outdoor News Radio this week kicks off with a breakdown of the new Waters of the United States rule that the Biden Administration unveiled on Dec. 30. Show host and Publisher Rob Drieslein and Editor Tim Spielman offer their perspectives, then jump into a lighter topic – the story of Rocky the raccoon in North Dakota. Glen Schmitt, who writes the weekly Outdoor News fishing report, then jumps into the program to chat about the status of ice and ice-making across Minnesota given the recent heavy snowfalls and warmer temperatures. Tim Lesmeister and Rob then break down the top 10 news stories from 2022 – from a new Minnesota wolf plan to the big walleye tournament scandal on Lake Erie.