MINNEAPOLIS — A couple Sundays ago I awoke early in a cheap motel that was overpriced, with no coffeepot and the shades pulled down on the only cafe in town. But the sun was shining and the truck stop on the way to the county fairgrounds offered a choice between French roast and ultra caffeinated. The guy ahead of me poured a cup of the high ...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The state of Alaska is once again asking the Board of Game to allow wildlife managers to shoot bears from helicopters in a rural part of Southwest Alaska in the interest of increasing caribou numbers.

The board is scheduled to hold a special meeting on July 14 in Anchorage to consider the revised proposal to expand its ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota foragers have won a place at the table to set new guidelines for gathering mushrooms and picking berries on state land, under a new task force approved by the Legislature.

As part of a broader environment and natural resources bill expected to be signed by Gov. Tim Walz, the state would create a Sustainable Foraging ...Read more

DETROIT — State health officials have issued a host of new warnings in their Eat Safe Fish Guides, manuals that help Michigan residents eat fish that contain fewer pollutants.

After reviewing the latest research, they realized a common pollutant — PFOS, one of the man-made "forever chemicals" known collectively as PFAS — is more toxic ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Kao Kalia Yang cast her line into the water, hoping to catch bass.

Then she yanked her hook out of the water too soon after a nibble, preventing her from reeling in the prized fish. A missed opportunity because of impatience, she said. Instead, she caught a green sunfish, and released it.

“When we were younger, we used to eat...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — One of the largest migrations of living things that will occur in Minnesota this year — or any year — is on the cusp of happening just now.

But most people won’t see it.

Because it’s transpiring underwater.

Yet the movement is clearly apparent to Jane Sage, because it’s represented in the June bookings of her family�...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There’s an invasive species of fish spotted in North Carolina that is so dangerous, officials in other states are advising those who catch them to kill them immediately.

The northern snakehead, a fish native to China that can grow up to three feet long, closely resembles the bowfin, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Buyers with cash and confidence can find deals now on the recreational vehicle of their dreams, be it motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, pontoon or more.

The pandemic stoked people’s interest in the outdoors, which sparked a surge of sales across the industry. Vehicles sold out quickly and manufacturers ramped up production to meet ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The joke at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is that managers’ happiest workers are also the lowest paid.

Their dogs.

If that’s true, the eight tail waggers who toil for DNR conservation officers aren’t looking to form a union. They’re too busy sniffing out evidence that bad guys hide, finding disoriented ...Read more

A hunter accused of killing a federally protected animal in Idaho faces a hefty civil penalty and jail time, wildlife officials said.

The man thought he was shooting a black bear when he killed the female grizzly May 9 in the Priest Lake drainage area of Idaho’s Panhandle, McClatchy News reported from Idaho Fish and Game.

Once he realized ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — In Minnesota, if you’re a poacher — meaning if you intentionally kill wildlife without a license or by other illegal means — should you go to jail?

A lot of legal hunters think so. So do a lot of conservation officers, who sometimes spend years gathering evidence on bad guys, only to see the miscreants go to court, pay a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Whether he’s having lake trout or walleye for shore lunch, Lukas Leaf employs the same recipe.

“We fry up a pound of bacon, eat the bacon, and fry the fish in the bacon grease,” Leaf said. “With fresh fish, there’s nothing better.”

Similar culinary rituals played out on lakeshores from Winona to Warroad and Winton ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — At a time when anglers are debating if advanced underwater sonar technology is wrecking the sanctity of fishing, wetting a line on Annie Battle Lake is becoming more of a throwback than ever.

Nestled inside Glendalough State Park in Otter Tail County, this deep and clear 334-acre lake is set aside by the Department of Natural ...Read more

MILLE LACS LAKE, Minn. — Within minutes of the clock striking midnight, marking the official start of the Minnesota fishing opener on Saturday, 24 extra-eager anglers cast their lines from a boat in the dark, hoping luck would shine upon them.

Almost right away, 13-year-old Katelynn Norman’s orange bobber sank below the water.

Boat Capt. ...Read more