Family-Outdoors

This winter season (November to April) is on track to be the deadliest on the ice in more than five years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said. So far this winter, five people have died after going through the ice in Minnesota. A sixth person is missing and presumed drowned. In the 2006-2007 winter season, eight people died in ice-related incidents. “There could be several reasons why so many people have died this season,” said Kara Owens, DNR boat and water safety specialist. “It could be there are more people out on the ice because we have had a cooler winter and more snow.” All the fatalities this winter involved a snowmobile or vehicle either crashing into open water or breaking through the ice. As the winter starts to wind down and Minnesotans enter the last weekend in February, Owens has an urgent message for winter enthusiasts: “The bottom line is it’s crucial that people do not let their guard down and recognize ice is never 100 percent safe.”...

Drawing to be held March 16 FINDLAY, OH- A special drawing will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Lake La Su An Wildlife Area headquarters for youths interested in turkey hunting according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife. Youths age 17 and younger may participate. Lake La Su An Wildlife Area headquarters is located at 09-455 County Road R, Pioneer, Ohio. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and will continue until the drawing at 10:00 a.m. Youth hunters must possess a valid hunting license to register. Youth hunters are not required to be present to register. Adults may register a youth by presenting the youth’s hunting license.    Successful applicants will select an available section of their choice for either a two or three day permit between the dates of April 20 through May 19, 2013. A total of 72 date/ section combinations are available.   For more information, contact the Lake La Su An Wildlife Area headq...

CENTRAL Arcadia: February 25. Elevation 3/4 ft. above normal, water semi-clear. Channel catfish good on dough bait at 15 ft. around the northeast cove in mornings. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 8-10 ft. around south enclosed docks at midday. Report by Linnie Mason, gate attendant. The walleye spawn is on at Broken Bow Lake,  for more details see the full report below.  It's a great time to get out there and see  if you can beat the current lake record. The current record was caught on September 29, 2011  and weighed in at 8.3 lbs. and was 28 inches long.  Visit  wildlifedepartment.com  for more information. Hefner: February 26. Elevation below normal and rising, water 44-47 and murky to muddy. White bass fair on grubs and gay blades at 2-5 ft. at the dam and water intake. Striped bass hybrids fair on jigs and grubs at 2-5 ft. at the dam and water intake. Channel and blue catfish good on cut bait and punch bait at the dam and wa...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Numbers of Canada geese in South Dakota continue to exceed management goals and Game, Fish and Parks is looking to hunters for help. During the spring of 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated a spring population index of nearly 270,000 resident Canada geese in South Dakota. “Our management plan sets the population objective at 80,000 to 90,000 resident Canada geese,” GFP Wildlife Division Director, Tony Leif said. In the past year, GFP spent more than $700,000 to reduce crop damage caused by resident Canada geese and since 2000, GFP has spent over $4.3 million on Canada goose depredation. Leif said that the GFP Commission has also taken steps to curb goose numbers by allowing additional goose hunting opportunities in August and September. New this year, GFP is seeking volunteers to harvest resident Canada geese during the spring on locations with chronic depredation problems. No hunting license will be required to participate. ...

Columbus, OH -- Ohio Division of Wildlife will host a Passport to Fishing instructors workshop on Friday March 22, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Wildlife District One, 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus Ohio.  The workshop is a free one-day instructor training program that qualifies individuals to become Division of Wildlife certified fishing instructors, similar to a hunter education instructor.  Pre-registration is required as seating is limited, participants will also be required to take part in a background check. By becoming a certified instructor, you will be able to help reconnect students with the outdoors.  Resources available include grants, equipment, brochures, and training. Passport to Fishing was developed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and adopted by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.  Workshops teach volunteers the basics of fishing and how to run a four-station fishing program with a fishing event. These instructors then ...

Oklahoma sunrise (Photo credit: Warren Brown Photography ) Outdoor Oklahoma  magazine is calling on the people who experience the state's wildlife and outdoor heritage firsthand to send in their best digital photos showcasing the state's wildlife, landscapes, scenic and other outdoor imagery.             The annual "Readers' Photography Showcase" is featured in the July/Aug issue of the official magazine of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Submissions are being accepted through March 31. Participants whose photos are selected will have their photos published in the magazine and will also see their work posted throughout the year on the Department's Facebook page at facebook.com/ wildlifedepartment  and on its Twitter feed, @OKWildlifeDept.             "This is a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to see their photography on display in a ma...

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Just like the return of the red-winged blackbird, another true sign of spring’s arrival is the annual reopening of the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s Class “A” shooting ranges.  Public shooting ranges operated by the ODNR Division of Wildlife in District One will open for the year on February 27th.  Two different counties in central Ohio (Delaware and Fayette counties) offer rifle, pistol, shotgun, and archery ranges. Ranges are classified by the type of facilities offered and whether they are supervised.   A Class “A” range requires a shooting range permit for all persons 18 years and older. Shooters age 17 and under are not required to purchase a permit, but must be accompanied by and directly monitored by an adult (age 18 years or older) holding a valid shooting range permit. Range permits are available at all hunting and fishing license outlets and online at  www.WildOhio.com .  Permits are not sold at the ranges and...

It may not be quite as dramatic as the swallows returning to Capistrano, but Michigan will witness spring migrations in the coming weeks that will offer bird fans an opportunity to see noteworthy numbers of avian creatures returning to their summer homes – or at least passing through as they move further north. Spring migrations aren’t always as noticeable as fall migrations – certainly the waterfowl hunters are not out in the marshes taking advantage of the ducks and geese moving through – but they are every bit as moving and can be just as enjoyable, if you know what to look for. Need an example? Tundra swans will soon move through, winging along the state’s eastern shoreline, often settling in to rest en masse in suitable habitat. Doug Reeves, assistant chief of the Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Division, said the swans will often take up residence in prodigious numbers at Fish Point State Wildlife Area on Saginaw Bay in Tuscola County. “There can be 7,000 to 8,000...

The state-record Great Lakes muskellunge caught by Joseph Seeberger of Portage, Mich., on Oct. 13, 2012, has now been listed as a world record by the International Committee of the Modern Day Muskellunge World Record Program (MDMWRP). MDMWRP is a committee of muskellunge scientists, industry leaders, anglers and outdoor media personalities that formed in 2006. The program facilitates the recording and verification of muskellunge world records, covering a current void of record availability to North American muskellunge anglers for fish in the 58- to 68-pound range. This range has been chosen because it is considered the maximum ultimate range of growth for this species. Prior to Seeberger's submission, there had not been a MDMWRP world-record entry verified. Seeberger caught the fish on Lake Bellaire in Antrim County. The DNR verified the record and documented that the fish weighed 58 pounds. Although the DNR did not measure the length (state records are determined by w...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Snow and cold across much of the state improved late winter recreation opportunities, especially in northern Wisconsin, including ice fishing, snowmobiling and skiing. Snow conditions are good to excellent in Bayfield and Sawyer counties for the American Birkebeiner Race this weekend. The largest cross-country ski race in North America is expected to attract 10,000 skiers this weekend. Snowmobile trials are also in good riding condition across most of the northern half of the state, with the best conditions in the northern tier of counties. Potawatomi State Park received more than 3-inches of snow so far this week and snowmobile trials are open. They are also open in Flambeau River State Forest, where conditions are good to excellent. Many others to the south are in poor condition, or closed, including Sauk County’s 400 State Trail. While ice depths are good in the 18-20 inch range on most Northwood’s lakes, fishing success has been sporadic. I...

A brown trout caught on a March afternoon,  the banks of the trout stream still encased  in snow and ice. The stone fly imitation  that fooled it is still in its jaw.  It was quickly photographed and released unharmed  within seconds of being caught. Ed Culhane Photo EAU CLAIRE -- Getting psyched up for the early catch-and-release trout season in Wisconsin – which runs 5 a.m. March 2 to midnight April 27 this year – is a late winter survival tactic for some anglers. At the Badger Fly Fishers Spring Opener held earlier this month in Madison, hundreds of fly casters gathered to stock up on materials and gear, spend outrageous sums of money on chicken feathers, learn from a room full of master fly tiers and trade in their most precious commodity – stories of battles won and lost on the fast-flowing, cold-water streams that hold trout, waters so beautiful they sooth the mind and nourish the spirit. By: Ed Culhane, DNR West Central Region public affairs man...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Wisconsin wild turkey hunters registered a total of 7,054 birds during the fall 2012 wild turkey season, an increase of 28 percent from the 5,523 registered during the 2011 season. Success rates also increased, from 10.1 percent in 2011 to 12.9 percent during the 2012 season. “The jump in harvest reflects favorable weather conditions over the past year,” said Scott Walter, upland wildlife ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. “Right on the heels of a very mild winter, we experienced an early and relatively dry spring and early summer in 2012. This allowed hens to enter the nesting season in good condition and likely promoted high poult survival during the critical brood-rearing period.” Variable weather conditions play a significant role in turkey population dynamics, and turkey populations can increase rapidly during years of favorable weather, according to Walter. DNR summer game bird brood surveys last year revealed the third-highest ...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) As I walked closer, four trumpeter swans paddled effortlessly to the far side of the open water. An aerator keeps an area of this pond from icing over. Displaying their nonchalance, one or two cut loose with their namesake ‘trumpet’ calls. More like a French horn, I guess. “They’re just beautiful to watch; kind of entertaining. We’ve actually had them walk up in the yard. That, we didn’t expect,” recalls Sandy Tull. She and husband Terry Tull look out on a real-life wildlife canvas from their home just outside Sheffield, in northern Iowa. The female swans are here for the long run; sustaining injuries which prevent their return to the wild. Since they can’t fly, they need to be kept near open water—a buffer zone against predators—and have feed. The Tulls provide those. The DNR keeps track of them; perhaps to match them with mates to bolster the agency’s restoration program. That involvement, though, is being scaled back from 10 or 15 years ago...

CENTRAL Check out this paddlefish caught  at Grand Lake on February 7, 2013  around Patricia Island. It was 52 inches  long and weighed 110.8 pounds.  For more information  go to  wildlifedepartment.com Hefner: February 19. Elevation below normal and rising, water 45-47 and murky. White bass good on grubs and gay blades at 2-5 ft. at the water intake. Striped bass hybrids good on jigs and grubs at 2-5 ft. along the dam. Channel and blue catfish good on cut bait and punch bait at the dam and the water intake. Crappie fair on minnows, jigs and grubs at 15-25 ft. along the dam. Walleye good on grubs and gay blades at 2-5 ft. at the water intake. Report submitted by Lucky Lure Tackle.   NORTHEAST Ft. Gibson: February 16. Elevation normal, water 43 and clear. Paddlefish good in the Mission Bend and Mazie Landing areas in deep holes in the main river. Catfish good on whole shad drifting the flats and on juglines at 15-25 ft. on the flats. Cra...