14handfguide

Hunting

&

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

Fishing

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO MORRIS SUN TRIBUNE

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SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Bear hunters in Minnesota may take fewer bears compared to last year Sam Cook Forum News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.

– Minnesota bear hunters are likely to shoot somewhat fewer bears this fall than they did last year, according to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologist.

Based on the pace of previous years’ harvests, bear hunters this fall are expected to take between 1,700 and 1,800 bears, down from 1,866 last year, said Dan Stark, the DNR’s large carnivore specialist

in Grand Rapids.

T h r o u g h M o n d a y, hunters had taken 1,212 bears, Stark said.

Last year’s bear harvest was the lowest since 1988, and the DNR reduced the number of permits available to hunters this year in hopes that the bear population would begin to rebound. A total of 3,750 bear permits were issued this fall.

Minnesota’s bear hunt opened Sept. 1 and continues through Oct. 12.

So far in this fall’s hunt, about 62 percent of the

bears taken have been males, Stark said. On average, the ratio in the harvest is about 55 percent males and 45 percent females, he said. The higher proportion of males in this fall’s harvest so far is good, Stark said.

“More on the male side is better if we want to increase the bear population, which is what the goal is,” he said.

The bear population has declined from 20,000 to 25,000 in 2001 to the current 12,000 to 15,000, according to the DNR.

from 1,200 to 1,600 this fall in hopes that hunters would take more bears, thereby easing humanbear conflicts. The harvest appears to be going well so far, said Greg Kessler, wildlife manager at Brule for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

“With more tags issued, we may be seeing a slightly lower success rate, but we’re right on track with Wisconsin bear hunt where we hoped (the harThe bear harvest quota vest) would be,” Kessler in N o r t h w e s t e r n said.

His assessment is based Wisconsin was raised

While DNR biologists aren’t concerned about overall bear numbers in the state, they are concerned that the average age of adult females has dropped from about four to three in recent years.

Females don’t have their first cubs until age four, five, or older, said Dave Garshelis, the DNR’s bear project leader in Grand Rapids.

on informal contacts with re g i s t r a t i o n s t a t i o n s across Zone D, which includes Northwestern Wisconsin.

“The average size of bears harvested has been running around 200 pounds,” Kessler said.

“That’s slightly above average.”

Wisconsin’s bear season opened Sept. 3 and closes Sept. 30 or Oct. 7, depending on zone and hunting methods.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

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SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

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Trapshooting prepares young hunters | Page 4 on

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SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Trapshooting prepares young hunters Morris 9F supports a lifelong sport that builds friendships in a competitive atmosphere Brooke Kern Sun Tribune Although trapshooting has been around for over 300 years, the sport is becoming more and more popular, especially among young hunters, thanks to the hard work of local sportsmen's clubs and the addition of trapshooting as a Minnesota State High School League activity.

When trapshooting started in England in 1750, hunters released live birds from under a hat. Today, participants use an automatic trap machine that launches 4 1/2 inch clay discs, called "pigeons" or "birds," into the air at 40 miles per hour to simulate the flight path of a bird fleeing a hunter.

It’s a game of movement, action, and split-second timing, requiring accuracy and skill to repeatedly aim, fire, and break the discs.

The Morris Area / Chokio-Alberta trap team participated at the Minnesota State High School League sanctioned state tournament in Alexandria on June 9, 2014. MA/C-A won the Championship in the Novice divison. Pictured are the trapshooting state participants from MA/C-A: (front, left to right) Regan Vig, Lindsay Flogstad, Kourtney Giese, Sam Henrichs, Hannah Harste, Brittany Cardwell, Delia Sanasack, (middle, left to right) head coach Nick Milbrandt, Austin White, Mitch Debuhr, John Buendgen, Cole Kannegeisser, Austin Millard, Phillip Messner, (back, left to right) Austin Hills, Kyler Koubsky, Jarrett Carlson, Blake Koser, Tim Travis, and Briar Peterson.

Who can shoot trap?

Trapshooting’s continual growth and expanding popularity is largely due to the fact that anyone of any stature, or lack thereof, can compete. Whether you’re male or female, a millionaire or hourly wage earner, an inventor or businessman, or farmer, student, actor, professional sports figure, truck driver, or a musician – anyone and everyone can shoot trap. It’s essentially a lifelong sport.

Morris Area / Chokio-Alberta started its trapshooting team in 2012, and it has grown every year since then, said head coach Nick Milbrandt.

The main reason MA/C-A started a trap team is because it’s a fun and new activity for students.

“We were able to set it up so the kids can be in a spring sport and still be in trapshooting, which helped a lot. It’s an

activity that kids who don’t like to play other sports can still enjoy and even excel at.”

Trapshooting is becoming more popular with females, too. Last year MA/CA even had some friendly competition between boyfriends and girlfriends, Milbrandt said.

“This past year I really pushed some of the girls that I knew had some experience and would enjoy it to come out for the team,” Milbrandt continued. “I had a girl one morning who was complaining to me how I made her do this and she had to be up so early on a Saturday morning and blah, blah, blah… Then she went and shot a 24 out of 25, missing the very last one. It was straight out, you know it’s that mental part of the game where she should have easily had it, but those are actually one of the most commonly missed ones. So

Brooke Kern / Sun Tribune

she comes back off the station and she’s like ‘Oh, I’m so mad,’ but just had the biggest smile on her face… That’s why we started this. Seeing kids that don’t necessarily excel in other things have that area that they are really good at.”

Local ties promote youth Trapshooting became popular in Morris and its surrounding communities thanks to gun clubs like the 9F Sportsmen’s Club in Morris.

“Craig [Awsumb] and some of the other guys from 9F came and talked to the kids during class, talked about their summer league and how fun and challenging it can be, and that’s really how we got to know about it,” Milbrandt said. “It seemed like a fun and new opportunity for the kids and when we approached the school board about starting a trap team, I was thinking it would take some convincing, but they approved it across the board.”

“One of our goals is to promote youth activities in the outdoors, and trapshooting is definitely a way to do that,” s a i d Aw s u m b , p re s i d e n t o f 9 F Sportsmen’s Club in Morris. “We want

to get people, especially kids, doing things outside. West Central Junior Sportsmen's Day is one way to make this happen, but that’s just one day out of the year. Now with the high school trap team, it’s giving more awareness to the sport and feeding its growing popularity.”

In the near future, the 9F hopes to gain a few members and new participants, both men and women, during its summer trap league.

“I’m one of the younger ones and I’m mid-50s,” Awsumb joked. “We’d like to see some young guys out here competing, and young gals, too… They’d probably show up some of the guys. I know some of them have done really well on the school team.”

Why shoot trap?

There are a lot of reasons one would pick up the sport of trapshooting besides joining in on a new trend. The sport provides a fun challenge to test your focus and hand-eye coordination, teaches proper safety when handling guns, and can even a bit of a stress reliever.

See TRAPSHOOTING page 5

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PAGE 5

SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Trapshooting Continued from page 4

“You get to shoot at things and watch them explode, of course it’s a stress reliever,” Milbrandt laughed. “Okay, not necessarily explode, but if you hit ‘em right, disintegrate. Shooting a gun and being outside in general is really calming for a lot of kids.”

“There’s camaraderie and team elements there,” Milbrandt continued.

“There’s kids that never used to talk to each other that now I see in the hall having small conversations... There’s also the competition and competitiveness within the team, too. The nice thing is we’re there to have fun.”

In 2013, the MA/C-A trap team won the Novice Division at the first Minnesota State High School League sanctioned state trapshooting tournament, although the team went to just have fun, Milbrandt said.

“There were teams that took it way more serious than us,” Milbrandt said.

“Where they’d miss one bird, five kids shooting 100 times and they missed one, and everyone is bent out of shape about it and so mad. We go to have fun. We want to be safe, obviously, but we want everyone to have fun, too.”

The high school league is strict when tit comes to rules for the league, but it has to be when dealing with guns and people. It’s not a three strikes, you’re out approach. You get one strike; The first infraction is a warning, the second you’re off the team.

“Whether it’s slinging the gun over your shoulder, keeping it loaded while moving stations, or something as simple as setting the butt of the gun on your toe, which a lot of people learn from their grandpa because that’s what they all did back then… The first infraction is a warning. You’re sent home, the coach has to contact the parents who then have to come in and have a meeting with me and the student to talk about what happened. Second time, you’re out,” Milbrandt said.

Luckily, that hasn’t happened to anyone on the MA/C-A trap team. Milbrandt mentioned he had to give a kid a warning the first year, and it’s been smooth sailing from there.

“The kids know we’re not joking around out there. Safety is the number one priority,” Milbrandt said.

Brooke Kern / Sun Tribune

Morris Area eighth grader Brady Cardwell disintegrates a target during the West Central Junior Sportsmen’s Day on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the 9F in Morris. Milbrandt said Brady will be a good addition to the MA/C-A trap team in a few years as he hit nearly every target that came out of the house that Saturday morning. Only students in grades 9 through 12 are allowed to join trapshooting.

Awsumb agreed: “We want to promote safety in every possible way, proper technique, and safe gun handling. We just don’t want any injuries out here due to firearms. They get a lot of bad press as is when in reality trapshooting is safer than baseball.”

Get involved Although trapshooting can be done in nearly every type of weather, 9F closes up shop in the winter. But men and women alike are still able to join the 9F Sportsmen’s Club and participate in its year round fundraising events, since the club is all volunteers.

Awsumb is hoping the 9F can host an ice fishing tournament this winter to help fundraising efforts. The tournament would be on Long Lake near Cyrus as 9F owns and maintains the public access on the lake.

Brooke Kern / Sun Tribune

Jacob Sperr shoots alongside Jerome Sanasack, and FFA advisors Nick Milbrandt and Natasha Mortenson during a fun evening of trapshooting. Morris FFA and its community participation See TRAPSHOOTING page 6 is a huge reason Morris Area / Chokio-Alberta has growing success with the shooting sport.

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Jarrett Carlsen, who is pictured aiming his gun at a clay target, participated on the Championship team for MA/C-A at the state tournament, hitting a 63 out of 75 targets. Also pictured on the shooting station are Austin White (behind) and Matt Munsterman (far right).

PAGE 6

Saturday, September 27, 2014

SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Trapshooting Continued from page 5

Brooke Kern / Sun Tribune

Natasha Mortenson takes a shot during a FFA trapshooting practice at the 9F Sportmen’s Club in Morris last week.

Another huge part of 9F is the 10-week summer trap league that begins at the end of May and runs through the middle of August. This past summer the league had 10 teams of seven shooters.

S h o o t e r s w e re f ro m Morris and surrounding communities like D o n n e l l y, C h o k i o , Alberta, and Hancock.

“The biggest thing is that there just isn’t a lot of ranges open,” Awsumb said. “Most ranges are just open once a year for a turkey shoot.” A turkey

Brooke Kern / Sun Tribune

Sam Henrichs (pictured shooting) was one of the top shooting females at the MSHSL sanctioned state trapshooting tournament last June in Alexandria, placing third overall female athlete in her division with 60 out of 75 targets hit. Also pictured is seventh grader Jerome Sanasack (above) and Cole Kannegiesser (right).

shoot is a round of trap at a gun range where the winner gets a turkey or whatever the prize is for that specific tournament.

Awsumb gave an example as the Hancock Sportsmen’s Club hosts an annual turkey shoot at their Langhei Hills range once a year.

It’s fun, competitive, and challenges your focus, Awsumb said. The league is open to the public, anyone can participate.

“I know in the summer league there’s a lot of smack talk back and forth between the guys,” Awsumb chuckled. “Some take it more seriously than others, but we’re all here to have fun, and we enjoy the competition.”

If interested in joining or interested in further information about 9F or its summer trapshooting league, please contact 9F public relations person Jane Harstad (harstajm@morris.umn.edu).

The MA/C-A trap team has a five week regular season that begins first week of April followed by the MSHSL state tournament in early June.

Milbrandt usually has a beginning of the season meeting for all those kids interested in trapshooting and/or joining the trap team to briefly explain Clay Target League and MSHSL rules and send out waivers, etc. To join the trap team, you must be in grades 9 through 12 and attend the preseason

meeting.

“There’s a lot of incoming freshman who are really excited to be in trap this year,” Milbrandt said, “We should have a good turn out again going into our fourth year having a program.”

There are many different volunteer coaches that help out, Milbrandt said.

The rule states that for every 10 kids, there’s one coach. Last season, MA/CA had nearly 60 kids on the trap team. Volunteers and parents are always welcome to help keep score, etc. If interested in being a volunteer coach or helping out in any way once the season starts, contact Nick Milbrandt at nmilbrandt@morris.k12.mn. us.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

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SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Teen makes the most of her Minnesota elk hunt Madison Miller, 13, shoots 6x5 bull on first day of northwest Minnesota season Brad Dokken Forum News Service Madison Miller had permission to miss a week of school after drawing a hard-to-get elk tag in northwest Minnesota.

She ended up only taking a day.

An eighth-grader at Dakota Middle School in Eagan, Minn., Miller, 13, shot a 6x5 bull elk Sept. 13, the opening day in Zone 20 near Lancaster, Minn.

One shot late that afternoon at 160 yards, and the teen’s hunt ended in success.

“I thought I was going to have to miss the whole week of school,” she said.

Miller’s dad, Mitch, 46, said they’d made a couple of scouting trips to northwest Minnesota after his daughter drew her tag. A Roseau, Minn., native, Miller owns a trucking company in the Twin Cities and is partners in Sunset Lodge, a resort on Oak Island of Lake of the Woods.

After a mandatory, pre-hunt rules meeting in Karlstad, Minn., Miller and his daughter set their sights on a field for opening morning where elk had been spotted.

The elk had other ideas though, and the first hours of the season came and went without an opportunity to pull the trigger.

After the morning hunt, Miller says he and his daughter went into Lancaster for a bite to eat before heading to a different field to finish the day. Rain started falling right on schedule, but they stuck with their game plan and set up a two-person ground blind along the edge of a woods near a field of corn and soybeans.

“It was like pouring rain, but w e s t i l l w e n t o u t t h e re , ”

Madison said.

Deer started coming out to feed shortly after they set up the blind but paid little attention to the hunters inside, the elder Miller said. That went on for an hour or so, and then the deer started looking beyond the blind toward the field of corn.

“We were thinking something was up,” he said.

That’s when they spotted the first bull with a 6x5-point rack coming out about 250 yards away, followed by a smaller 5x5 bull a short time later.

“She determined the first one was bigger, and they were working toward us, so she just waited,” Miller said. “She was ready at any given time to shoot.”

The two bulls were walking directly toward the blind, a position that didn’t offer the clear broadside shot Madison needed to pull the trigger.

“They like came into us,” she said. “They didn’t really have a care in the world, so they came in to about 160 yards. Finally, the 5x6, the one that I shot, turned broadside.”

Waiting for the elk to walk in for a closer shot actually helped his daughter calm her nerves, Miller said.

“I’m like holding my gun for a couple of seconds,” she said.

“I’m trying to focus, and then I shot it.”

She used a 7mm-08 rifle w i t h 1 4 0 - g r a i n Fe d e r a l Premium copper bullets to shoot the elk, hitting it in the lungs.

“It walked like one or two or three steps and then it wobbled and then it fell down,” she said.

“I was so excited, but I was able to steady my gun and get a pretty good shot.”

Miller said he was confident his daughter would shoot an elk

Submitted photo

Madison Miller, 13, shot her first elk – a 6x5 bull elk – on the first day of the season in Zone 20 near Lancaster.

if she got the opportunity. She’s been hunting since she was 10 and has taken two bucks and a doe. She also spent time at the range shooting targets out to 300 yards preparing for the hunt.

“I felt she put in her time and was pretty focused on it,” he said.

And yes, Madison says, shooting the elk was a thrill.

“It was crazy,” she said.

“When it fell down, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! This actually happened.’ ” They waited a few minutes to make sure the bull was down, but it didn’t move.

“I grabbed my phone and right when I was talking to my mom, I was so excited,” she said. “I said, ‘I got an elk!’ It was so crazy.”

Her dad has hunted elk in other parts of the U.S., but he

says none of his previous hunts will top the experience of watching his daughter shoot her first bull.

“I was really excited, just hoping it would all come together,” he said. “She was very happy, and I was too.”

As they discovered when they registered the bull with the Department of Natural Resources in Karlstad, so were the other three hunters who had drawn tags for the first season in Zone 20.

Most of the landowners had said they wouldn’t allow access until “the 13-year-old” got her bull, Miller said.

“She had some locals that were kind of rooting for her,” he said, adding the reception they got from landowners and others in the community was something special. Some of the locals even helped line up

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“I tell you, the community up there sure was supportive of her and made her feel welcome,” he said.

Since her time away from school was so short, Madison has had plenty of opportunities to share the story.

“Some of my teachers hunt, too, so they’re like ‘wow, I can’t believe you got that opportunity,’” she said.

And it’s not the only opportunity on the teen’s horizon.

“The first week in October I have another hunt in New Mexico,” she said.

“So I might get another one.”

Dokkenreportsonoutdoorsforthe Grand Forks Herald. Call him at (701) 780-1148 or send email to bdokken@gfherald.com.

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SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Popular gun rest made in Alberta shop Kim Ukura Sun Tribune

When Jeremy Kolden returned from an 18-month deployment in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, he started participating in competition shooting.

Unhappy with the price of existing gun rests, which can run to nearly $1,000, Kolden asked his uncle, Kirk Kolden, to manufacture a custom gun rest for him.

The gun rests are used to help shooters line up each shot, part of a meticulous process that the best shooters go through to achieve accuracy at 600 or more yards. “[The gun rest] wasn’t quite what I needed, so then I just did some more engineering on it and thought of better ways to come up with the gun rest we have,” said Kolden.

Kolden and his uncle started manufacturing the rests after hours at Kirk’s employer. Eventually, they had so many orders they needed to buy their own machine to keep up with demand. They installed the machine in Kolden’s garage and kept working part time on the manufacturing business.

As the volume of orders continued to increase, they decided to buy an automated machine to speed up the manufacturing process.

The CNC machine was too big to fit in the garage, so they moved to the shop in the old Alberta High School building – the same shop that Kolden

Kim Ukura/Sun Tribune

Jeremy Kolden (top) and his uncle, Kirk Kolden, are the owners of Kolden Manufacturing. The small company, based out of the shop in the old Alberta High School building, is known in part for the custom gun rests Jeremy designs and manufactures for competition shooters. The company started out of Jeremy’s garage, but had to move to the shop after the machines they needed were too big.

spent time in as a high school student.

“It’s a nice shop, that’s for sure,” said Kolden.

Since then, Kolden Manufacturing has continued to expand, making parts for companies as well as the gun rests. At times, manufacturing the gun rests can take a back seat to other projects, since that work is what pays

the bills, Kolden said.

Kolden graduated from Chokio-Alberta High School in 1997, after which he joined the Army National Guard. He also was trained as an auto m e c h a n i c a n d w o r ke d a t Morris Auto Plaza for 10 years before starting Kolden Manufacturing.

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SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Kolden Continued from page 8

Kolden started doing competition shooting after he returned from a deployment in Iraq, but doesn’t shoot much anymore because of the manufacturing work. Many shooters in the area compete at 600 yards. National competitions can go up to 1,000 yards.

Kolden advertises the gun rests in online forums. The rests are known the “JAK Rest” because of Kolden’s forum screen name.

Word-of-mouth marketing from other competitive shooters helps drive demand each time a new edition of the gun rest is available – it requires almost no advertising to get each batch out the door.

Since he started manufacturing the JAK Rest four years ago, Kolden estimates that

he’s sold about 50 to competition shooters around the country and in Canada.

Unlike many other manufacturers, Kolden doesn’t take pre-orders or put together a waiting list, which means the rests are sold quickly, usually within a couple of weeks after he posts about a new batch online. He’s hoping to have some ready for sale in November.

“I won’t take any money from anybody or orders until I have them ready to ship – I don’t believe in that,” said Kolden.

Since he designed the first v e r s i o n o f t h e JA K Re s t , Ko l d e n h a s c o n t i n u e d t o make improvements to the design so it adjusts more smoothly and works with the included baseplate. Many other gun rests don’t come

with a base – shooters buy them separately.

He’s also trying to develop a rest for heavier guns that are also used in competition shooting.

The JAK Rest has 37 different parts that need to be machined, assembled, and finished before the rest can go out the door.

Kolden estimated that it takes about two days to produce each one, which he generally manufactures in batches of 10 every three months.

Jeremy Kolden manufactures all of the pieces for the JAK Rest in his shop in the old Alberta High School building. Although there are some pieces in stock now, he is between orders. Kolden said he hopes to have some ready for sale in November.

The JAK Rest, named for Jeremy Kolden’s forum screen name, is sold exclusively online. Kolden doesn’t offer pre-orders for the gun rest. The gun rest is used by shooters around the United States and Canada.

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PAGE 10

SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Young archer brings down big bucks Kim Ukura Sun Tribune

Twelve-year-old Taylor Hanson has always liked scouting with his dad, Adam, and mom, Michelle, when they go bow hunting together.

Taylor started hunting for himself when he was 10, the first year he could get a license, and has already brought down some impressive animals.

“He’s had a bow in his hand since he could walk – he’s been shooting a toy bow up to a fiberglass Wal-Mart special,” said Adam.

Although hunting is an activity that the Hanson family – Taylor has two brothers, Carter and Silas – can enjoy together, Adam said he didn’t grow up in a hunting family. “ We watch a lot of hunting videos at home to learn,” said Adam. “It’s always been our connecting point, a common interest.”

The Hansons scout deer in the area using trail cams. Once they find a trail that deer are using, they set up a deer stand near the trail and settle in to wait patiently.

“You have to really hold still, and it’s hard to do that,” said Taylor.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to hunt in the area,”

said Adam. “Out here, around the Morris area, it’s a lot of prairie flatland – tailored for pheasant hunting – so we go east where there’s more trees.”

Taylor shot his first deer, an eight-point buck, when he was 10 and his second, a 10-point buck, when he was 11.

Taylor shot the 10point buck – the biggest deer anyone in the family has taken down – last September on public land east of Hancock.

Taylor said they set up in a good spot along some trees. The buck came into view about 10 yards away.

Taylor made a perfect shot, hitting the deer behind the shoulder.

They climbed down from the stand to track the deer through the woods until they found it.

“What’s remarkable about Taylor – he doesn’t even really realize it – is that he’s so young,” said Adam, noting that most 11-year-olds don’t have the arm strength to shoot so well at their age.

“Because he’s been doing it for so long and because he loves it so much, he has success at it,” said Adam.

Taylor said one of the best parts of deer hunting is knowing that there will be venison in the freezer through the winter – his

favorite meal is a tenderloin sandwich. Adam used to work as a professional meat cutter, so the family does all of the processing themselves.

This year’s archery season for deer began on Sept. 13 and will continue until Dec. 31, 2014. An archery tag is good for hunting both bucks and deer.

Like many other hunters, Adam and Taylor said they’ve noticed that the deer population is shrinking, both locally and near their cabin up north. That can make it even more of a challenge to be successful.

“I’ve also noticed the buck to doe ratio is really lopsided – there are a lot more does than bucks,” said Adam. “I think that’s indicative of how Minnesota manages the whitetails too.”

Although the archery season is longer than the rifle hunting season, the success rate for archers is much lower than the success rate for other hunters.

In 2013, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported that about 30 percent of permitted firearm hunters were successful, while just 15 percent of permitted archers were successful.

Right: Taylor Hanson (right) shot a 10-point buck while hunting with his dad, Adam (left) in September 2013 on public land just east of Hancock when he was just 11 years old. In 2012, at age 10, Taylor shot an eight-point buck.

Left: Bow hunting is a family activity for the Hansons, father Adam, Taylor, and mom Michelle. Below: Sevenyear-old Carter is also starting to learn archery so he can participate.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

PAGE 11

SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

2014-15 MINNESOTA HUNTNG, FISHING, TRAPPING SEASONS FISHING 04/12/14 - 10/15/14 Stream Trout in streams, except SE-2014 season 04/12/14 - 09/14/14 Stream Trout in streams SE-2014 season 04/26/14 - 02/22/15 Sucker Spearing -2014 season 04/26/14 - 02/15/15 Bullhead, Redhorse, other rough fish Spearing-2014 season 04/26/14 - 02/22/15 Bowfishing-2014 season 05/10/14 - 02/22/15 Walleye, sauger, northern pike - 2014 season 05/10/14 - 10/31/14 Stream Trout in lakes - 2014 summer season 05/10/14 - 09/30/14 Lake Trout (summer) - 2014 season 05/10/14 - 02/22/15 Smallmouth Bass-2014 early season-North and East of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County 05/10/14 - 02/22/15 Largemouth Bass-2014 early season-North and East of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

10/16/14 - 10/19/14 Deer Hunt - Special Youth Deer season

05/23/15 - 02/28/16 Smallmouth Bass-2015 season-South and West of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

10/18/14 - 03/15/15 Raccoon, Red Fox, Gray Fox, Badger, Opossum (North) Hunting & Trapping

05/23/15 - 02/28/16 Largemouth Bass-2015 season-South and West of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

HUNTING AND TRAPPING SEASONS Hunting and trapping seasons, opening and closing dates, application deadlines 08/15/14 - 09/30/14 Statewide Wild Rice Harvesting

10/25/14 - 03/15/15 Raccoon, Red Fox, Gray Fox, Badger, Opossum (South) Hunting & Trapping 10/25/14 - 01/04/15 Furbearer Trapping - Otter - north zone 10/25/14 - 02/28/15 Furbearer Trapping - Mink and Muskrat north zone 10/25/14 - 04/30/15 Furbearer Trapping - Beaver - north zone

09/01/14 - 11/03/14 Snipe and Rail Hunting season

10/25/14 - 10/26/14 Deer Hunt - Camp Ripley Archery Hunt - 2nd season

09/01/14 - 10/12/14 Bear season

11/01/14 - 01/04/15 Furbearer Trapping - Otter - south zone

09/01/14 - 10/31/14 Crow Hunting (3rd season)

11/01/14 - 02/28/15 Furbearer Trapping - Mink and Muskrat-south zone

09/01/14 - 11/09/14 Mourning Dove season

11/01/14 - 04/30/15 Furbearer Trapping - Beaver - south zone

09/04/14 Antlerless Deer and Special Hunt Lottery Deadline

11/08/14 - 11/23/14 Deer Hunt - Firearm season-1A

09/06/14 - 09/22/14 Early Canada Goose season-Tentative

11/08/14 - 11/16/14 Deer Hunt - Firearm season-2A and 3A

09/13/14 - 01/04/15 Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, Hungarian Partridge season

11/08/14 - 11/16/14 200 series deer permit areas Wolf -Early season hunting

05/24/14 - 02/22/15 Largemouth Bass-2014 season-South and West of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

09/13/14 - 12/31/14 Deer Hunt - Archery season

11/08/14 - 11/23/14 100 series deer permit areas Wolf -Early season hunting

06/07/14 - 12/01/14 Muskellunge (Muskie) - 2014 season

09/13/14 - 02/28/15 Small Game - Rabbits, Squirrels season

09/08/14 - 02/22/15 Smallmouth Bass - 2014 Catch and Release season only (statewide)

09/13/14 Youth Waterfowl Day

05/24/14 - 02/22/15 Smallmouth Bass-2014 season-South and West of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

09/15/14 - 10/15/14 Stream Trout (Fall) SE - 2014 season Catch and Release season only 11/15/14 - 02/22/15 Dark House Spearing-2014 05/09/15 - 02/28/16 Walleye, sauger, northern pike - 2015 season 05/09/15 - 02/28/16 Smallmouth Bass-2015 early season-North and East of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County 05/09/15 - 02/28/16 Largemouth Bass-2015 early season-North and East of U.S. Hwy 53 from Duluth to

09/13/14 - 11/30/14 Sharptailed Grouse season

09/20/14 - 11/03/14 Woodcock season 09/20/14 - 09/21/14 Take-a-Kid Hunting weekend 09/27/14 - 10/05/14 Prairie Chicken season 09/27/14 Waterfowl season opener 10/04/14 - 11/02/14 Fall Turkey season 10/11/14 - 01/04/15 Pheasant season 10/15/14 - 10/16/14 Deer Hunt - Camp Ripley Archery Hunt - 1st season

11/22/14 - 11/30/14 Deer Hunt - Firearm season-3B 11/29/14 - 12/14/14 Deer Hunt - Muzzleloader season 11/29/14 - 01/31/15 Wolf - Late season trapping 11/29/14 - 01/31/15 Wolf - Late season hunting 11/29/14 - 01/04/15 Bobcat - Hunting & Trapping season 11/29/14 - 12/04/14 Fisher and Pine Marten season 12/15/14 - 12/31/14 Crow Hunting (4th season) 01/01/15 - 01/15/15 Crow Hunting (1st season) 03/01/15 - 03/31/15 Crow Hunting (2nd season)

PAGE 12

Saturday, September 27, 2014

SUN TRIBUNE HUNTING & FISHING EDITION

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Applications for Minnesota wolf licenses up slightly Sam Cook Forum News Service

hunters and trappers is 3,800, up from 3,300 last year. The state will allow 250 wolves to be killed b e f o re t h e s e a s o n i s closed, up from 220 last year. The state’s wolf population is estimated at 2,423 and is considered stable by the DNR. An estimated 470 wolf packs roam the state’s wolf range.

The first 2014 hunting season will run Nov. 8 to 23, concurrent with the firearms deer season in 100 Series units. A second hunting — and trapping — season is set for Nov. 29 to Jan. 31. The seasons

More than 15,000 people have applied for licenses to hunt or trap wolves in Minnesota this fall, said Dan Stark, large carnivore specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Re s o u rc e s a t G r a n d Rapids.

That total is up from about 13,000 last year, but down from about 26,000 in 2012, the first year of Minnesota’s formal wolf season.

This fall, the number of licenses available to

ing ducks this spring was very high based on the continental duck breeding population surveys,� said Steve Cordts, DNR waterfowl specialist. “In addition, recruitment, or the number of young ducks that hatched, was also good this year based

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These young ducks comprise a large percentage of duck hunters’ bags during the fall.�

Wetland conditions were favorable and the total continental breeding population of all ducks combined was more than 49 million ducks, which is 8 percent above last year and 43 percent above long-term averages, Cordts said.

However, duck numbers can fluctuate widely at this time of year for a variety of reasons. “Some species like blue-winged teal and wood ducks are very early migrants and many move south even before the season opens, which is normal,� Cordts said. “But many other species like ring-necked ducks and mallards will continue to increase in number as

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hunt deer, according to the DNR. Minnesota’s wolves were removed from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in early 2012.

Minnesota’s wolf season, set by the Legislature, has been vigorously opposed by some groups.

A total of 150 wolves may be harvested during Wisconsin’s wolf hunting and trapping season , which runs from Oct. 15 to Feb. 28 or until the quota is reached.

Good waterfowl opener expected this weekend When Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opens one-half hour before sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 27, hunting is likely to be good, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “The number of breed-

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will close early if harvest quotas are reached.

Of the 3,800 licenses available, 2,300 will be available to hunters in the early hunting season. In the late season, 765 licenses will be available to hunters, and 735 will be available to trappers.

The number of hunting and trapping licenses for the later season is in proportion to how many people applied for hunting or trapping licenses, Stark said.

Most early-season hunters participate in that hunt on an opportunistic basis while they

migrants move down from Canada during the season.�

Canada goose hunting should also be good early in the regular waterfowl season. “Large numbers of Canada geese move into the state in mid- to late September. These were nonbreeding geese from Minnesota that moved to northern Canada during the summer to molt their flight feathers. These geese are new arrivals to Minnesota and provide good Canada goose hunting opportunity early in the season,� Cordts said.

Waterfowl habitat conditions are generally good statewide with much higher water levels than last year at this time.

The DNR will post a weekly waterfowl migration report each week during the duck season.

The reports are typically posted on Thursday. “If you haven’t been duck hunting in a few years, this may be a good year to get back out in the m a r s h , � C o rd t s s a i d . “Hunter numbers have been very low compared to historic averages.�

Last fall, about 90,000 state waterfowl stamps were sold, which is similar to recent years but considerably lower than the 1970s, when 140,000 waterfowl stamps were sold.

The duck season structure is similar to recent years except for an adjustment in the duck season dates in the south duck zone only. In the south duck zone, the season opens for a three-day period from Sept. 27 through Monday, Sept.

29. The season is closed until it reopens Saturday, Oct. 11 and runs through Saturday, Dec. 6.