Outdoors

Members of the Vermilion Range Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 22 – 23, at the St. Louis County Public Works Facility located at 2210 Hidden Valley Road in Ely. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of Amateur Radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

Being at our shack in the summer is a battle of the bugs. But Evan and I had to make an express trip one night after work when we found out a logging operation would be going through where we left a ladder stand.
We met one of the loggers on the road, he had just driven his $350,000 feller buncher to a spot by our shack. We followed the tracks on the road like tracking a wounded deer.
After giving the guy a ride back to his truck we set out for the stand. On our way across a swamp we apparently woke up the mosquitoes and flies. When we came back carrying the 16-foot stand, they were waiting for us.
Evan had positioned himself between two of the steps and I was holding the bottom of the ladder with one hand. This gave me the advantage, I had a free hand to swat flies.
The stand removal went smoothly, no one fell out of a tree or lost a boot in the swamp. Came home with a few bug bites but no ticks. See? Miracles can happen!

Ron Burgess, took the time to show his kids that the old adage “big baits, catch big fish.” Ron’s family caught these beauties on Lite Northern, fished under a bobber. Photo via Arrowhead Outdoors.

Babe’s Fishing Report
by Captain Russ of Babe’s Bait

Wetland permits for the Prospector Loop ATV Trail have been approved by the government regulator agencies.
“This is major news for our project,” said Prospector Alliance President Nick Wognum. “We’ve been waiting a long time to get to this point and now we can begin construction. This is awesome!”
The Prospector Loop will connect Ely, Babbitt, Embarrass and Tower to the North Shore ATV trail system, creating a total of over 250 miles of trails.
“Now we just need a little help in St. Paul to get the rest of the funding approved and it should be a busy summer building trail,” said Wognum. “We’re in the House bill for funding, and we’ve got good support in the Senate.”

Boundary Waters Advisory Committee will present “Volunteers to Bring Back the Powwow Trail” on April 16, at noon at the Tuesday Group meeting Grand Ely Lodge.
Martin Kubik, lifelong BWCAW trails advocate, will talk about how volunteers, in collaboration with the US Forest Service and Frost River are working to restore the historic Powwow Trail, which was ravaged by the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011.
Emerging from ashes, this trail is now rising amidst of new, vigorous, green growth of healthy jack pine forest.
BWA Committee, a grass roots non profit has now worked since the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire to restore the favorite hiking trail.
Although the path was cleared by the Forest Service crews after the fire, the USFS ceased maintenance and thousands of trees fell across the path while a vigorous growth of jack pines has obliterated the trail, making it impassable.

Minnesota’s popular warm weather stream trout season opens Saturday, April 13, with quality fishing opportunities in every region of the state. Brook trout and splake fishing also opens on Lake Superior and its tributary streams that have no posted boundaries.

“The trout fishing opportunities are improving through investments in trout habitat, angler access, sound land use, and science-based management. Anglers help pay for this work when they buy fishing licenses and trout stamps.” said Jamison Wendel, DNR stream habitat consultant.

Minnesota has roughly 3,800 miles of designated trout streams. Its four coldwater hatcheries produce more than 1.7 million fingerlings and yearlings for stocking each year. Anglers fishing on designated trout waters must have a trout validation in addition to an angling license.

Applications for bear hunting licenses are being accepted now through Friday, May 3, wherever Minnesota hunting and fishing licenses are sold, online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense, and by telephone at 888-665-4236.

A total of 3,400 licenses are available in 13 permit areas. Bear licenses cost $44 for residents and $230 for nonresidents, and there is a $5 application fee. The 2019 season is open from Sunday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Oct. 13.

Lottery winners will be notified by June 1. The deadline to purchase licenses awarded by lottery will be Thursday, Aug. 1. Any remaining unpurchased licenses will be available over the counter starting at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

An unlimited number of bear licenses will be sold over-the-counter for the no-quota area that includes east-central and far northwestern Minnesota. No-quota licenses are valid only in the no-quota area. Hunters with a no-quota license can harvest one bear.

A recent study examined the economic feasibility of introducing mass timber manufacturing to the state of Minnesota and/or Minnesota’s Arrowhead region. Specifically, the study examined cross-laminated timber (CLT) which is a wood panel system that has gained popularity after being widely adopted in Europe. The study concluded:

Ever wonder how the DNR sets deer hunting regulations? Or how you can provide input on deer management in your area?
Local wildlife managers across the state are inviting the public to come to open-house meetings to ask their deer questions and learn about the state’s most popular mammal.
In the Tower work area, the open house will be held Tuesday, March 26 from 5-7 p.m. at the DNR’s Tower area office located at 650 Highway 169, Tower.
These local, open-house-style meetings are a way to encourage discussions about deer and deer management, enhance local relationships and foster two-way communication between the DNR and the public.
The DNR began the meetings last year with the release of its statewide deer management plan.

Results of the 2019 moose survey indicate northeastern Minnesota’s moose population remains stable but relatively low for the eighth year in a row, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

“We’re encouraged that the moose population is not in the steep decline it was,” said Glenn DelGiudice, DNR moose and deer project leader. “In the short to medium term, we’re likely to keep seeing moose in the forests, lakes and swamps of northeastern Minnesota. But their long-term survival here in Minnesota remains uncertain.”

Survey results estimate northeastern Minnesota’s moose population at 4,180, statistically unchanged from 2018’s estimate of 3,030. The results reflect a 90 percent certainty that the moose population is between 3,250 and 5,580 animals.

The last significant population decline occurred between 2009 and 2012. Since then, the number of moose in northeastern Minnesota has been statistically stable.