Outdoors

by M. McKinnon
Reprinted with permission from Atikokan Progress, Atikokan, Canada

DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen named current Assistant Commissioner Barb Naramore as deputy DNR commissioner.

Since 2013, Naramore has overseen three divisions (Ecological and Water Resources, Forestry, and Lands and Minerals) and worked frequently with other divisions on interdisciplinary efforts. Prior to joining the DNR, Naramore was executive director of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association, where she worked with five states, federal agencies, and stakeholder groups on river-related programs and policies, including a groundbreaking aquatic ecosystem restoration and monitoring program.

“Barb has a passion for the full breadth of DNR’s work and understands its importance in the lives of all Minnesotans,” said Strommen. “As deputy, Barb will work closely with me on DNR’s strategic direction, building partnerships with external stakeholders, and fostering our efforts to connect all Minnesotans to the outdoors.”

by Tom Coombe -

Zach Norlander, Winton, MN caught this beautiful northern pike using a sucker minnow for bait, and jigged up some dandy sunnies while he was at it.

District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Shane Zavodnik (International Falls #2) spent time working ATV, snowmobile and angling enforcement. Ice conditions seem to be on the rebound after the warm spell from the previous week. Snowmobile trails are OK, but snow is definitely needed. With decreased flow on the Rainy River, anglers have begun to pull permanent ice houses out between Clementson and Frontier. Reports of good fishing were heard on the ice as well as higher up the river where anglers were still open-water shore-fishing. Time was also spent checking anglers on Upper Red Lake. Success seemed to vary from house to house with reports of smaller walleyes and perch being caught.

Mistletoed…to perfection
Mother nature in our natural yard has truly outdone herself with a splendor this year, we have not seen in years past.
Take your pick - Star filled nights shimmering white-bright for a crisp mistletoe or wake to the richness in tiny hoar frost diamonds glinting in sunlit-studded mornings off frozen cattail fronds.
And, in between a morning or an evening for snow cover, we have the dappled powder sugar snows on a frequent basis, sometimes frosting pine bough branches with a thin silvery garland of flakes. Simply wonderful.
If she could decorate a deciduous tree with any more ornaments, I’m not sure it’s possible with what she has done to an ornamental crab tree that is resplendent with frozen translucent mini red, edible bulbs, that the living decorations in pine grosbeaks feast on from pre-frosted sunrises until the softest snow flaked, sky pink flecked, sunsets.

On Sunday afternoon at 4:43 p.m, the 2018 muzzleloader season came to a close. Not having fired a shot in either season, I hopped in the truck and left the state park in Soudan.
Three minutes later I was looking at one of the largest bucks I’ve seen. He was alive and well, standing on top of a rock cut along Highway 169.
I looked at the clock, then looked at the buck, then shook my head. That’s how hunting goes.
Every day I hunted during muzzleloader season I saw at least one deer. Except for the last day, unless you include the buck that was three minutes away from being fired upon.
I wouldn’t trade a minute I spent in the woods during firearms and muzzleloader seasons. Being out in the woods is my sanity saver. I can be sitting under a tree, walking along a ridge or pulling my boot out of a swamp, and I’m happy as can be.

District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports the muzzleloader season came to a quiet close with a few people trying to fill their tag. Overall, there was an increased number of hunters compared to previous years, mainly due to the ability to use scopes. A few people are starting to venture out onto Rainy Lake ice fishing and dark house spearing. People are reminded to use extreme caution as there is no such thing as completely safe ice. A few animal complaints were also handled throughout the week and weekend.

The final numbers are in for the 2018 Tower Area firearms deer harvest.
After what was predicted to be a good year for hunters, the harvest was down in the Tower Area by 2.1 percent. This includes northern St. Louis and Lake Counties including Permit Areas 117, 118, 119, 130, 131, 132 176, 177 and 178.
DNR Tower Area Wildlife Manager Tom Rusch said the harvest was impacted by a number of factors.
• An early opener(Nov. 3 is the second earliest opening date), reduced deer activity during daylight hours and cold temperatures likely impacted hunter effort.
• Hunters reported a mixed bag of deer activity. Buck activity improved over the second and third weekends. Some hunters reported rutting activity while other hunters reported minimal deer activity with most of it occurring at night.
• Many hunters reported poor deer movement, especially opening weekend, which historically accounts for a majority of the deer harvest.

Now is the time to talk with kids about the dangers of ice. Ice thickness varies greatly on lakes, ponds and rivers throughout the state. Some water bodies have none, while others have several inches, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“Ice, especially early ice with snow cover, is extremely deceptive because you can’t see dangerous cracks or the thickness of the ice under the snow,” said DNR Conservation Officer Adam Block. “Parents need to teach their kids that ice is never 100 percent safe. If your child is near the ice, you should be near your child.”

With many children out of school for holiday breaks, they may look toward newly forming ice for entertainment.