It seems like every month the gray wolf is back in the news and I find myself getting more and more irritated by the conversation.

Why? It's not because I harbor some hatred for the animal. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I believe there is a place for the wolf in our world and like any other animal, I believe it should be treated with respect.

That being said, however, I've also maintained the wolf needs to be managed in Minnesota. The packs can no longer run unchecked. The populat...
Continue reading ...

Even after a snowstorm this past weekend that dumped upwards of eight inches to a foot of snow on parts of northern Minnesota, the winter of 2012-2013 has been pretty tame, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials.

That's great news for a deer population still rebounding from one of the toughest winters on record just two years ago.

The DNR measures winter severity by assigning a point for each day the snow depth is 15-inches or more and one point for each day the temper...

Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

    I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm really tired of hearing about the gray wolf from the extreme fringes of two particular groups: Gray wolf lovers and gray wolf haters.
    Enough already: This ain't no Kevin Costner movie but wolves aren't on a mission to eradicate the whitetail population in Minnesota either.
    As most of you reading this blog are aware, the state of Minnesota conducted a legalized wolf hunt this fall after the gray wolf was removed from the U.S. Fish and Wildl...
Continue reading ...

My daughter, Audrey White, has been wearing an ear-to-ear grin since 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, just moments after she harvested her first deer ever – a five-point buck.



So have I and so has her grandpa.

Audrey, who turned 12 in August, has been hunting with me and my crew – which includes my dad (her grandpa), my uncle, and a longtime family friend – since she was 10. Deer hunting is a tradition in our family like no other. I've been in the woods with a rifle nearly every November si...

Continue reading ...

It’s nearly here.

My favorite time of year and probably yours too if you’re reading this - The 2012 Minnesota Firearms Deer season opens at one half-hour before sunrise on Nov. 3 and runs through one half-hour after sunset on Sunday Nov. 18.

(Note: Sunrise on Nov. 3 is 7:54 a.m. but it will be at 6:55 a.m. on the second day of the season, Sunday, Nov. 4, because of daylight savings time).

So what kind of season will 2012 and be? Record setting? Slow as can be?

How about something in ...

Continue reading ...

    Last year more Minnesota deer hunters were cited for illegal deer baiting than in any other year since the practice was made illegal in 1991 and officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are hoping new penalties will deter similar behavior this year.
    By the end of 2011 Minnesota Conservation Officers had issued 144 baiting citations and had seized 134 guns and bows and most - including myself - believe that number represents only a fraction of how many hunters feel ...
Continue reading ...

    So far this fall, after four mornings and roughly 16 hours in the deer stand chasing Minnesota whitetails with a bow and arrow, I've seen 10 deer.
    That's a pretty good average if you ask me and I have a feeling it's going to be a another great season for my crew and I. In fact, it should be a lot like last year where we didn't see a lot of deer but four out of six of us bagged deer.
   Of course, not everyone in northern Minnesota is going to have a great season this year. In some place...
Continue reading ...

   While doing a little research for this blog I came across an old magazine advertisement for the Marlin 336 that had the following statement on the page: "This one puts meat in the freezer."
    Talk about truth in advertising!

     For my money, the Marlin 336c .30-30, which has been in production since the late 1940's, is arguably one of the best guns for hunting deer ever made.
     In fact, I'd argue it is THE best deer gun for hunting in northern Minnesota: Great caliber, compact ...
Continue reading ...