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...
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While many organizations and experts preach getting youth involved in the outdoors in a positive manner, few push that agenda with as much conviction as the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and their partners involved with the Forkhorn Summer Camp programs held each year across the state.

The idea behind Forkhorn camp, which according to the MDHA was started in 1985, is to teach kids between the ages of 11 and 17 the ins-and-outs of the outdoors and hunting through a unique hands-on, intera...
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    Generally, I try not to make New Year's resolutions that are going to take a lot of work or require any life altering changes.
    It's not that I'm lazy or afraid of a challenge, I just feel that if you are going to go with one of the usual resolutions like lose weight or stop drinking alcohol or whatever, then you should mean it when you declare "I'm not doing (fill in the blank) anymore."
    Otherwise, you're really wasting your time. You have to be willing to commit to your goal.
    Th...
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Well, after bowhunting multiple times nearly every week since the Minnesota deer archery opened on Sept. 15 I've figured out two things - don't hesitate when a nice buck walks up to you on the first day of the season regardless of how many deer you think you will see the rest of the year and I need more stands.

Make that three things: I also learned I really, really love it!

For those who forgot, are just joining us or don't really read my stuff to closely, on the opening morning of the 2012 ar...
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    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...
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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...

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When 32-year-old Chuck Johnson of Virginia, Minn. pulled the trigger on a big deer just moments after the 2012 Minnesota Firearms Deer Season opened Nov. 3 he had know idea the end result would be bagging the buck of a lifetime.
But that's exactly what the longtime hunter did Saturday morning near Tower.

Johnson, who has been hunting for more than 20 years and spends the seasons in the woods with his dad, shot a 210-pound (field dressed) 10-pointer with a large rack, just minutes after the l...
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As deer season approaches each year, memories of hunts gone by flood my mind each night when I lay head to pillow. I can hardly remember what I did last week but every year at this time I can conjure up, with great detail, just about every hunting experience I’ve ever had.

And it’s not just the kills that I recall. No, I think some of my best memories revolve around time in the woods when we weren’t gutting deer or dragging them across the snow.

I still remember my first season i...

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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 ...

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    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 ...
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After years of writing about the downward trend in hunting and fishing participation, it's kind of neat to be able to offer some positive news: More people are taking to the woods and water.

This according to the recently released U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. In 2011, the number of anglers rose 11 percent compared to the 2006 survey and the number of hunters rose 9 percent.

The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunt...
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    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...
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    One hour into the 2012 archery deer season - and my archery hunting career - two does came storming out of the woods heading west to east.
    One doe ran right by my stand, not passing 15 yards in front of it, while the other one stopped directly in front of the stand and immediately turned back toward the west, ears high and on full alert.



    Being the professional journalist that I am (even though I don't get paid anymore, which isn't really that much of a difference from when I was get...
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  Saturday morning, Sept. 15, (and plenty of mornings after that) I'll be in one of my favorite deer stands hunting big bucks with a bow and a couple of arrows and I'm pretty excited about that.
   I've talked about trying the Minnesota archery deer hunt for years now but never got around to it. One thing or another has always come between me and hunting deer in the most basic of forms.
   But this fall I'm going to go for it. In July, I bought a bow worthy of the challenge and I've spent eve...
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    While I hate to admit it, I must confess: I wait all year for fall to roll around.
    Don't get me wrong, I love summer and boating and swimming and barbecues and baseball and all that other fun stuff.
    But when the calender flips from July to August I instantly get restless. I NEED September to roll around as quickly as possible so I can get out into the woods and back on the trail of game.
    First on the list of course is the grouse.
    For those of you who are unfamiliar with wha...
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   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 ...
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By JESSE WHITE
   In June of 1995, just a few weeks after graduating from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a double major in history and political science - and after receiving my seventh job rejection letter after doing so - it became painfully obvious to me that any hopes I had of returning to my roots on the Iron Range in northern Minnesota were fading quickly.
    My double major, it seemed, wasn't going to get me far in an area that lives and breathes mining and I was slowly wrappi...
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