Outdoor News

The Minnesota DNR has released its hunting incident report and the numbers from 2023 don't look bad. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says in total there were 11 reported incidents and no fatalities.

Not everyone is fond of the warm weather in Central Minnesota this winter. Glen Schmitt from Outdoors News feels this could be the worst ice fishing season in Minnesota. He says last year's season wasn't good but this is worse.

The warmer than normal winter hasn't been good for ice fishing, snowmobiling, outdoor contests and festivals but a silver lining can be animals in the state will come through the winter with good numbers. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.

The annual Catfish Festival on the Chain of Lakes in Richmond has been cancelled this year due to ice conditions. The event was scheduled for February 9-10. The official website for the event indicates fishing tickets will be honored for next year's event.

The Minnesota deer harvest was down this year compared to last year by approximately 8%. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He explained the DNR released the final 2023 numbers and with all the seasons combined Minnesota had 158,746 deer harvested.

The new "Keep It Clean" law in Minnesota will impact many ice anglers this winter. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. Schmitt says the law went into effect throughout the state in July but was already in place in extreme northern Minnesota last winter.

Cold temperatures aren't a bad thing for everyone. Ice fishing is getting a restart this weekend and beyond with cold temperatures that are making ice throughout the state. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.

I thought this might be a good time to remind everyone of some key components you should keep handy in your vehicle this winter; just in case.

In any other year, this probably wouldn't be possible due to frozen water, but we all know this year was quite different.

The warmer than normal weather in Central Minnesota has caused a late start to the ice fishing season. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. Schmitt explains the temperatures are getting close to normalizing this week but the ice locally is generally not safe and he's waiting at least a week before giving ice fishing a shot here.