Glen Schmitt

Duck hunting season starts Saturday in Minnesota. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says waterfowl hunting in Minnesota and in North America is down and has been moving that direction for quite awhile.

The bear hunting season in northern and northeastern Minnesota starts September 1. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says baiting started last week and the food supply for bears appears better than originally expected.

The Minnesota DNR released their hunting regulations booklet online this week with the printed version available at the end of the month. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He indicates deer hunting license costs are unchanged this year with archery, firearms and muzzleloader are $34, with bonus permits remaining the same at $18.

The Minnesota State legislature at this year's session made it legal for crossbows to be used during the archery deer hunt in Minnesota starting this September. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. Prior to this year's decision by the Minnesota State Legislature people who were 60 years of age or older or had a disability would be allowed to use a crossbow.

Minnesota fishing license sales are up 3% compared to last year at this time. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He indicates in 2022 Minnesota had 762,300 license sales and Minnesota has 783,000 so far in 2023.

The first turkey hunting opportunity of the year will start Wednesday April 12. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says the turkey population in Central Minnesota continues to grow and the opportunities to have a successful turkey hunt should be there.

Crappies, blue gills and panfish are good options in March. That according to Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News. Schmitt says other options include tullibee, white fish, perch and eel pout. He says there was a time when you'd catch an eel pout and you'd just throw them on the ice because no one valued them.

Ice fishing conditions in Central Minnesota haven't been great this year and the recent snowfall has dealt our area lakes another blow. That according to Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News who joined me on WJON. He says we're "starting over on these lakes".

The recent sub-zero degree temperatures isn't bad for everyone in Central Minnesota. The cold weather is helping to firm up ice conditions on area lakes and help with mobility on lakes. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.

A combination of snow and cold affect Minnesotans but those conditions also affect wildlife in the state. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says the state has something called "Winter Severity Index" which measures how hard the winter is on deer, turkey and wildlife in general.