WTIP Outdoor News Podcast

Archery season began in the Arrowhead region more than a month ago on Sept. 16, and based on the current Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) harvest reports, it has proved to be off to a slow start. A large portion of that is due to DNR regulation changes heading into the 2023 season. However, the firearm season begins this Saturday, Nov. 4. and a more hunters will take to the woods to...

The Offal Wildlife Watching Project with the University of Minnesota Extension aims at better understanding what Minnesota wildlife species are attracted to and eat the organ meats (offal) in gut piles left from hunters field dressing deer and how offal affects wildlife food webs. The project asks volunteer hunters to set up camera traps on the offal they leave in the field to capture images of wi...

Fall fishing has arrived to Cook County and across Superior National Forest. Walleye are biting strong as the lakes start to turn over (when the warm water mixes with the cold and sinks lower in the lake), according to officials from the Grand Marais fisheries office for the Department of Natural Resources. Likewise, brook trout and pike are starting to bite more aggressively as well. Fisheries Su...

An open house Oct. 10 hosted by the US Forest Service at the Gunflint Ranger Station in Grand Marais offered an opportunity to reflect on some of the top stories from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and across Superior National Forest this year. It’s indeed been a busy year for news and information from Superior National Forest, including a recent announcement that essentially blocks the...

Cases of a severe fungal infection called blastomycosis are increasing along the North Shore and areas of northern Minnesota. Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called blastomyces and can infect humans and animals. It is commonly found in the northern regions of Minnesota and along areas such as the St. Croix River, Mississippi River, and surrounding Great Lakes. According to the Min...

For generations, the Iron Range in Minnesota has been synonymous with mining, an industry that has profoundly shaped the physical and economic landscape of the region. But Pete Kero, an environmental engineer and author, is now illuminating an alternative dimension of this terrain through his newly released book, 'Minescapes.' In this Outdoor News Podcast episode, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with au...

On a recent September morning, a trio of researchers and biologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries office in Grand Marais traveled to the end of the Arrowhead Trail on the shores of McFarland Lake. The purpose of the trip was to see how the fish population is doing in Pine Lake, a massive body of water located entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness....

As the days grow shorter and a subtle chill creeps into the air, Minnesota’s North Shore undergoes a colorful transformation. During this time, the North Shore becomes a haven for those seeking to explore hiking trails and endless back roads to bask in the vibrant hues of the fall foliage. Fall colors in Minnesota typically peak in mid-to-late-September through mid-October, starting in the norther...

It has been yet another bountiful year for natural bear food, primarily fruits and nuts in the northeast region of Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2022 was the second-best year of abundant natural beer foods and 2023 is shaping up to be another great year. In this week's episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Andrew Tri, the...

The 2021 Greenwood Fire, which burned nearly 27,000 acres in northeastern Minnesota following a summer of heat and drought, has become a desirable place for scientists across the Midwest and regions of Canada to study the aftermath of a large-scale wildfire in a remote boreal landscape. Immediately following the Greenwood Fire a team of 10 researchers from Minnesota, Michigan, and Canada ventured...

Minnesota’s moose population continues to face a variety of threats, including brainworm transmission from deer, predation from wolves and bears, winter ticks, and changes to moose habitat in northeastern Minnesota. While the 2023 population estimate of 3,290 moose marks a decade of Minnesota’s moose population remaining relatively stable. However, the future of Moose in Minnesota remains in quest...

There are numerous DNR regulation changes heading into the 2023 deer hunting season. Some of which include the reduction or loss of antlerless lottery permits numerous deer permit areas in the northeast, allowed use of crossbows, blaze orange on ground blinds, and much more. In this week's episode WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Nancy Hansen, the area wildlife manager fo...

The wood turtle was designated a threatened species in Minnesota in 1984. It is predominantly terrestrial turtle, compared to it's aquatic counterparts, making it more susceptible to predation and mortality. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)is currently conducting wood turtle habitat and nesting research in the eastern portions of the state. In this week's episode podcast host Ka...

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is busy conducting fish surveys on numerous inland lakes in northeastern Minnesota. In this week's episode, podcast host Kalli Hawkins tags along with EJ Isaac, the DNR Area Fisheries Supervisor in Grand Marais on an annual walleye survey on Devil Track Lake. Also in this week's episode, Joe Friedrichs speaks with Heidi Rantala, a freshwater ecol...

A team of fisheries biologists and researchers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently spent the better part of a night looking for coaster brook trout near the Grand Marais Harbor. Their work on Lake Superior involved using non-lethal electric currents that were delivered from a research vessel into the water. The purpose of literally electrocuting fish is to learn more about...

Fishing on Lake Superior is much different than chasing walleye from a canoe. Depth, the types and size of fish in Lake Superior, and the gear required to properly fish on the Big Lake, can make even experienced anglers hesitant to try embrace the challenge. However, in this episode of the podcast, we hear some perspective on how to make fishing on Lake Superior not only possible, but enjoyable. T...

Joe Mundell is familiar with the landscape on Superior National Forest. Currently serving as the acting Gunflint District Ranger, Mundell has been a U.S. Forest Service employee on Superior National Forest since 2010. His previous roles have included forestry, timber management and administration. Mundell takes over as the temporary Gunflint district ranger following the departure of Mike Crotteau...

Spruce budworm is a native insect and pest in the eyes of many North Shore residents. It continues to decimate balsam firs and to a lesser extent the region's spruce. As of July 2023, hundreds of thousands of acres of balsam fir trees have either died or are struggling because of spruce budworm. In this week's episode, WTIP's podcast host Joe Friedrichs speaks with Eric Otto Minnesota's northern r...

A law change passed in the Minnesota 2023 legislative session will now allow deer hunters who purchase an archery license to use a crossbow, starting this fall hunting season. In this week's episode of the WTIP Outdoor News Podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Todd Froberg, the big game program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about what the law change means f...

Seagull Creek Fishing Camp is a small, quiet resort on the Gunflint Trail at the edge of the BWCA. It is owned and operated by Mike Berg. He started the business in 1979. This summer, Berg's daughter, Jessica Berg-Collman, started guided for the business. Jessica knows fishing, and she recently took WTIP's Joe Friedrichs and his friend Joe Powell fishing on Lake Saganaga at the end of the Gunflint...

The bugs are bad this year. Mosquitoes. Black flies. More mosquitoes. From the Boundary Waters to the shores of Lake Superior, the biting insects remain in full force beyond the halfway point of June. In this episode of the podcast, we learn about what the disappearance of Minnesota's bat population has to do with all the insects buzzing around this year. Jill Utrup, a Minnesota-based researcher f...

Dean Paron, the longtime Finland Area Fisheries Supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is leaving his post along the Baptism River. And while change is occurring, Dean is staying with the state agency and Minnesota rivers. He'll be overseeing habitat work on all rivers and streams in Minnesota as part of his new role with the DNR. Learn all about the changes in this episode...

The North American Moose Conference is an annual gathering that brings together researchers, conservationists, and aspiring graduate students from across the continent. The annual event serves as a platform for sharing cutting-edge research, discussing conservation strategies, and fostering collaboration among moose ecology and management experts. The event was held in Grand Portage this May. The...

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial climb toward the peak of outdoor recreation and visitors arriving to the North Shore. Hiking is among the most accessible and utilized forms of getting outdoors near Lake Superior. In this episode, Superior Hiking Trail Association Executive Director Lisa Luokkala shares a trail report just ahead of the holiday weekend. We also get an update from a Cook Count...

EJ Isaac is the new fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at the Grand Marais office. WTIP listeners know EJ from his time working with Seth Moore and the fish and wildlife office at Grand Portage. We hear from EJ in this episode about his first few works for the DNR in Grand Marais. Also featured in this episode are Tom Hall and Juan Martinez from the Forest Servi...