A recap of Minnesota’s 2024 legislative session and how it impacts outdoor users
While legislative issues that would affect the outdoors people of Minnesota didn’t feature the drama of other issues during the recently completed session of the Minnesota Legislature, there were, most certainly, moments of intense debate in the state’s House and Senate on natural resources matters.
And, per usual, there were bills along the way that drew the ire of hunters, anglers, and trappers – some of which eventually drifted into the Capitol abyss, while others are destined, now, to become law. There also came from the session legislation that will be placed in the “good” column of sportsmen’s and women’s scorecards.
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New walleye regulation for Ontario’s Lake of the Woods
When walleye-fishing season begins Saturday on the Ontario side of Lake of the Woods, anglers there – both residents and nonresidents – will be asked to abide by a new slot regulation aimed at increasing the number of spawning-size fish.
A protected slot for walleyes and sauger that used to begin at 46 centimeters (18.1 inches) is now 43 centimeters (16.9 inches), according to Gerry Cariou, executive director of the Sunset Country Travel Association.
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Streams of Thought: Some fun with numbers heading into Minnesota fishing opener
The Minnesota DNR’s always-reliable John Nordby, an ELS program specialist with the department’s License Center, issued an email earlier this week with the latest in angling license sales numbers.
Like clockwork, Nordby hits “send” on his keypad at certain junctures during the license year: the Friday prior to the fishing opener, the Friday before Memorial Day, the weekend after the Fourth of July holiday, etc. The most recent update in my inbox: “through the weekend prior to opener.”
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In Wisconsin, voters narrowly favor ban on latest fishing technology
While anglers, fishing groups, and the DNR here in Minnesota continue to debate and examine the virtues and potentially less-than-favorable outcomes of using forward-facing sonar in angling, public hearings held in neighboring Wisconsin in early April addressed the issue head-on.
The results were mixed regarding this survey question, one of 49 presented to respondents: “Would you support banning the use of live scopes, and similar 360-degree imaging electronics in all Wisconsin waters?”
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Streams of Thought: Minnesota DNR using drones in an attempt to boost pheasant research
I sucked it up, swallowed my pride, broke open my wallet, and bought a new smartphone last weekend. Similar to last time when I made such a monumental life decision and entered the local Verizon store, the clerk again looked at my “old” phone like he was staring into the eyes a live dinosaur.
“Haven’t seen one like this in a while,” he remarked to me.
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Minnesota’s walleye egg take on time, on target in 2024
Matt Ward knows the DNR’s Hinckley area fisheries office isn’t exactly running with the big dogs when it comes to walleye egg collection in April. “We’re not like the Cut Foot Sioux, collecting 200 quarts of eggs in a day,” he said of the operation near Lake Winnibigoshish.
But when it comes to stocking Minnesotans’ favorite fish, each location that collects eggs from female walleyes and milt from the males plays a role – especially in an era when “strain” often determines where tiny fish eventually will call home.
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Streams of Thought: Minnesota bills to bark at for licensed commercial dog, cat breeders
Hunters seeking their next bird dogs are among the most discerning of shoppers – right up there with those who spend countless hours evaluating the breeding information of their next show dogs.
We hunters take our dog purchases seriously, and rightly so. After all, we’re about to buy pups that we’ll depend on for perhaps the next 10 years or more afield, and we’re looking for a dog that’s a joy in the home, during the off-season, as well.
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Red Lake-area residents in Minnesota work to fend off tribal land-transfer bills
While legislation that would at no cost transfer state land around Upper Red Lake to Red Lake Nation lies in wait at the State Capitol, counties, townships, organizations, and individuals in the area are mobilizing in an attempt to stave off such action.
As of Outdoor News press time, hearings hadn’t been scheduled for either the House or Senate bills, sponsored respectively by Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton. Both bills were introduced last month. In the meantime, plans to thwart the legislation have been nonstop, according to Robyn Dwight, president of the Upper Red Lake Area Association.
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Streams of Thought: Questions being asked about Mille Lacs regulations … and rightfully so
Someday maybe we’ll know what goes on behind the door of the “technical committee” room where state DNR fisheries officials meet in secrecy with tribal counterparts to determine, after hours of data sharing and alleged negotiating, what the rules will be for Lake Mille Lacs walleye anglers. But I doubt it.
That the general public (and reporters) is barred from the whirlwind co-management session – the products of which affect anglers, resorters, local businesses, and others – has long drawn the ire of regular folks.
