ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. — On a crisp, overcast morning on the dark, greenish-blue waters of Lake St. Clair, Dave LaVigne's fishing pole bowed like a candy cane as he reeled in what he hoped was a big fish.

A smallmouth bass fought, but LaVigne stayed focused. Wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat backward, he reeled and reeled until the fish,...Read more

RICE LAKE, Wis. — Lever-action rifles, revolvers, gun barrels, trigger assemblies and other firearm components lace the sprawling manufacturing floor here at Henry Repeating Arms, a leading U.S. gunmaker with ties to Minnesota.

Hundreds of skilled plant workers, many sporting hunting apparel, tattoos or merch from the Green Bay Packers, make ...Read more

MIAMI — In Florida, you can’t kill a tarpon — a silver-plated game fish prized by catch-and-release anglers — without a special permit. You also can’t spearfish in almost half of the Florida Keys.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies say a Port St. Lucie man did both on Sunday, which landed him in jail.

Brayan Martinez Perez, 23...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A trail camera — a small, battery-operated camera marketed to hunters to track wildlife movements — likely helped authorities find suspected shooter Vance Boelter on Sunday.

Modern trail cameras can transmit images instantaneously to an owner’s cellphone even when the camera is out of Wi-Fi range.

Brian Smith, an outdoor ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Ben Strege helps get people into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

But after the news last week that trip fees there could substantially increase, the part-time wilderness guide said he couldn’t help wonder how many paddlers it might deter in the years ahead.

A new Forest Service proposal would more than double the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Charlie Wedes didn’t look like a revolutionary when, 16 years ago, he and another grade-schooler puttered around Lake Minnewashta in the metro’s western suburbs, casting for largemouth bass.

Just 6 years old at the time, Charlie already knew the thrill of pitching a Whopper Plopper to a bed of lily pads and watching a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A couple Sundays ago I awoke early in a cheap motel that was overpriced, with no coffeepot and the shades pulled down on the only cafe in town. But the sun was shining and the truck stop on the way to the county fairgrounds offered a choice between French roast and ultra caffeinated. The guy ahead of me poured a cup of the high ...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The state of Alaska is once again asking the Board of Game to allow wildlife managers to shoot bears from helicopters in a rural part of Southwest Alaska in the interest of increasing caribou numbers.

The board is scheduled to hold a special meeting on July 14 in Anchorage to consider the revised proposal to expand its ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota foragers have won a place at the table to set new guidelines for gathering mushrooms and picking berries on state land, under a new task force approved by the Legislature.

As part of a broader environment and natural resources bill expected to be signed by Gov. Tim Walz, the state would create a Sustainable Foraging ...Read more

DETROIT — State health officials have issued a host of new warnings in their Eat Safe Fish Guides, manuals that help Michigan residents eat fish that contain fewer pollutants.

After reviewing the latest research, they realized a common pollutant — PFOS, one of the man-made "forever chemicals" known collectively as PFAS — is more toxic ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Kao Kalia Yang cast her line into the water, hoping to catch bass.

Then she yanked her hook out of the water too soon after a nibble, preventing her from reeling in the prized fish. A missed opportunity because of impatience, she said. Instead, she caught a green sunfish, and released it.

“When we were younger, we used to eat...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — One of the largest migrations of living things that will occur in Minnesota this year — or any year — is on the cusp of happening just now.

But most people won’t see it.

Because it’s transpiring underwater.

Yet the movement is clearly apparent to Jane Sage, because it’s represented in the June bookings of her family�...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There’s an invasive species of fish spotted in North Carolina that is so dangerous, officials in other states are advising those who catch them to kill them immediately.

The northern snakehead, a fish native to China that can grow up to three feet long, closely resembles the bowfin, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Buyers with cash and confidence can find deals now on the recreational vehicle of their dreams, be it motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, pontoon or more.

The pandemic stoked people’s interest in the outdoors, which sparked a surge of sales across the industry. Vehicles sold out quickly and manufacturers ramped up production to meet ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The joke at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is that managers’ happiest workers are also the lowest paid.

Their dogs.

If that’s true, the eight tail waggers who toil for DNR conservation officers aren’t looking to form a union. They’re too busy sniffing out evidence that bad guys hide, finding disoriented ...Read more