Winter's early arrival makes many people cringe, but for ice fishing enthusiasts and resorts or outfitters that cater to ice fishing, this year's freeze-up is a breath of fresh air.

An arctic blast of fresh air.

From Devils Lake to Lake of the Woods and most points in between, ice fishing is off to an early start this year.

"This is the ...Read more

This table lists top fishing times and days for the coming weeks. For best results, begin fishing one hour before and continue one hour after the times given. Times apply to all time zones.

Sunday..............1:45 p.m...........................................................................2:10 a.m.

Monday.............2:35 p.m..................Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Beltrami County's emergency responders raced to the aid of imperiled ice fishermen twice in one day last month for rescues that have become all too common in November and early December.

Both sets of anglers were dangling fishing lines close to open water, only to go adrift when the ice sheets they occupied broke away. No one was...Read more

This table lists top fishing times and days for the coming weeks. For best results, begin fishing one hour before and continue one hour after the times given. Times apply to all time zones.

Sunday..............8:00 a.m............................................................................8:25 p.m.

Monday.............8:45 a.m.................Read more

IVANHOE, Minn. -- Jeff Davis, who lives across the highway from the land we were about to hunt on, said he noticed the farmer pick the last corn standing around a cattail wetland just a few days earlier.

"With that corn just out it should be pretty good down there," said Davis, an avid pheasant hunter.

It turned out to be the understatement of...Read more

CAMP GRAFTON, N.D. -- The buck was a dandy -- a "nice 4x4," as they'd say in the hunting lingo -- and Dennis Heap came within seconds of having it in his sights for an opportunity to pull the trigger on a recent Tuesday morning.

Seconds are a long time when it comes to deer hunting, though, and there wasn't enough time for Heap to get into the ...Read more

LARIMORE, N.D. -- Zebra mussels have gained a foothold in the Red River in recent years, but a group of Larimore High School students under the guidance of science instructor Lorie Berthold is exploring a possible way of keeping the invasive mollusks in check.

Larimore is a participating school in the Red River Basin River Watch program, and ...Read more

GORDON, Wis. -- There are close to 60 sets of deer antlers in the Finstad family deer camp south of town, more than one for every year there's been a camp on the shores of Harriet Lake.

A few sets are loose on the coffee table. Most are screwed to plaques. A dozen are full head or shoulder mounts. There isn't much open wall space remaining, ...Read more

LUVERNE, Minn. -- Beaver Creek meanders across Touch the Sky Prairie, cascading at one location into a sublime, stair-step waterfall.

Wild bison once roamed this quartzite ridge, grazing in big bluestem grass, rubbing against immense rock outcroppings and looking out at lower land in every direction. Burrowing owls lived here along with river ...Read more

This table lists top fishing times and days for the coming weeks. For best results, begin fishing one hour before and continue one hour after the times given. Times apply to all time zones.

Sunday..............8:25 p.m...........................................................................8:50 a.m.

Monday.............9:10 p.m..................Read more

NEAR BERTHOLD, N.D. -- Two long days of hunting and miles of driving, walking and stalking had produced three opportunities for Hannah Laumb to fill her cow moose tag, but in every case, the gangly critters had bolted before she could pull the trigger.

Accompanied by her dad, Jason and grandpa, Tom Laumb, Hannah, 16, had seen enough moose to ...Read more

Hunting, and to a lesser extent fishing, are on the decline in Michigan -- with a particularly alarming drop in hunting that's only going to get steeper, as the baby boomers who have driven the sport for decades age and drop away.

This could pose a crisis in how Michigan funds its wildlife and habitat programs; have a huge, negative impact on ...Read more

NEAR KARLSTAD, Minn. -- Like hunting camps throughout the Northland, Aspen Acres is a gathering place for friends and family that's steeped in tradition.

That's never more true than during deer season, which continued through Sunday, Nov. 11, in this part of northwest Minnesota.

"The get-together is about 75 percent of the hunt," said Terry ...Read more

This table lists top fishing times and days for the coming weeks. For best results, begin fishing one hour before and continue one hour after the times given. Times apply to all time zones.

Sunday..............3:00 p.m..........................................................................3:25 a.m.

Monday.............3:50 p.m...................Read more

HINCKLEY, Minn. -- How exactly it came to pass that the Governor's Deer Opener this weekend is being spearheaded by a Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) chapter named for a Wisconsin hunter is a twisted tale indeed.

Highlights include a world record whitetail buck, an unusual caliber Winchester, a dance hall and -- why not? -- a tavern. ...Read more

This table lists top fishing times and days for the coming weeks. For best results, begin fishing one hour before and continue one hour after the times given. Times apply to all time zones.

Sunday..............9:15 a.m..........................................................................9:40 p.m.

Monday.............10:05 a.m..................Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Ever wonder why Minnesota's firearms deer season coincides with the rut?

Friends of the late Ed Chilgren -- a state politician who championed the outdoors starting with his first election in 1926 -- can explain. The gregarious DFLer, who was born in Sweden, fought in World War I with the U.S. Marines and rose to become Speaker of...Read more