'Turkey nut' Ron Schara is done hunting, but fishing still keeps him guessing

Alex Chhith, Star Tribune on Jun 3, 2026

Published in Outdoors

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MINNEAPOLIS — Ron Schara was sitting with his back to a tree when he realized he’d shot enough turkeys in his lifetime.

Known best for his role as a host on Minnesota Bound, a television series he started in 1995 to highlight the outdoors and now airs on KSTP, Schara said he watched a small flock of turkeys pass by as he sat last year at his South Dakota turkey hunting camp, which spans thousands of acres.

They came because he had called them, using a technique he had mastered through decades of turkey hunting.

“They were 30 yards away and I’m watching them do their thing trying to impress this hen, you know because it’s mating season,” he said. “I just enjoyed the tom, let him walk away and then to play with their minds, I called them back.”

Schara, who previously wrote about the outdoors for the Star Tribune and is a self-described “turkey nut,” decided it was time to end the hunt. He said it’s enough that he’s able to see his adult daughters hunt turkeys.

Now 84 years old, Schara has also retired from deer hunting. But there are two hobbies he keeps up with: pheasant hunting and fishing.

On a recent sunny morning, Schara went out on his boat on the Rum River outside his home in Ramsey. On the first cast, Schara got a bite. A smallmouth bass, he said, after it had unhooked itself and got away.

“Minnesota is blessed with some great smallmouth water, including the Mississippi,” he said. “Let me tell you, smallmouth bass is a trophy fish.”

We asked Schara more about his fishing hobby. His answers have been edited for clarity and length.

— Q: How did you get into fishing?

— A: Oh, boyhood. My Sundays were spent on the river. My grandparents lived in [northeast] Iowa. That’s where my mother grew up, and that’s where I got going fishing. We’d sit on the dock or shore and pitched nightcrawlers out there and wait for something. [We’d catch] whatever bit in the Mississippi. I never knew what was going to bite. If I got bored, I’d go looking for mayfly larvae. My uncles were all into fly fishing, so they introduced me to trout fishing and fly rods.

— Q: What have you learned about yourself from fishing?

— A: A lot of people say, “I like to fish, but I’m just out there for the beautiful day and to hear the loon calls and all that stuff.”

I say, “Then why do you need a hook on the end of your line?”

Fishing is a lot better when your rod is bent over and you’ve got your guts up on the end of the line. Fishing teaches patience. This is [the basses’] spawning time, so I don’t know where they’re at in that stage. I don’t know if there’s many fish here on this rock shore like there might be later. It’s always a puzzle. Every day there’s a new thing to figure out. Great if you do, great if you don’t. That’s fishing.

— Q: What was your best day outside?

— A: My Star Tribune days [were some of the best]. I was drawn to some of the best anglers in the country. So I got to fish with some of the best. I was like a sponge in a leaky boat. I got to fish with all these experts and lean on what they taught me. On TV, I got to go to Costa Rica and the Amazon River twice for Peacock Bass.

— Q: Worst day?

— A: I’ve had a few of those. One time I caught a muskie and my friend had never seen any. There was a big old treble hook in its mouth, and I said, “I’ll help you out. I’ll show you how it’s done.” Famous last words. I reached in there and the muskie flopped right on the top of my hand there. Luckily, the hook went in the skin and back out. So you could take a side cutter to cut the barb and then back [the hook] out, and you’re good to go.

— Q: What do you think is your favorite place to be outside in Minnesota?

— A: Oh, that depends on what I’m fishing for. But if it’s walleye and muskie, my favorite place would be Lake of the Woods on the border with Canada — 14,000 islands and more walleye spots than a person can fish in a lifetime and classic muskie water with lots of 50-inch-plus muskies.

— Q: Is there an outdoor activity you think is overrated?

— A: Getting drunk and going 100 miles per hour on an ATV.

— Q: You’ve been given the chance to go on your dream outdoor adventure: What is it? What three people would you bring?

— A: As a grandpa, it’s taking my grandson to Alaska. I took him there once when he was much younger. He’s 22 years old now, and I’d like to take him to some great fishing spots there. I’m the oldest of six and still have two living brothers and two living sisters. I’d also take my two brothers with me.