As I’ve learned over the past three years, raising chickens comes with more drama than one might expect. It’s like an ongoing soap opera, with a cast of noisy ladies, each with her own particular …

REGIONAL— If you’re looking for fall color, this weekend should offer close to peak conditions across most of northern St. Louis and Lake counties, at least for those who favor the oranges and …

As our loons head south over the next few weeks, are they hunted? No, but they once were. It’s hard to imagine a summer evening at a North Country lake without loons calling. As a professional …

ELY— Eric Sherman was confident as four of us piled into his extended cab pickup last month. Sherman, a wildlife photographer who grew up in Babbitt and now lives in Ely, has turned his quest for …

REGIONAL— If you’ve noticed an unusual number of monarch butterflies in the area in recent days, you’re not alone. While early September is typically the peak of the monarch migration in our …

REGIONAL— Bear hunters are having an excellent season, despite the robust wild foods still out in the woods. Abundant wild foods generally make hunters’ baits less attractive to bears, but that …

EMBARRASS— State conservation funds are allowing the Tower area DNR office to begin a series of improvements that officials hope will make the Darwin Myers wildlife management area more attractive …

REGIONAL— As anyone who has brought their canine companion on an afternoon of blueberry picking knows well, dogs like blueberries. And, as a new study by researchers with the Voyageurs Wolf Study …

Apply by Sept. 10 for an antlerless deer permit REGIONAL—Firearms deer hunters who want the chance to harvest an antlerless deer in a deer permit area subject to a lottery, must purchase their …

REGIONAL- A western dusky slug, black knot fungus, and shield lichens stole the spotlight for a week from Voyageurs National Park’s usual moose, wolf, and loon headliners. They were among 357 …

REGIONAL— Despite a good berry year across much of the North Country, the intensifying drought conditions may work to the benefit of bear hunters when they head for their hunting stands starting …

REGIONAL— The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Superior National Forest have eased fire restrictions that have been in place since a string of major fires broke out in July. Officials …

REGIONAL- The first of two Minnesota Department of Natural Resources online auctions of confiscated hunting, fishing, and trapping equipment opens for bidding Friday, Aug. 28, and runs through …

“Pullin’ weeds, pickin’ stones Man is made of dreams and bones Feel the need to grow my own ‘Cause the time is close at hand Grain for grain, sun and rain Find my way in nature’s chain …

REGIONAL— The following is the report issued by the Department of Natural Resources on current wild rice conditions in the Tower work area, including northern St. Louis and Lake counties. “Low …

REGIONAL— Drought conditions are continuing to expand in Minnesota. That’s according to the latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor, which shows nearly half of the state, and all of the …

My favorite biological saying is this: “the most common surface for an animal to live on is another animal.” This description obviously defines parasites. Humans, for example, are home to at …

LAKE VERMILION— The number of loons counted on Lake Vermilion continued a notable downward trend the past few years, while the number of chicks rebounded. Those were the mixed results from the 2026 …

REGIONAL— Minnesota’s wild rice harvesting season opens by statute on Saturday, but it’s likely to be at least a couple more weeks before the wild grain can legally be harvested. While the …

REGIONAL— A third straight mild winter this past year across most of Minnesota is allowing the Department of Natural Resources to increase bag limits for the 2026 deer season in about a third of …

REGIONAL— Have thoughts or questions about wildlife or wildlife management here in the North Country? Then you’ll want to take advantage of an open chat with area wildlife managers, set for …

There are few things that can put northern Minnesota on the national map like fire, a January cold snap, or a fight over the Boundary Waters. This summer, Aaron Kania’s campaign for House District …

REGIONAL—With lower-than- normal rainfall and above-average temperatures in the last several weeks, persistent drought and lower lake and stream levels have become common across a large portion of …

How many moose are roaming the forests of northern Minnesota? You might think that number is somewhere around 4,500, based on the estimate released earlier this year by the DNR following their annual …

REGIONAL— There’s growing evidence of a recovery of deer populations in the area, but it won’t be translating into greater opportunity for hunters in the North Country this fall. The DNR has …