Minnesota Mixed Bag: St. Paul Ice Fishing Show set for Dec. 1-3 – Outdoor News
St. Paul — The RiverCentre will once again host the St. Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show. The event is slated for Dec. 1-3.
This year’s show will feature more than 190 exhibits with products and services for ice anglers and winter sports enthusiasts. Check out ice-fishing tackle, rods and reels, fish houses, augers, and more. Seminar speakers include Jason Mitchell, Chris Granrud, Matt Breuer, and Outdoor News legend “Tackle” Terry Tuma, who will host “Walleye Ice Patterns” on Friday at 1 p.m. Don’t forget to visit Outdoor News staffers at Booth 97 and renew your subscription.
Show hours are: 1 to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults and $6 for kids. For more information and special VIP hours, visit www.stpaulicefishingshow.com.
ANGLERS REMINDED OF WINTER WALLEYE REGS FOR LAKE MILLE LACS, UPPER RED LAKE
St. Paul — Anglers are reminded that the walleye limit for Upper Red Lake decreased from the five allowed during the open-water season to four this winter, while the Lake Mille Lacs walleye limit will remain at one.
The Upper Red Lake regulation became effective Nov. 1.
Anglers fishing on the state waters of Upper Red Lake may keep up to four walleyes with one longer than 17 inches. Beginning Friday, Dec. 1, Mille Lacs anglers may keep one walleye 21 to 23 inches long or one longer than 28 inches.
FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED SEATS AVAILABLE FOR JAN. 19 DNR ROUNDTABLE
St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR’s Roundtable – an annual gathering of conservation partners to discuss fisheries, wildlife, and ecological and water resource topics – will again include an open registration opportunity for what had historically been an invitation-only event.
The 2024 DNR Roundtable will be hosted Friday, Jan. 19. The opportunity to register for one of a limited number of free, first-come, first-served slots will open at noon Wednesday, Dec. 6.
The DNR’s Roundtable page will include a registration link.
The event will include an opening plenary session, concurrent sessions, afternoon panel discussions, a closing plenary session, a reception, and after-hours special conversation sessions.
HERON LAKE DAM REPAIR UNDER WAY; DRAWDOWN PART OF THE PROCESS
Windom, Minn. — Repair work and upgrades are under way on the dam at the outlet of Heron Lake in southern Minnesota. As part of that work, a lake drawdown is being performed to facilitate access to equipment and infrastructure. Contractors are replacing the hydraulic and electrical systems that control the gate on the dam.
Following completion of this work, wildlife managers with the Minnesota DNR plan to keep Heron Lake water levels low through next summer to improve water quality and to re-establish aquatic vegetation within the waterfowl resting area.
“The management plan for Heron Lake was completed at the end of 2021, and it includes several triggers for management actions,” said Brian Nyborg, Windom area wildlife manager. “The current habitat conditions in Heron Lake call for implementing a drawdown on the basin this winter.” Those conditions include water clarity of less than a foot, poor diversity of plant species, and an abundant population of common carp.
Heron Lake is nearly 8,000 acres and was designated as a wildlife lake in 1973. This designation allows Minnesota DNR wildlife managers to take action to mitigate factors that affect water and habitat quality and quantity.
WISCONSIN GUN SEASON DEER HARVEST DECREASES 17.6% FROM YEAR AGO
Madison, Wis. — Preliminary figures show hunters in Wisconsin registered 173,942 deer during the nine-day 2023 gun deer season, including 85,390 antlered and 88,552 antlerless deer. Compared with 2022, the total gun deer harvest was down 17.6% statewide, with the antlered harvest down 14.7% and the antlerless harvest down 20.3%. Since the opening of the bow and crossbow seasons, hunters have registered 266,132 statewide so far this year.
The Wisconsin DNR also reported that, as of 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26, sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports, and conservation patron licenses reached 788,697. Of that total, 434,817 were for gun privileges only. Year-to-date sales for all deer licenses are down .8% compared to last year.
NEBRASKA FIREARM DEER HARVEST DOWN 18%
Lincoln, Neb. — Preliminary results from the 2023 Nebraska November firearm deer season show statewide harvest was down 18% from 2022 and down 29% from the 2018-2022 average.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission expected these results for the Nov. 11-19 season based on several factors that indicated a decline in harvest was coming. Lower harvest and deer populations were recorded in 2022 and led to the Nebraska Game and Parks Department reducing the number of permits available for 2023.
Other factors indicating the decline included that permits and harvest had increased in 2019 and 2020 because of depredation complaints across much of the state, and the fact that severe drought affected nearly all of Nebraska in recent years, leading to an increase in epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
