Minnesota Mixed Bag: Wildlife drive opening at Roseau River WMA – Outdoor News
Roseau, Minn. — The 27-mile Wildlife Drive within the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area will be open from Saturday, July 20, through Sunday, July 28, and on the following weekend, Saturday, Aug. 3, and Sunday, Aug. 4. The self-guided tour traverses wetland, woodland, brushland, grassland, and farmland habitats, providing visitors ample opportunity for wildlife viewing.
Roseau River WMA, managed by the Minnesota DNR and located 20 miles northwest of Roseau, is part of the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail, which consists of 45 sites spanning a 223-mile corridor in the northwestern part of the state.
Aside from excellent wildlife-viewing opportunities, the WMA’s “pools” offer year-round northern pike fishing opportunities.
Visitors typically fish along the dike roads or near the water-control structures. When the dike roads are closed to motorists, visitors may bike to Pool 1 West or Pool 2 from parking areas. During the waterfowl-hunting season only, motorboats of 10 horsepower or less may be used on Roseau River WMA pools. To call about road conditions before venturing out, and for a bird list, maps, fishing regulations, and additional information, call (218) 452-7610, email, or stop by the Roseau River WMA office in Roseau. Online maps and more information about the Roseau River WMA are available on the Minnesota DNR website.
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IN NORTH DAKOTA, PHEASANT CROWING COUNTS UP STATEWIDE
Bismarck, N.D. — The number of roosters heard crowing during the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2024 spring pheasant crowing count survey was up 37% statewide from last year.
“This is really good news but expected, considering we had such great production last year, and the mild winter we had certainly wasn’t hard on birds,” said RJ Gross, NDG&F upland game management biologist.
The primary regions holding pheasants showed 28.8 crows per stop in the southwest, up from 19.5 in 2023; 21.5 crows per stop in the northwest, up from 16.6; and 16 crows per stop in the southeast, up from 12.8. The count in the northeast, which is not a primary region for pheasants, was five crows per stop, up from 3.3 last year.
Barring untimely heavy rains, cool weather, or hail, Gross said he expects more good news as the pheasant hatch peaks.
“The residual cover this year was great … with timely rains, the habitat for nesting looks great,” Gross said. “We should be setting up for a good fall.”
CHANGES TO NOTE AHEAD OF IOWA’S HUNTING SEASONS
Des Moines, Iowa — Hunters will notice a few regulation changes for the upcoming 2024-25 hunting seasons. These changes could affect hunters.
Due to a recent statewide effort to combine, clarify, and simplify regulations, Iowa’s hunting regulations now clearly state that party hunting is not allowed for nonresident deer hunters. Nonresidents may hunt as part of the hunting party, but must shoot and tag their own deer.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has tabled its proposed policy position regarding trail cameras on public land to allow for more public input on the issue during its wildlife rules meetings, held across the state in February. There are no changes to how trail cameras may be used on public land during the 2024-25 seasons.
The digital version of the 2024-25 hunting regulations is available online. Printed copies will be available around Aug. 1.
N.D. SPRING TURKEY HUNTERS FIND SUCCESS
Bismarck, N.D. — Hunter success during the spring turkey hunting season was 49%, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
The department issued 8,137 licenses for the 2024 spring season, and a record 6,847 hunters took 3,336 birds, the highest spring harvest on record.
RJ Gross, NDG&F upland game management biologist, said spring turkey-hunting success in North Dakota is usually driven by weather.
“This year, the weather was very mild with no snow on the ground, and that led to more hunters out on the landscape,” he said. “Also, turkeys had above-average production last year, according to our late-summer roadside counts and hunter observations of large groups of jakes this spring. Along with high overwinter survival, this led to an abundant population of turkeys.”
MOUNTAIN LION REMOVED FROM NEBRASKA CITY SUBDIVISION
Scottsbluff, Neb. —A mountain lion was killed by a member of the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office the evening of June 19 at a subdivision just north of Scottsbluff in western Nebraska.
The mountain lion, twice spotted June 16 in the Scotts Bluff Country Club subdivision that surrounds a golf course, was shot because it was an immediate threat to the public.
Sam Wilson, carnivore and furbearer program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said the mountain lion was a 1½-year-old male, ear-tagged as part of the state’s research efforts. He said 1½ years is the age at which young males begin dispersing from their mothers to find their own territory and potential mates.
The mountain lion was part of the Wildcat Hills population, one of three established populations in Nebraska.
To learn more about mountain lions in Nebraska, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov.
