NORTHLAND OUTDOORS

Operation Dry Water targets impaired boating during July 4 weekend

Brad Dokken — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Enforcement agencies across the country, including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, will participate in “Operation Dry Water” over the coming Fourth of July weekend.

The national campaign aims to increase knowledge about the dangers of boating under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Participating enforcement agencies will target intoxicated boaters and drivers July 4-6 as part of the effort. In Minnesota, the State Patrol, county sheriff’s offices and other state public safety agencies also will participate, the DNR said in a news release.

In recent years, as many as half of boating fatalities in Minnesota involved alcohol, the DNR said.

“Shared waterways mean shared responsibility, and it’s up to every boater to make sure they’re keeping themselves and other boaters safe,” the DNR said.

The goal is to reduce the number of accidents and deaths associated with alcohol and drug use on state waterways.

While educating boaters about the hazards associated with boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a year-round effort, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department said wardens during Operation Dry Water weekend will focus on the water, informing boaters about safe boating practices and removing impaired operators from the water.

Game and Fish offers these tips for staying safe on the water, not only what promises to be a busy long holiday weekend but throughout the boating season:

Boat sober: Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. Alcohol and drug use impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision and reaction time. Wear your life jacket: 85% of drowning victims nationwide were not wearing a life jacket. Take the online boating safety education course: 71% of deaths nationwide occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.

More information about Operation Dry Water can be found online at www.operationdrywater.org.

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Weekly Fishing Report: Fish are biting as July gets underway

Dick Beardsley — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:10:00 GMT

As we head into the first week of July, fishing is holding up quite well throughout the Bemidji area. Look for walleyes along the deeper weed edges in 12-18 feet.

Jigs, plastics and ripping the jigs through the cabbage is producing walleyes on Lakes Bemidji, Plantagenet, Grace and Gull. Slip bobbers and leeches or crawlers are also producing some fish.

Bass fishing is excellent using plastics off the deep weed edges and you’ll find crappies and larger bluegill in those same areas.

Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come. Have a safe, fun Fourth of July.

Bemidji area: Live-bait rigs with large minnows, slip bobbers and leeches or crawlers, and spinners with crawlers were producing some fish in 12 to 24 feet on Lake Bemidji, Lake Plantagenet and Lake Andrusia. Look for bass and a mixed bag of panfish along the weedlines on most lakes.

Bemidji area resource Dick Beardsley Guide Service can be contacted at (218) 556-7172.

Blackduck area: You’ll still find bluegills in the reeds or along the 8- to 12-foot cabbage, while crappies are being caught in the 10- to 12-foot cabbage on Gull Lake, South Twin Lake, Blackduck Lake, Gilstead Lake and Pimushe Lake. Walleye action has been slower this week with crawlers and leeches producing a few fish along the 8- to 12-foot weeds or bars in 16 to 18 feet on Island Lake, Gull and Round.

Blackduck area resource Timberline Sports and Tackle can be contacted at (218) 835-4636.

Upper Red Lake: Walleyes continue to be caught, but they are definitely starting to spread out or be found in smaller bunches. Most shorelines are still producing fish, although the north and east shores have been in 6 to 9 feet.

Crankbaits or spinners and crawlers are the ticket because you need to cover more water. There have been some deeper walleyes being taken on rigs and jigs with live bait on Center Bar in 12 to 14 feet.

Upper Red Lake area resource West Wind Resort can be contacted at (218) 647-8998.

Lake Winnibigoshish: Jigs or live-bait rigs tipped with crawlers are turning walleyes during the evening hours on the flats in 12 to 16 feet or 19 to 22 feet. There also have been a few more walleyes caught during low-light periods by trolling crankbaits on top of the bars in 14 to 18 feet. Perch action remains slow, with a few bigger fish being found off deep structure.

Lake Winnibigoshish area resource Lake Winnie Resort Association can be contacted via its website, lakewinnie.net.

Leech Lake: A slip bobber rig or spinner rig with crawlers and leeches are turning walleyes on the 7- to 12-foot rocks north of Pelican Island. You’ll also find walleyes in slightly deeper water off Diamond Point, Hogger’s Reef and Roger’s Point.

A spinner and crawler continue to produce walleyes along the 10- to 12-foot weed edges in Sucker Bay or the main-lake rocks in 16 to 18 feet. There have been muskies caught by anglers trolling over deep water and picking up suspended fish. Look for bass and panfish relating to the cabbage beds in most bays.

Leech Lake area resource Reed’s Sporting Goods can be contacted at (218) 547-1505.

Dick Beardsley is the owner and operator of Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service in Bemidji. He can be reached at

(218) 556-7172

and

dick@dickbeardsley.com.

For more information, visit

www.dickbeardsleyfishingguide.com.

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Beer: Guided by the pros, a lake trout lesson on the Fort Peck Reservoir

Rob Beer — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:01:00 GMT

FORT PECK, Mont. — There was a certain rhythm to Joe Bouroncle’s cadence.

“Start reeling! Go, go, go, go, go!”

Fishing for lake trout on the Lower Big Dry Arm of the Fort Peck Reservoir on the east fork is a blast, especially for some novice anglers who finally had their chance to land some big ones.

It was a trip planned for more than half a year and well worth the nearly eight-hour drive from Fargo. A 5 a.m. alarm ringing inside our camper on this June morning had my family anxious to meet Bouroncle, who operates Get The Net Outfitters in the Fort Peck area.

After boarding his 23-foot vessel, a ThunderJet Alexis OBOS called “Size Matters,” Bouroncle throttled up his 300-horsepower Suzuki. Our destination: colder waters.

On a cloudy, but so far pleasant day in the low 60s, we expected temperatures to warm throughout the day. After cruising comfortably in the enclosed shell, we were now about half-hour out from the marina. It was time to drop lines.

The reservoir is a huge body of water, divided into five distinct regions. While it’s about 137,000 surface acres smaller than Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota, it still is the fifth-largest reservoir in the U.S. Using a guide for the first time can certainly help.

“It’s such a steep learning curve,” Bouroncle said. ”Do you know how big this place is? We’re in the Dry Arm. It’s 40 miles long. The main is 140 miles long. Imagine you pull up here in your boat, you can’t tell me you’re not intimidated and have no clue where to start. So you hire a guide, cut that learning curve and get your technique down.”

My learning curve is so steep it’s almost vertical. Fishing only somewhat regularly for just the past three years, I’m out on the water with my wife, Heidi, and our youngest son, Carson, 17, a few times a month.

We’ll give it a go.

With our first lines in about 100 feet of water, we were vertical jigging near the bottom, trying to lure the lake trout, “lakers” as they say, up to our swimbaits. Watching the paddletail lure on the Garmin Livescope, Bouroncle offered his instructions.

Watch, reel, set the hook.

“Keep reeling … just like that,” Bouroncle said after mentioning he was a dual-citizen Peruvian who has been a fishing guide for about eight years and is a tournament angler specializing in lake trout, rainbow trout and king salmon.

“You gotta set the hook! There you go, good job!” he said as Carson landed another large laker.

As we hooked fish near the lower third of the water column, the trout would decompress their swim bladder on the way up.

“Just let him pull. See, he needs to get all the air out,” Bouroncle said as we watched a red shape expand on the Livescope.

Fort Peck Map

Fishing Fort Peck Guide services: A variety of guide services are available for Fort Peck Where to camp: Four campgrounds in the immediate area: Fort Peck Marina and RV Park, Downstream Campground, Fort Peck Campground and Westend Recreation Area (tent only). Best advice: Plan your trip early and prepare for various weather conditions. More information: Check out the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website. Search Fort Peck Lake.

So far, the sizes have varied. Three-pounder here. Eleven-pounder there.

“I have seen one over 30, but that was years back and further west,” Bouroncle said, before adding he once weighed a 32-pound state record salmon as well.

By now in the rain at 8:30 a.m., Carson reeled in his third lake trout, a 13-pounder.

“It’s crazy, the weather changes in a second,” Heidi said.

We tossed some back, tossed a few in the livewell.

But these trout are not your typical fillet and fry. “So what happens if you try to pan fry this fish?” we asked the boat captain.

“I don’t know,” Bouroncle said. “Smoking them is the best way.”

Tonight’s dinner would have to wait. We don’t have a smoker.

With an experienced eye on the weather, Bouroncle stayed in touch with other guides. A strike of lightning off in the distance would end our day early. As a gift to our son, our morning success had us all fulfilled.

As a guide, Bouroncle has seen the gamut of experience levels on his boat.

“It’s all something different,” Bouroncle said, shortly before handing us bags of our fish he just cleaned on the stern of the boat. “I like the kids who have never done it. I appreciate facilitating the family event, an adventure when people travel to come here because it’s a big deal.”

A talkative host, Bouroncle recalled anglers from Knoke Seamless Siding & Gutters in Fargo that just basically took command on a recent trip on board his vessel.

“They’re absolute sticks with the Livescope. I don’t even go out on the back deck,” Bouroncle said, slumping into his seat and cracking a laugh. “I’m just an overpaid lifeguard for eight hours.”

In Montana, guides must be licensed and initially sponsored by a licensed outfitter, the state’s Department of Labor and Industry says. Bouroncle has about six guides that work for him, though as independent contractors, they can work for multiple outfitters.

One of them is Don Wilkins, whom we joined at 6 a.m. the next day to fish shallower water down the Lower Missouri Arm. The target that day — at least for me — was walleye, a fish I have yet to net.

A heavy overnight storm, however, had stirred the pot on the giant lake. Heading southwest now from Fort Peck Marina in Wilkins’ Larson 2020FX, we soon found a northern pike quivering on the surface. Five minutes later, we spotted another one.

Near a spot that produced a decent walleye catch two days earlier, they were having nothing to do with our jig and minnow presentations early that morning.

In eight hours, fishing three locations, the family caught about 10 pike. Several more escaped their initial hook. A Montana native, the personable Wilkins’ only regret was bouncing from our first location after a few hours.

“The weather affects everything out here,” Wilkins said.

As Bournocle said the day before, anglers — especially guides — must have a quarterback’s mentality and have a short memory. The memories of sharing their boat with anglers doesn’t go away.

That has to be my takeaway as I admired my wife’s and son’s success. I caught one fish, that lowly trout, all weekend.

“I like taking people and doing stuff they’ve never done,” Wilkins said. “That’s probably the biggest thing out here. There’s so many different kinds of fish in Fort Peck, we can find something they’ve never caught.”

FORT PECK FISHING

Fishing guide Joe Bouroncle's vessel, "Size Matters," awaits anglers on June 16, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

Heidi Campbell-Beer holds one of the lake trout she caught on June 15, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

Fishing guide Don Wilkins, left, helps Carson Beer with his technique on June 16, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

Carson Beer holds a northern pike he caught on the boat of Don Wilkins on June 16, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

Fishing guide Joe Bouroncle pilots his vessel on the Big Dry Arm of the Fort Peck Reservoir on June 15, 2025 in Montana.

Fishing guide Joe Bouroncle of Get The Net Outfitters poses on the stern of his vessel on June 15, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir. Bouroncle is also a tournament angler.

Carson Beer poses with a lake trout he caught on June 15, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

A Garmin Livescope on the stern of fishing guide Joe Bouroncle's boat on June 15, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

Fishing guide Joe Bouroncle helps Carson Beer hold a lake trout on June 15, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

Forum sports editor Rob Beer holds a lake trout on June 15, 2025 on the Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

If you go Guide services: A variety of guide services are available for Fort Peck Where to camp: Four campgrounds in the immediate area: Fort Peck Marina and RV Park, Downstream Campground, Fort Peck Campground and Westend Recreation Area (tent only). Best advice: Plan your trip early and prepare for various weather conditions. More information: Check out the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website. Search Fort Peck Lake.]]>

Blane Klemek Outdoors: How do birds survive harsh windstorms?

Blane Klemek — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 14:00:00 GMT

I experienced my first major windstorm that leveled a vast swath of Minnesota’s northern forest in the summer of 1995.

At the time, I had just begun my summer internship at Itasca State Park as one of three park naturalists hired. The wind event was devastating to the park and where I lived just a dozen miles northeast near the Becida community.

Giant, ancient red pines and white pines everywhere were snapped like matchsticks or completely uprooted and knocked down by the storm.

The event was oft reported as a "100-year storm." I beg to differ after all these years later because since then we’ve experienced several so-called 100-year windstorms here in the Northland (by my count, 1999, 2002, 2012, 2016, and our recent storm, June 21, 2025).

Indeed, I think the meteorological record will show that severe weather patterns occur with greater frequency and intensity nowadays.

This recent event was swift and intense. Bemidji Regional Airport reported gusts at 106 mph. Some measures have the windstorm approaching 120 mph. To put this into perspective, the storm was the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane and an EF-2 tornado. Trees in its path didn’t have a chance.

The storm was also commonly referred to as a “derecho” windstorm. Until July 2, 2012, I had never heard the term derecho. That was the storm that struck La Salle Lake State Recreation and Scientific and Natural areas about ten miles northeast of Itasca State Park.

A derecho’s basic meaning is, “... a line of intense, widespread, and fast-moving windstorms and sometimes thunderstorms that moves across a great distance and is characterized by damaging winds.”

And that it was; in 1995, 2012, and 2025. Trees on my property weren’t spared, but I consider myself lucky. My house was spared each time.

Suffice to say, inspecting the carnage was depressing. The stifling heat made immediate cleanup taxing, not to mention managing life with a generator for three days rotating between the water pump, fridge, freezer, and a little air conditioning.

Yet, as I surveyed my property and assessed damage, I also couldn’t help but think about wildlife, especially birds. How do they manage to survive such onslaughts?

Most birds and other wildlife do survive, but many of course don’t, particularly young nestlings that haven’t fledged. While examining downed trees strewn about on the ground, I found a couple of robin nests that had been knocked down to the forest floor.

If the nest had harbored nestlings, they didn’t survive.

But just how do birds survive the harshest wind events that Mother Nature unleashes? They do so in a multiple number of ways, and ways that many of us caught in similar circumstances would do, too.

If experiencing a windstorm, some birds will seek natural tree cavities or artificial nest boxes. Birds that spend most of their time on the ground or water, such as ground-nesting birds, shorebirds and wading birds, and waterfowl, will find protection within dense clumps of grass, cattails, and other vegetation.

Shrub-loving species such as gray catbirds and brown thrashers hide in the thick understory growth of shrubs and vegetation to protect themselves from high velocity wind and flying debris.

As well, natural windbreaks are utilized by birds such as dense stands of trees and shrubs and the leeward side of hills, hummocks, cliffs, and boulders; anything, really, that can block wind, birds and other animals will use. Birds will also use human-made structures such as inside or around buildings.

Perching birds that choose the security of trees will perch on branches closest to trunks on the sides most protected from the wind. Their specialized feet and toes help them to tightly grip and hold onto branches as they wait out storms while they also use the leeward side of the tree trunks to block strong wind.

It’s remarkable, but most birds employing this method of survival manage to survive. It’s the younger birds, those not fully developed or fledged that sometimes don’t make it.

As such, when the sun rose on 21 June, despite the severe wind damage everywhere and trees on the ground or haphazardly thrown about or broken halfway up their boles, songbirds throughout the woodlands, wetlands, fields, and forests were singing and vocalizing, nevertheless.

Their perseverance and zest for living was reason enough for me to roll up my sleeves and give thanks for another day, as we get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

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Dokken: Rescued Kittson County bear cubs are doing well at wildlife rehab facility

Brad Dokken — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Earlier this month, I wrote about two orphaned bear cubs that were rescued in Kittson County by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Bobby Stringer, Thief River Falls, and Kittson County sheriff’s deputies.

The cubs’ mother had been shot and left in a ditch between Lake Bronson and Lancaster, Minnesota.

As often happens with rescued animals, the bears were taken to Wild and Free, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Garrison, Minnesota, which specializes in rehabilitating animals for eventual return to the wild.

I reached out to Wild and Free staff for an update at the time I wrote my column about the rescue, but didn’t hear back before my deadline and a week’s vacation.

Grace Frickenstein, Wild and Free’s Wildlife Program coordinator, got back to me with an update while I was gone.

In a nutshell, the cubs are doing well, she said, and are now in a 1.3-acre pen with nine other bears.

Wild and Free also has a second pen, which it is preparing for use, she says.

“There is some clean-up and fence patching required every year,” Frickenstein said. “They are messy and like to dig.”

The cubs, which weigh about 25 pounds each, are being fed a mixture of goat’s milk and other milk replacers, as well as dry dog food and lots of fresh produce.

They get upwards of 8 gallons of goat’s milk every day “and are just living their bear lives,” Frickenstein said Thursday, June 26 in a follow-up phone interview. They’re also eating a “ridiculous” amount of produce every day, she said – two to three 5-gallon buckets worth.

“They love watermelons, strawberries and corn on the cob,” Frickenstein said. “We continue feeding them through the summer, and by late August, we begin feeding them exclusively apples and acorns. We have individuals from across the state who pick up acorns from their properties and bring them to us for the bears, and it is much appreciated.”

Staff are “very happy” with how the cubs are doing, Frickenstein said.

“We see them up in the trees pretty consistently and they scare (the daylights) out of everyone because they’ll climb all the way up to the tippy-top of the branches and be swaying in the wind, and we’re like, ‘What are you doing?’ ” she said. “They are definitely growing into their feet – they’re getting a lot bigger.”

By Halloween, they stop feeding the bears, Frickenstein said, and the combination of colder temperatures, less daylight and less available food lets them know it is time to hibernate. Wild and Free provides den boxes, which the bears fill with dirt and tree leaves and spend the winter.

Each pen has two boxes, but they all tend to squeeze into one box, she says.

“We'll see if having 11 of them out there changes things,” Frickenstein said. “The boxes comfortably house about four or five bears, but we’ve had upwards of seven in the same box at one time.”

In late March or early April, the DNR comes and, with assistance from Wild and Free staff, tranquilizes the bears, takes measurements and hauls them in culvert traps “to undisclosed locations in areas where the black bear population is lower and their chances of interacting with humans are minimal,” Frickenstein said.

All of the bears are fitted with DNR ear tags so they can be identified if harvested during hunting season or hit by a vehicle.

“We typically do not hear about them once they are gone, which is good news in our book,” Frickenstein said.

34-year-old eagle

In keeping with the wildlife theme, I recently received a text message from Northwest Angle fishing guide Lisa Marvin about a banded bald eagle that has become a fixture on the Ontario side of Lake of the Woods.

Herald photographer Eric Hylden photographed the eagle in August 2023 at a secluded island shore lunch spot while the two of us were fishing with Marvin for a story. I didn’t notice the leg band until I saw Hylden’s photo, but I was able to read the band number and reported it to the federal bird banding lab at bandreports@usgs.gov.

In October 2023, I received a reply from the banding lab that the eagle had been banded in June 1991 as a nestling on the Ontario side of Lake of the Woods by Jim Grier, a professor emeritus of biological sciences at North Dakota State University. Grier, who retired in 2006, banded some 1,400 eagles over 40 years in northwestern Ontario, including Lake of the Woods.

Based on info from the band report, the eagle was 32 years old when we saw it at the shore lunch spot.

Marvin saw the eagle several times last summer, too. And in early June, she saw it again.

“Had the first spotting of the eagle this summer – made it through the winter,” she said in a text message.

Grier, of course, was thrilled with the news; the eagle now is 34 years old.

“It might be the oldest known living bald eagle in the wild,” Grier said in an email. “It will be good to keep following it. I hope to, sooner or later, get up there to check it out.”

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Bemidji trap shooters snipe their way to nationals under first-year head coach

Leo Pomerenke — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

BEMIDJI - With gunshots echoing in the surrounding woods, members of the Bemidji High �� trap team are still practicing, even after the season concluded last week.

Bemidji won the class 9A conference 2 title this season, earning them a spot in the state tournament at Prior Lake last week, placing 29th out of 40 teams.

Now their squad of top five shooters – Roman Vold, 17; Kadyn Nipp, 17; Clayton Johnson, 14; Caleb Hall, 18; and Joza Paulson, 18 – are practicing for an even bigger event: the USA High �� Clay Target League National Championship, held in Mason, Michigan, on July 11-12.

The five shooters are the best out of the 86 participants, ranging from grades 6-12, who took part in the BHS trap team this season. No one is more excited and proud of Jacks than first-time head coach Cory Wilson.

“It takes a lot,” he said of his shooters making nationals, “especially when we shoot here in all kinds of weather. … When we start shooting in mid-March, there's usually snow on the ground, wind, temperatures in the 30s. … But these kids, they really shoot well.”

One of them is Vold, who was the only member of the team to qualify individually at the state tournament, finishing 21st. Vold will now travel to nationals, where he shot 99 out of 100 in team shooting last year.

He’s hoping for a repeat performance for his team this year.

“(Shooting 99) feels good, but when you're out there and you keep running them, then the leg starts to shake a little bit sometimes when I'm getting set to shoot,” Vold said.

That feeling of nervousness is common in trap shooting. It’s how you manage it that makes the difference.

Mental edge

Wilson said that maintaining focus is what turns a good shooter into a great one.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. One missed clay can wreak havoc on a shooter’s mental space, causing them to miss more targets and go into a spiral. That’s why moral support from coaches and teammates is so vital for the BHS trap team.

“We really try to focus on a lot of positivity out here,” Wilson said. “Maybe your personal best is 10 (out of 25), that's a huge achievement. … We really try to recognize that and really keep the positivity and the accomplishments going.”

Most shooters have their ways of focusing. Nipp tries to have an empty mind while out on the shooting range, while Vold puts in his earbuds and listens to music.

“I listen to a lot of Three Days Grace and stuff like that,” Vold said. “It helps me forget (the misses).”

Not only is it required for shooters to maintain a mental focus, but visual focus as well. Most shooters wear glasses with side blinders to help see only what’s in front of them.

Focus is even more important in bad weather and windy days, which is, of course, common in Bemidji. Nipp said maintaining a positive mindset can make or break a shooter's day in bad weather.

“Sometimes I'll shoot my best on windy days,” he said. “It's all about your focus, and if you let the wind get to you, you might miss a couple more because of it. But if you don't let the wind get to you, you'll shoot the same.”

New at the helm

This year is Wilson’s fourth year as a coach for BHS trap shooting, but it’s his first as the head coach.

“I absolutely love it,” Wilson said. “Working with the kids is an absolute blast. Seeing them get that first hit, even just hitting their first clay pigeon or their first five straight. It’s great when you can watch that kid bring it all together and start busting clays.”

Wilson loves to see the competitiveness that trap shooting can bring out of kids.

“Some of them get very serious,” he added. “When they get on the line, they're very competitive. … They want to bust every one of those clays.”

Wilson has 16 assistant coaches to help Lumberjack shooters grow throughout the season. While that may seem like a lot, it allows about one coach per five kids, so shooters can learn how to improve on a more personal level.

Wilson also wanted to maintain a positive culture, which is very important in a mental sport like trap shooting.

“The cool thing about this sport for me as a coach is we've got kids from sixth grade to seniors, boys to girls, all different kinds of clique groups in the high school represented out here,” Wilson said. “They all support each other. Any given day, any kid could be your best shooter out here.”

Of course, not everything has been perfect in his first season. Handling nervousness with kids, especially at invites, can be challenging for him and his assistant coaches.

“I haven't figured that one quite out yet,” Wilson admitted. “(At invites,) they'll shoot 50 rounds, take a break and then shoot 50 rounds a little later. Sometimes those kids will shoot really good in the first round, and then they maybe don't carry that focus in quite as good into the second round. I've got to find a way to make sure that they stay focused on that second 50.”

There’s always room to grow, for the team and for the coaches. But this year, Wilson is very proud of his shooters representing Bemidji on a national level, setting an example for future Lumberjacks one shot at a time.

“The great thing about this sport is that you can do this the rest of your life,” he said. “I know the (Bemidji Trap and Skeet) Club’s got a gentleman that comes out in his wheelchair and shoots traps. You can do it a long way into your life and have fun doing it.”

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After the storm, life goes on as usual in the natural world

Brad Dokken — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Last Saturday morning, June 21, in the aftermath of a storm that ripped through the Bemidji area with straight-line winds up to 120 mph, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, Blane Klemek stepped outside for a firsthand look at the damage.

Birds were singing, and the swans were swimming in the small, shallow lake behind his house, said Klemek, Northwest Region wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Bemidji.

Just like any other summer morning.

“They were there, just like they always are,” said Klemek, who lives near Becida, Minnesota, about 12 miles northeast of Itasca State Park. “And I thought, ‘How the hell did you guys make it through the night like that?’ ”

No doubt, the June 20-21 storms that cut a swath of devastation from western North Dakota to northern Minnesota affected thousands of people’s lives. But what about wildlife such as birds, deer and other critters?

How do they manage to escape – and hopefully survive – Mother Nature’s wrath when such events occur?

“Animals feel that pressure ahead of time and in some cases, they might have a better warning system than we do,” said Doug Leier, outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in West Fargo. “But at the same time, when (people’s) houses are getting completely destroyed, so are theirs.

“So, there’s going to be specific mortality.”

Inevitable casualties

Nestlings are especially susceptible, Klemek says.

“There will be a lot of nestlings that didn’t survive this onslaught, no doubt about it,” Klemek said. “Just walking around my own property assessing damage, I’d come across a robin nest here and there and those sorts of things laying on the ground. When you think about it, that’s played out across a vast landscape so lots of birds don’t make it.

“Lots of birds do, though – most survive.”

Wildlife such as deer also likely fared OK in the storm-ravaged areas near Bemidji, Klemek says.

“There’s going to be no doubt an unfortunate one that happens to get crushed by a fallen tree,” he said. “That certainly is possible, but I think it’s rare for things like that to happen.”

As the storm approached, wildlife likely headed for low areas, “the leeward side of things,” just like humans would do to escape the elements, Klemek says.

The swans on the small lake by his yard, probably “just went into the thick cattails and waited the storm out,” he said.

“I don’t know if this is the case with all wildlife, but they do seem to have a sense that gives them the ability to maybe anticipate impending weather events and begin preparing for that,” Klemek said. “So, I think they’ve got a one-up on us in some respects.”

Widespread tree damage

The damage to trees is perhaps the most obvious sign of the storm’s wrath and its impact on natural resources in the Bemidji area, Klemek says. Thousands of massive, stately red pine and white pine trees were wiped out, snapped like giant matchsticks or uprooted completely.

Photos don’t do justice to the devastation, Klemek says.

“Bemidji will never look the same,” he said. “I don’t have any giant white pine and red pine (in my yard). I have a lot of young white pine and red pine, but none of them sustained damage. But some of the big ash, big oak and lots of aspen were just completely uprooted and came crashing down.

“It’s shocking, when you walk about and drive around and see the carnage. It’s just hard to comprehend until you see the scope of the damage plus the expanse of it.

“It’s heartbreaking.”

Assessing the aftermath

In a Tuesday phone interview, Adam Munstenteiger, regional forestry manager for the DNR’s Northwest Region in Bemidji, said the immediate priority was getting service restored to DNR offices and clearing forest roads and trails affected by the storms, both in Bemidji and surrounding areas, and north of Fourtown, Minnesota, where a tornado touched down Sunday night, affecting access to some forest roads and trails in Beltrami Island State Forest.

“Folks that are recreating out in those areas can expect to encounter either roads that are closed or impassable,” Munstenteiger said. “It will just take us some time to get things opened back up again.”

State forest road closures are available on the DNR website at dnr.state.mn.us/trailconditions/listing.html.

DNR staff were scheduled to fly the storm-affected areas Friday, June 27, to assess forest lands affected by the storm and where timber can be salvaged, Munstenteiger said.

“Once we have some data to make decisions from, we kind of start to triage things,” he said. “We try and figure out: How big were the trees? Were they merchantable? Were they mature? Is everything down, or is it just a scattered tree here and there? Is it a big enough blowdown that it would make sense for a logger to move equipment into? It’s got to be a couple of acres, typically, to make sense for somebody to move equipment in there.”

There’s also the question of access, and whether the sites are reachable in the summer or only in the winter when the ground is frozen.

In the case of pine trees, time is of the essence, Munstenteiger said. Once they’re down, they’re susceptible to “blue stain,” a fungus-driven discoloration that makes the logs less marketable. Blue stain can set in within a month or less, depending on weather conditions, Munstenteiger said.

“In my experience, loggers and mills, being stewards of the forest, they will reprioritize whatever they’re doing to come in and assist when there’s salvage sales in the forest, so they’re really good partners that way,” Munstenteiger said.

Even so, he says, the DNR won’t be able to salvage more than “a fraction of the acres” of trees affected by the storm.

“It’s over such a broad landscape, and we’ve got to focus on larger areas that are blown down, where it makes sense for loggers to work,” Munstenteiger said. “There’s always going to be those patches of (downed trees) on the landscape. We just can’t recover it all.”

Forestry also will work with DNR wildlife personnel and staff at Lake Bemidji State Park to assess how downed trees on wildlife management areas and state park lands will be managed, he said. Each DNR division has its own playbook, be it state, policy or unit plans for how to address affected areas.

Meanwhile, life goes on in the natural world, said Klemek, the DNR regional wildlife manager.

“It doesn’t look normal around here, but wildlife, they’re still doing their thing,” Klemek said. “And I imagine, in their way, they’re assessing damage, too.”

On the web:

facebook.com/MinnesotaDNR

facebook.com/mnstateparksandtrails

dnr.state.mn.us/trailconditions/listing.html

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North Dakota pheasant crowing counts up 6% from last year

Brad Dokken — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMT

BISMARCK – North Dakota’s spring pheasant counts are up 6% statewide from last year, the Game and Fish Department said Thursday, June 26, in reporting results from its 2025 spring crowing count survey.

“We basically have had two really easy winters, especially for North Dakota standards, with not much snow and really nice temperatures,” RJ Gross, upland game management biologist for Game and Fish, said in a statement.

According to a Game and Fish news release, the primary regions holding pheasants showed 31.1 crows per stop in the southwest, up from 28.8 in 2024; 21.3 crows per stop in the northwest, down from 21.5; and 18.6 crows per stop in the southeast, up from 16.2. The count in the northeast, which is not a primary region for pheasants, was 6.5 crows per stop, up from 5 last year.

The survey results are an index, not a total count, of breeding pheasant roosters, Gross said, and offer a good way to look at over-winter survival. Barring untimely heavy rains, cool weather or hail, he expects more good news, with the peak of the pheasant hatch under way.

“Entering the nesting season, residual grass cover looked good,” Gross said. “The timely May rains caused increased growth in nesting and brood rearing cover across the state. Combined with high overwinter survival the past two years and near ideal nesting habitat conditions, things are looking good for upland birds in portions of North Dakota.”

The Game and Fish Department conducts pheasant crowing counts each spring throughout North Dakota. Observers drive specified 20-mile routes, stopping at predetermined intervals, and counting the number of roosters heard crowing over a 2-minute period.

The number of pheasant crows heard is compared to previous years’ data, providing a trend summary.

“On a normal winter, we lose 75% of our pheasants from year to year,” Gross said in this week’s “North Dakota Outdoors” webcast. “The last couple of years, that’s definitely not the case.”

Game and Fish will have a better handle on fall hunting prospects after conducting roadside brood count surveys in July and August. In 2024, Game and Fish tallied 94.5 total pheasants per 100 hundred miles during the late-summer survey, which was up 25% from 2023. Broods, at 11.6 per 100 miles, were up 33% from 2023.

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Northland Outdoors Forecast: Heat and Storm Chances this Weekend

Robert Poynter — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:11:09 GMT

The final weekend of June continues our stormy pattern over the region. Friday late afternoon into the night brings storms into the Dakotas. The main threats will be large hail and strong winds, with storms starting in the central part of the states then moving east into the night.

As we go into the weekend itself, the heat and humidity continue to build. Temperatures sit in the 80s and 90s throughout the region and will feel even hotter thanks to the high dew points. Winds stay fairly light as well, so we won't get too much of a break from the heat with a breeze.

The main concern for Saturday will be thunderstorm chances. As of right now the main area of concern is central to eastern South Dakota, into central Minnesota. A few of these storms could be on the strong to severe side in the afternoon.

Sunday we continue to see heat and humidity over the area, but that looks to clear out as a cold front sweeps through the region. Temperatures will still be in the 80s throughout the day but the storm chances look to back off from earlier in the weekend.

The winds will begin to increase behind the front, with a north west wind helping bring down the heat and humidity as we head into the start of next week.

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Weekly Fishing Report: Walleye bite started to slow as the storm approached

Dick Beardsley — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:10:00 GMT

With the devastating storm that roared through Bemidji this past early Saturday morning, fishing is about the last thing on people’s minds right now.

Up until the storm, the walleye bite on most lakes had slowed down and early morning or cloudy conditions with some wind helped a bit. Live bait rigs and large minnows, slip bobbers and leeches/crawlers and spinners with crawlers were producing some fish.

Look for fish in 12-24 feet on Lake Bemidji, Plantagenet and Andrusia. The bass bite was a bit tougher also this past week, but look to the deeper weed edges using plastics and you’ll boat some fish. Crappies are for the most part out in the deeper cabbage and roaming so move around a bit when they quit biting in one area.

Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come.

Bemidji area: The walleye bite has slowed a bit on some lakes, but it remains good on others. A jig and minnow, slip bobbers and leeches/crawlers and spinner rigs with crawlers are producing fish in 10 to 16 feet on Lake Bemidji, Lake Plantagenet and Lake Andrusia. The local bass and panfish bites continue to be excellent along deep weed edges on most lakes.

Bemidji area resource Dick Beardsley Guide Service can be contacted at (218) 556-7172.

Blackduck area: Walleyes are hitting leeches and crawlers under bobbers in 15 to 17 feet on Blackduck Lake, or a jig and shiner minnow on Island Lake and Gull Lake in 14 to 18 feet. Crappies and bluegills are being found in the 6- to 10-foot weeds or reeds on Pimushe Lake, North Twin Lake, South Twin Lake, Gilstead Lake, Gull and Blackduck. Bass and pike are weed-related and active on most lakes.

Blackduck area resource Timberline Sports and Tackle can be contacted at (218) 835-4636.

Cass Lake area: Walleyes continue to hit minnows, leeches, and crawlers under slip bobbers in 8 to 12 feet on Cass Lake, Pike Bay Lake and Lake Andrusia. Stay off the fish and make long casts. At night, troll crankbaits along the shoreline-related bars in 6 to 8 feet for walleyes.

Perch continue to hit on the shallow rocks throughout Cass and Andrusia. You can sight-fish for them in less than 8 feet. Bluegills are being caught in the bulrushes and shallow gravel bars on Kitchi Lake and Rice Lake. There have been a few muskies hooked in Allen’s Bay and over the deep-basin areas of Cass.

Cass Lake area resource, Sunset Cove Resort, can be contacted at (800) 279-4831.

Upper Red Lake: Good numbers of walleyes continue to be caught along the east and north shorelines in 6 to 8 feet. Crankbaits, a jig and minnow, live-bait rigs, and slip bobbers are all producing fish. Cover water with a live-bait rig and leech/crawler combination across Center Bar and you’ll catch plenty of walleyes in 8 to 10 feet. There have been a few crappies and pike mixed in with the walleyes.

Upper Red Lake area resource West Wind Resort can be contacted at (218) 647-8998.

Lake Winnibigoshish: Low-light periods of the day continue to be best for walleyes on the flats in 12 to 17 feet or the shoreline breaks in 19 to 22 feet. There are also some fish still being taken in deep water, 30 feet or more, off the edges of main-lake structure. Jigs tipped with minnows or pieces of crawler, and live-bait rigs and crawlers, continue to work best. Pike are mixed in, but perch action has been slow.

Lake Winnibigoshish area resource Lake Winnie Resort Association can be contacted via its website, lakewinnie.net.

Leech Lake: Generally, anglers are seeing a lot of walleyes on their electronics, but getting them to bite has been tough during the past week, likely due to a significant bug hatch. A spinner and crawler are producing some fish on the main-lake rocks in 16 to 18 feet, as is a slip bobber and jig tipped with a leech or piece of crawler along the weedlines in Sucker Bay. Bluegill action has been best in the reeds throughout Boy Bay, and muskie reports have been limited.

Leech Lake area resource Reed’s Sporting Goods can be contacted at (218) 547-1505.

Dick Beardsley is the owner and operator of Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service in Bemidji. He can be reached at

(218) 556-7172

and

dick@dickbeardsley.com.

For more information, visit

www.dickbeardsleyfishingguide.com.

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