AMBERGRIS CAYE, Belize — Wednesday morning of this past week broke a long way from the Stillwater Dome, but the routine was the same. Assembling an 8-weight fly rod, I looped line through its guides while feeling the outfit’s familiar heft in my right hand. A lot of things change over time, but as comforting as an inanimate object can be ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Like a boomerang more than an arrow, the crossbow controversy is coming back to the Legislature.

Some background:

In May 2023, near the end of that year’s legislative session, a conference committee deal was struck to allow any licensed Minnesota archer to hunt deer with a crossbow.

The proposal never was heard in a ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The city of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that its controlled archery hunt for white-tailed deer in city parks netted 199 deer, almost double last year's take.

The city rolled out a controlled archery hunt in 2023-24 after the deer population skyrocketed, causing more vehicle-deer collisions and overeating of native plant species...Read more

WACONIA, Minn. — A busload of fifth-graders from Southview Elementary School piled onto the ice of Lake Waconia, scooting, sprinting and walking en masse to an array of fish shanties.

Inside those heated shelters, members of the Waconia High School Conservation Club stood ready with fishing poles, live bait and patience. Their job? Harness ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — A record-breaking number of volunteer watchers tallied the most species ever in December for the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count in Pittsburgh.

"With 209 people and a balmy 65-degree day, we blew the doors off our species record," said Brian Shema, operations manager for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Longtime Department of Natural Resources wildlife manager Dave Trauba was appointed Jan. 15 to lead the agency’s Wildlife Section, overseeing species as diverse as mallards and mink, moose and mourning doves.

Trauba had been appointed interim Wildlife Section manager in July 2024, replacing Kelly Straka, who was promoted to ...Read more

MIAMI — A Hollywood, Fla., man was arrested last week after Florida wildlife police say they caught him with a live baby alligator when officers checked his fishing bucket in Monroe County.

The small reptile was found by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission police officer during a check on Loop Road in mainland Monroe County ...Read more