Recent content from Dennis Anderson
Anderson: More than a wave? Friendly gestures on the road are affirming.
The time-honored slight wave of a hand or fingers over the top of a steering vehicle, acknowledge to the driver or rider of an oncoming vehicle that things are all right.
Anderson: Aggressive logging in Minn. bluff country threatens wildlife
In recent years, a new DNR management scheme has been implemented that in some cases places wildlife benefits secondary to Whitewater Wildlife Management Area's timber production.
Anderson: Latest proposed changes to waterfowl season don't add up
Say what you will about Minnesota waterfowl managers, they're not shy about revealing their belief that the primary reason ducks exist in Minnesota is to get shot.
Anderson: Like spring, Mississippi River rush arrives early
Walleyes, saugers and anglers cluster from Lake Pepin to Red Wing dam.
Anderson: Do-it-yourself maple syrup producers up their game
Whether atop ice cream or pancakes, French toast or oatmeal, real maple syrup made by one's own hand is an unmatched delight.
Into the wild: Nature is good. More is better, especially these days
Unplugging with longer trips drives deeper into the heart and mind, too.
Anderson: DNR's plan to divert funds intended for habitat purchases draws fire
The department wants to shift money intended for buying habitat to be used for other purposes.
Anderson: Lessons from Wisconsin's controversial wolf hunt worth examining
A highly unusual combination of events, including a lawsuit by an out-of-state hunting group, forced the Wisconsin DNR to hold a February wolf hunt it had not anticipated.
Anderson: Drones helping modernize deer counts through locating fawns
The whereabouts of deer can stymie wildlife biologists. Enter now the drone, whose usefulness has only recently been realized in determining deer and other wildlife populations.
Anderson: State's conservation funding needs are clear. Answers? Not so much
Minnesota's lands and waters and fish and wildlife are under pressure as never before. And we have an outdated conservation model
Anderson: This season, resorts beckon to the pandemic-weary
Most still have openings for this summer. But based on early bookings, they expect record or near-record years as the nation starts to emerge from the pandemic.
Anderson: Training dogs and long walks are gifts these days
During the pandemic, time is what many of us have more of, not less, and not utilizing it to some good end might be regretted when more normal days return.
Anderson: Even in this cold, deer can endure bitter winters
Minimal snow cover has made this recent cold snap in Minnesota easier for deer to survive.
Gunflint Trail's backwoods living is still a draw; so, too, is a fast internet
Of all that has changed over centuries along the Gunflint Trail, the greeting that pines whisper to old-timers and newcomers alike has been constant.
Anderson: Critical Habitat license-plate program veering from its dedicated mission
A closer look at the DNR's license plate Critical Habitat program reveals the agency in recent years has only minimally deployed license plate funds to preserve habitat.
Anderson: Wildlife management areas can foster a greater appreciation of nature
The notion of making some wildlife management areas more inviting is taking shape, amid questions about timber harvesting.
Anderson: Mystery around bears' reproduction is a reminder of their balancing act
Minnesota wildlife managers want to minimize nuisance-bear complaints while satisfying hunters' desires, while also, most important, maintaining a healthy, stable bruin population.
Anderson: Equity in the outdoors means there's room for everybody
The DNR is making a new push to make the outdoors more inclusive.
Anderson: Inseparable Lindner brothers built a fishing empire like no other
The Brainerd-area duo formed a pair of distinction, from tackle to media to a shared faith.
Anderson: DNR's proposed duck rule changes run afoul of reality
Recent waterfowling regulation changes the DNR is offering for hunter consideration seem less an effort to ensure the future of waterfowling in Minnesota than an attempt to shoot our way to more ducks.
Anderson: Time is right to rethink stewardship, embrace again the land
As our world changes, we must restore relationships with land.
Anderson: Winter angling places pressure on productive walleye lakes
Last winter, Mille Lacs registered more than 3 million angler hours of pressure, a record, according to DNR estimates.
Anderson: Q&A; with DNR Commissioner Strommen
Sarah Strommen discusses the effect of the pandemic on her agency's operations, the DNR's method of advocating for conservation of wetlands and roadsides, and state management of wolves, among other topics.
Anderson: Pheasants, not football, once drew Vikings together in Iowa
Legendary coach Bud Grant and his players recall special days away from football and hunting pheasants together.
Anderson: A day afield with sharpshooting Delaney a brush with greatness
Loral I Delaney remains colorful and has a remarkable history as a dog trainer and expert shot.
Anderson: As times change, hunting cohort needs women
A review of current Minnesota deer license sales underscores that girls show a strong interest in hunting relative to boys. But many men return to hunting as they grow older, while many women seemingly don't.
Anderson: Pair out to catch all 50 state fish make quick work of channel catfish
After success in Iowa, Luke Konson and Daniel Balserak made quick work of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Using raw chicken for bait, they landed channel cats in each state
Anderson: Generations hunt together, relate to land
Four generations of hunters shared a sense of place Saturday morning for the Wisconsin firearms opener, and Norb Berg, 88, has passed his down.
Anderson: Anglers seeking all 50 state fish need help in Iowa
Channel catfish in Iowa are so far eluding a pair of Virginia teens on a special quest.
Anderson: It's a Minnesota stop for pair angling to land 50 state fish
Two Virginians are on a quest to catch the state fish in all 50 states; they might need a hand with our walleyes.
Anderson: Deer camp's solitude broken by a lost voice
On a northern Minnesota plot long on tradition, a group of hunters helped a man gone astray.
Anderson: Warmth blankets the firearms deer season opener
One hunting party stays close to home, with an eye out especially for the metro's abundant does
Anderson: Safety should be top priority when deer hunting
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials are urging first-timers, as well as veteran hunters, to hunt safely and legally. Here are a few reminders might aid that effort
Anderson: Shortage of deer processors looms over whitetail season
The pandemic has helped cause a giant backup among processors; people are setting up smaller shops to help out.
Anderson: Gray wolf delisting glosses over need to protect other species
The Trump administration isn't the only one playing politics on the Endangered Species Act issue.
Anderson: Wolf researcher's new book explores predators, prey on Isle Royale
Dave Mech offers answers to the unique relationship between wolves and moose.
'Just to be here is enjoyable': On the hunt with Bud Grant
The legendary coach has been retired from football for more than three decades. He's lived longer than he thought he would, and all but a handful of his close friends are dead. But hunting is still a passion.
'I loved Sid.' Grant and Hartman were the unlikeliest of best friends
Sid Hartman was the first person Bud Grant met in 1946 when his grandparents dropped him off at the University of Minnesota as a highly touted recruit who would star in three sports for the Gophers.
Anderson: A picturesque pheasant opener was Gary Clancy's kind of day
Saturday morning hunting pheasants was for celebrating Gary Clancy's life and also to celebrate the state wildlife management area that was recently christened in Gary's name.
Anderson: Pheasants' advocates, taxpayers have hand in rosy outlook
Conservations and taxpayers deserve thanks for what might be a resurgent season.
Anderson: Visits to the Smith shack for duck hunting revives best of times
Memories abound from decades of visiting the Smith family's shack. You can gauge a hunt's success not only by ducks bagged but by dogs petted, great food consumed and memorable sunrises shared.
Anderson: DNR conducting an air war against duck hunting threats
A cross of native broad-leaf cattails and invasive narrow-leaf cattails, hybrid cattails can aggressively outcompete other aquatic plants. In some instances, so little open water remains ducks can't find places to land.
Anderson: Sporting art leads to book of a lifetime
Trading in sporting art, Bob White has spent the pandemic months preparing for publication of what he calls a "lifetime'' book of his work.
Anderson: There are positives as grouse season opens, but issues, too
As opening day on Ol' Ruff nears, optimism is tempered by issues such as West Nile and increasing ATV use.
Anderson: 2020 is for the birds ... pheasants, that is
Minnesota's pheasant population has leapt 42%. An omen, perhaps?
Anderson: Modern Carnivore aims to get non-hunters to embrace hunting
Addressing topics ranging from gear selection to field-dressing, ethics and laws, the 12-month program (price: $180) is intended not only to educate and inform plugged-in novice hunters, but to get those people into the field.
Anderson: Well-seasoned waterfowlers hit their marks
Four southern Minnesotans staged a familiar season-opening get-together for the early goose season.
Anderson: The dawn of mourning dove season arrives
The hunt for mourning birds is modest in Minnesota, but the opener proves a good day for being afield again.
Anderson: Love for motorcycles never completely goes away
Motorcyclists not only acknowledge the danger of riding on two wheels, they embrace it. It's part of the sport's ethos and attraction.
Anderson: Newspaper columnist turned DNR official is off to the next challenge
Chris Niskanen offers insight as someone who knows the agency both from outside and within.
Anderson: Bigger bag limits, voluntary CWD testing new for 2020 deer season
This year, three new CWD surveillance areas and an additional CWD management zone (No. 605 in the south metro) have been established by the DNR.
Anderson: How many? How long? Pandemic challenge for deer camps
Some hunters are asking whether gathering in camps this fall — a convention as old as the state itself — and possibly spreading the coronavirus among friends and family, is a good idea.
Anderson: Call to the outdoors these days is more like a siren
Hunting, as an educational and gratifying fall escape, gains importance in these uncertain times
Anderson: Nasby's pandemic hobby is casting for new interests
Bob Nasby, a Twin Cities fisherman and fly-casting instructor, has a new obsession: the collection, restoration and casting of centuries-old salmon rods, or what also are called spey rods.
Anderson: Marchel sets good example for some of wildlife's finest critters
Bill Marchel created a habitat on his 70 acres of land to attract deer and other wildlife
Anderson: Longtime Pheasants Forever officer says relationships key to getting results
Dave Nomsen discussed Washington's political climate and the challenges of advocating for conservation policy on a national scale.
Anderson: Grass buffers have proven their worth in Minn. farm country
Passed by the Legislature at the urging of then-Gov. Mark Dayton, the state's buffer law was intended to reduce farmland runoff, thereby helping to clean up rivers and other waters.
Anderson: Sportsmens club as Minnesotan as baseball and fishing in summertime
The coronavirus has thrown a wrench into just about everything this summer. Yet people come to the club for competitions and socializing, even in the time of a pandemic.
Anderson: Nature's storytellers are a threatened species as well
Documentarians of the outdoors world are losing some of their voices in an ever-changing media industry.
Anderson: Ex-Army Ranger making sure other vetarans can go fishing
Steve Gillaspie is the founder of a 501(c)(3) group called Veterans on the Water, which offers free fishing trips to military veterans.
Anderson: Ending South Dakota pheasant survey won't fool hunters
If the South Dakota commission hopes to trick pheasant hunters into visiting by ending the state's brood surveys, that ploy won't work. Hunters aren't stupid.
Anderson: River wranglers ply the Mississippi River after dark
Whether bracketed by statuesque pines near Brainerd, the bright lights of the Twin Cities or Wabasha's leafy hardwoods, the Mississippi's one constant is beauty, and never more so than at night.
Anderson: Minorities lend their voices to outdoors activism
Minnesota's overwhelmingly white (84%) population is fast becoming more diverse, with significant implications for outdoor recreation and especially for conservation.
Anderson: Prolonged border closing deals crushing blow to businesses, summer rituals
With the largest concentration of hunting and fishing camps in Canada, the region of Ontario just north of Minnesota is especially hard hit by the closed border. And Minnesotans who take those trips feel targeted, too.
Anderson: Pandemic response foreshadows challenge to survive climate crisis
Relying on human behavior to change won't meet the crisis at hand.
Anderson: Wade fishing for bass a reprieve from society's turmoil
Rarely undertaken in Minnesota anymore, except on some Twin Cities lakes, and of course by stream-trout fishermen, wade fishing is as old as the hills.
Anderson: Campers trending toward minimalist find sleeping options that fit the bill
Shift to minimalism calls for sleeping quarters such as teardrop trailers and rooftop tents, which travel well and deliver on comfort.
Anderson: Vacationers need to be considerate of others; bring a mask
And wear it, especially indoors. It's the right thing to do.
Anderson: State parks slowly get ready to reopen to campers
Except at a relative handful of remote state park sites where camping is allowed, no one has pitched a tent or parked an RV in a Minnesota state park since March 27. That's about to change.
Anderson: Veteran guide Roach ready to safely go back to work on Mille Lacs
Like other Minnesota fishing guides, Tony Roach's business had been sidelined by a directive issued by Gov. Tim Walz. The governor's order has since been changed.
The Tony Roach file
Tony Roach file • Roach, 41, lives in Moose Lake, Minn., with his wife, Sonja, and their son and daughter. • The owner of Roach’s…
Anderson: Environment loses again if GOP has way with lottery money
Almost from the time it was created, legislators have dipped into the state lottery's environmental trust fund. reducing the amount of lottery proceeds dedicated to conservation.
Anderson: Anglers venture away from home to seek walleyes on fishing opener
Despite pleas to stay close to home, the popular Upper Red Lake spot drew big numbers from Twin Cities-area anglers for the annual opener. After all, Minnesota is a walleye state, and most walleye are Up North.
Five ways the fishing opener - on the way to and on Upper Red Lake - was different
Here's a look at five ways this year's opener en route to and on Upper Red Lake was different:
Anderson: These old men can't fish this weekend, but still have great tales to tell
Not everyone who wants to will be fishing when walleye season opens Saturday. Sitting this one out will be thousands of elderly Minnesotans who are confined to nursing homes by the pandemic, with no one allowed in and no one allowed out.