Rage Outdoors, LLC, the manufacturer and marketer of innovative, industry-leading archery brands, including Rage Broadheads, the Rage Cage Quiver and Nockturnal lighted nocks, recently completed the move into its new corporate headquarters at 9403 Westgate Blvd. in Proctor, MN. The new headquarters is located five miles southwest of Duluth.

The new 25,000 sq.-ft. headquarters will house corporate operations, including sales and marketing, product management, R&D, human resources, customer support and administration in the front 5,000 sq.-ft. The remainder of the building will be utilized for manufacturing Nockturnal nocks and Rage Cage Quivers, as well as stocking and shipping Rage broadheads, quivers and all Nockturnal lighted-nock products.

“Rage Outdoors has been growing tremendously over the past year, so this a natural progression for us,” said Richard Krause, president & CEO. “This new location is much better suited for our corporate and manufacturing needs, and it provides us with the opportunity to expand even further.”

The company can now be reached at 9403 Westgate Blvd., Proctor, MN 58810. The toll-free number is 888-779-0092. All corporate email addresses will remain the same.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Rage Outdoors Moves to New Corporate Headquarters

The price of Minnesota hunting and fishing licenses will increase in March 2013 for the first time in 12 years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said.

On Thursday, May 3, Gov. Mark Dayton signed a House- and Senate-approved bill that, among other things, raises the cost of an annual resident fishing license from $17 to $22 and a resident deer hunting license from $26 to $30. Most resident youth hunting and fishing licenses will be $5 or free. Youth under 16 do not need a fishing or small game hunting license.
License fee increases were widely supported by hunting, fishing and conservation organizations. The last general license fee increase was approved in 2000 and implemented in 2001.

“This action was critical to maintaining the world class fishing and hunting that Minnesota enjoys,” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr. “I appreciate all the efforts of the organized groups and the individual hunters, anglers, trappers and others who supported new license prices. I also thank the Legislature for its bipartisan leadership and support on this important conservation initiative.”

Enacting the license fee bill maintains the solvency of the state’s Game and Fish Fund for the remainder of this biennium, which ends June 30, 2013. New revenue will begin to come into the game and fish fund in March 2013. The DNR estimates the fees will generate about $5 million in fiscal 2013 and approximately $10 million per year in following years.

“The fishing and hunting community has spoken that they are willing to pay for good conservation,” said Landwehr. “We will put these dollars to their highest and best use for game and fish management and enforcement. That means providing the results that hunters, anglers and the conservation community are asking for.”

Landwehr said specific uses of new license fee revenues will be proposed in the months ahead as the agency develops a biennial budget proposal that the governor will submit to the Legislature in January 2013.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Minnesota Governor Signs Hunting and Fishing License Fee Increase Bill

Fool me once shame on you. Mistake me for a turkey and shoot me twice shame on… YOU.

According to the Wichita Eagle, Terrance Spaeth was so sure he his friend, Brain Hansen, was a turkey he shot him— twice.

The shooting occurred early in the morning on April 6. Tony Wolf, a member of the local Sherrif’s office, said that Spaeth claimed “he thought he saw a turkey so he fired. When he saw his friend rolling around on the ground he thought it was a turkey flopping so he shot one more time. When he heard the screams and moans he realized it wasn’t a turkey.”

Spaeth then drove Hansen to the hospital. Hansen’s family has requested that his medical status be kept confidential.

According to Wolf, no charges will be filed against Spaeth. “It was just a freak accident,” said Wolf.

However, Kent Barret, of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, has condemned the incident. “It’s inexcusable from the standpoint of what hunter education teaches. All hunters have the responsibility to identify their target. You have to know exactly what you’re shooting and what’s around it, too.”

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Minnesota Hunter Mistakes Friend for Turkey and Shoots Him— Twice

Getting more adults to take young wild turkey hunters into the field is the goal of a $10,000 grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Grant funds were used to create a 30-second radio promotional spot and purchase air time during prime drive time on country music radio stations in Brainerd, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Lake City, Mankato, Rochester, Wadena and St Cloud. The radio spots aired on the two Thursdays and Fridays preceding the April 18 opener. The spots let hunters know that youth can buy a turkey license for any date or area without being part of the lottery and encourages them to take a youth hunting.

An email message sent to 9,800 past licensed turkey hunters older than 18 also was part of the campaign. Like the radio spots, the email encouraged adults to help teens buy a license and take them into the field.

“Having adult hunters take a teen out hunting is one of the best legacies they can pass on,” said Jenifer Wical, DNR customer enhancement and marketing manager for the Fish and Wildlife Division. “We know they best way to increase participation in hunting is through family or adults taking youth into field and forest to learn.”

Effective with the spring 2010 season, youth 17 and younger who meet firearm safety requirements were exempt from the spring wild turkey lottery, allowing them to purchase a license for any area and date during the spring turkey hunt.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Minnesota Campaign Helps Teens Meet Toms During Spring Wild Turkey Season

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold an auction of confiscated hunting and fishing equipment on Saturday, April 28 beginning at 10 a.m. The auction items are from people who forfeited their equipment after committing serious game violations.

The public auction will be held at Hiller Auction Service, 10785 261st Ave., Zimmerman, Minn.

Items offered for sale include, but are not limited to: firearms, bows, tree stands, fishing rods and reels, tip-ups, traps, trail camera, depth finders, spotlights, scopes, spears and hand ice augers. There are 309 firearms, 72 bows, 236 other items, and 37 firearms being sold for parts.

Inspection of items will be available on Friday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and at 8 a.m. the day of the auction. Once the auction begins, there will be no access to firearms.

All equipment is sold as is, including all defects or faults, known or unknown. Items cannot be returned once they have been purchased. Buyers may bring their own cases and there will be cases available for purchase to transport firearms.

Anyone purchasing a firearm will be required to pass a background check.

A list of firearms and bows being offered for sale is available by visiting the auction website.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Confiscated Hunting, Fishing Equipment Auction Set for Apr. 28 in Minnesota

The Mississippi Longtails Pheasants Forever chapter will host the Fifth Annual Build a Wildlife Area Sporting Clays Classic on Saturday, April 28th at the South St. Paul Rod & Gun Club. The event is open to all interested shooters with all proceeds being donated to Minnesota’s Build a Wildlife Area campaign, which helps acquire land for public hunting and outdoor recreation activities.

Started in 2008, this shooting event is a memorial for Randall L. Johnson and Kevin J. Foley, longtime Pheasants Forever supporters who both lost their battle to cancer at an early age.

The Build a Wildlife Area campaign is unique in that all donations are tripled through matching grants from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Once matched, those dollars will be used by Pheasants Forever to acquire land critical as wildlife habitat. The land will then be turned over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for management, and opened to the public.

Since its inception in 2003, the Minnesota Build a Wildlife Area partnership has generated approximately one million dollars and acquired nine new public wildlife areas in Minnesota totaling over 2,800 acres, all of which have been transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and are now open to the public. The Anoka County chapter of Pheasants Forever, Game Fair, and Outdoor News partnered with Pheasants Forever to develop the concept. Gander Mountain, Apple Auto Group, Federal Premium Ammunition, Ron Schara and Minnesota Bound have also been large financial contributors during the ten years of the campaign.

Accomplishments to date include the 185-acre Randall WPA (Johnson/Foley tract) near Sunburg, MN (2011), 65-acre Pelican Lake WPA (2010), 1,036-acre Roger M. Holmes WMA in northeastern Douglas County (2007), 159-acre Buck Family Memorial WMA in Goodhue County (2006), 126-acre Teal Lake WMA in Jackson County (2005), the 310-acre Winter WMA in Pipestone County (2005), the 240-acre Chetomba Creek WMA in Renville County (2005), the 400-acre Hunters’ Paradise WMA in Traverse County (2004), and the 318-acre Mud Lake WMA in Morrison County (2003).

To obtain a registration form and for more information about the Fifth Annual Build a Wildlife Area Sporting Clays Classic, contact Dan Richmond at 651-730-4434 or Email Dan. For all other inquiries, please contact Rehan Nana, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Public Relations Specialist, at 651-209-4973 or Email Rehan.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Mississippi Longtails PF Hosting Memorial Sporting Clays Classic for Minnesota Build a Wildlife Area

Three Minnesota hunters are fighting charges brought against them in court for illegally hunting in the Scientific and Natural Area within the Itasca State Park in October of 2011.

The men, Joe Neuwirth and brothers Matt and Eric Eickhoff were very familiar with the park; Neuwirth’s family even had land in the area. There were rumors that part of the park was going to be open to hunting. After checking the regulations in their hunting handbook, the men made a call to the the 800 number on the cover of the handbook to ask if bowhunting was allowed. The phone secretary said it was okay.

After two and half unsuccessful hours of walking, they returned to their cars where two DNR conservation officers were waiting for them. Officers told them they were hunting illegally within the park and then seized their bows and equipment, but didn’t receive a citation until one week later.

The men are fighting charges against them in the Clearwater County District Court. Their plea is that the handbook was confusing and they were mislead by conflicting information by the DNR itself. They are also asking for their hunting gear back, saying the officers had no authority to seize their equipment without court forfeiture procedures.

But the court Attorney’s Office won’t drop the misdemeanor charges. They say the hunting laws are clear and that the men were violating them.

The hunters reviewed their handbook and it is confusing indeed. The Scientific and Natural Area is designated as an undisturbed natural area open only to activities that do not disturb its condition. Occasionally, they are opened to hunting as part of land management plans.

Within the handbook, one page lists state parks that are open to hunting; Itasca is not listed. Another page says Itasca is open during firearm and muzzleloader season, but only by special permit.

Further yet, a third page says it is open to hunting and trapping, but for deer only.

The call the men placed to the DNR was to find out whether they could use their bows to hunt deer. Even though their attorney has the transcripts of the call that prove the person who answered the phone said they could hunt, the Clearwater County Attorney didn’t give much weight to the transcripts, saying the person they spoke with was a potentially unqualified individual.

But the men’s attorney says there are registered deer kills by bow in the area the men were hunting in the park. He said that this was a matter of selective prosecution, but District Court Judge Paul E. Rasmussen has denied a motion to dismiss the charges.

The men’s attorney has filed a motion that asks Rasmussen to reconsider his decision.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Three Minnesota Men Fighting “Illegal Hunting” Charges in Court

Applications for this fall’s bear hunt will be accepted from Monday, April 2, through Friday, May 4, at any Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) license agent and online at www.mndnr.gov/buyalicense. They also are available at the DNR License Center in St. Paul or by phone at 888-665-4236.

A total of 6,000 licenses are available in 11 permit areas. This year’s bear hunt will run from Sunday, Sept. 1, to Sunday, Oct. 14.

Hunters selected in the annual lottery must purchase their licenses by Wednesday, Aug. 1, so licenses that aren’t purchased can be made available to other hunters. After this year’s Aug. 1 deadline, any eligible hunter may purchase any remaining licenses starting at noon, Monday, Aug. 6.

In 2011, hunters purchased 5,684 licenses by the deadline. Those hunters were chosen from a pool of 19,170 applicants for the available 7,050 permit area licenses. The remaining 1,336 permits were sold after the deadline passed. Hunters harvested a total of 2,131 bears.

Bear licenses cost $38 for residents and $200 for nonresidents. The bag limit is two bears in the no-quota area and one bear in all quota permit areas.

Complete information on the fall bear hunt is available on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/bear.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Minnesota Bear Hunt Applications Open Apr. 2

Consistent with the state’s moose management plan, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that it will offer a limited bulls-only hunting season this fall.

Although hunting mortality of bulls is not a significant factor in the moose population decline, the state’s moose plan, which addresses habitat, climate change, disease and other moose population factors, identifies specific thresholds when moose hunting should cease. The DNR is following that plan by closing two hunting zones in northeastern Minnesota, but continuing to allow limited hunting in other zones.

“Our approach is based on the scientific and social considerations brought forth by experts on the legislatively created Minnesota Moose Advisory Committee,” said Erik Thorson, acting DNR big game program leader. “Committee members envisioned a time when hunting would become an issue. That time has come. We’re implementing a reasoned and responsible plan.”

Minnesota’s moose population is estimated at 4,230. This compares to last year’s estimate of 4,900 and is down significantly from the 2006 estimate of 8,840. The DNR estimates about 50 bulls will be taken by state hunters this fall.

Thorson said the DNR’s limited hunting season will have no significant impact on the moose population. That’s because the bull-cow ratio is sufficient to ensure that all cows can be bred, thereby creating the next generation of moose. The state’s moose management plan recommends using bull-cow ratios as a measure to determine whether a bulls-only hunt should continue. DNR biologists base the harvest level on 5 percent of the estimated bull population.

“While it’s true that the state’s moose population is declining it’s also true that bulls-only hunting is not a significant factor in that decline,” said Thorson. “A decade of research has shown that most mortality is from unknown causes unrelated to hunting, perhaps linked to parasites or disease.”

In 2008, the Minnesota Legislature directed the DNR to create a Moose Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the agency. The DNR convened a group of individuals from agencies, universities, tribes, and organizations representing a broad cross-section of moose expertise and interests. The Moose Advisory Committee filed a report that the DNR used to formulate its moose management and research plan. That plan states hunting should cease if:

• The bull to cow ratio drops below 67 bulls per 100 cows for three consecutive years.
• Overall hunter success drops below 30 percent for three consecutive years.
• The harvest success rate for any individual hunting zone averages less than 20 percent for three consecutive years.

“The bull to cow ratio is well above the identified threshold and at the highest level since 2006,” said Thorson. “Overall hunter success was 58 percent last year, well above the 30 percent threshold. And hunting success rates for individual zones have not dipped below 20 percent for three consecutive years except zones 23 and 34, which we have closed to hunting this year.”

Rolf Peterson, chair of the Moose Advisory Committee, said while many people will focus their concern on moose hunting, the real news – that the moose population is still declining – continues to be disturbing.

“Even though hunting is not causing the decline, it makes sense to reduce hunting pressure in an orderly manner if the population continues to decline,” Peterson said.

Today’s announcement means Minnesotans who want to hunt bull moose this fall can apply for 87 available licenses starting Monday, April 2. The state’s moose hunting season is open to residents age 10 or older. Application deadline is Friday, May 4.

Eleven of the of the 87 available permits will be offered first to hunters who were selected in last year’s lottery but opted not to hunt because of hunting access issues caused by the widespread Pagami Creek Fire. If any of the 11 choose not to hunt, their permits will be available to this year’s applicants. The state’s moose hunting quotas also take into consideration the expected tribal moose harvest by the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac and Grand Portage bands, which also conduct moose hunting seasons.

The moose season will open Saturday, Sept. 29, and conclude Sunday, Oct. 14. Hunters may apply at any DNR license agent or at the DNR License Center, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul. Moose hunters must apply in parties from two to four individuals. An application fee of $3 per individual must be included with the application.

Permits are issued through a random drawing, except that applicants who have been unsuccessful at least 10 times since 1985 will be placed in a separate drawing for up to 20 percent of the available licenses. A person who is still unsuccessful in this separate selection also will be included in the regular drawing.

Because the moose hunt became a once-in-a-lifetime hunt in 1991, hunters who received permits for moose hunts for the 1991 hunt and later are not eligible to apply for the 2012 drawing. The license fee is $310 per party. There will be mandatory orientation sessions required for all hunters chosen for moose licenses.

In 2011, 92 state-licensed hunters harvested 53 bull moose.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Minnesota to Offer Limited Moose Hunt This Fall

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up, beginning March 12, 2012 and ending on April 6, 2012.  There are approximately 1.6 million enrolled CRP acres in Minnesota, with an estimated 292,000 acres set to expire on Sept. 30, 2012.

Thanks to a partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Minnesota’s Farm Bill Assistance Partnership recently added three new Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist positions; Tony Nelson covers Clay county, Josh Meissner covers Douglas county, and Alex Nelson covers Kandiyohi county. Partnership staff stand at the ready to assist farmers and landowners in understanding options on how to bid their land into CRP in the most competitive way. To make an appointment to discuss your options for CRP, or for a listing of CRP informational workshops across the state, please go to Minnesota Pheasants Forever.

Minnesota Farm Bill Assistance Partnership staff are based out of their local USDA Service Center and work with landowners to ensure the highest EBI score possible to improve the chances of CRP acceptance.  Here are Pheasants Forever’s TOP 5 things to consider when submitting a competitive CRP bid:

1. Offer new acres in a diverse planting of native grasses and flowers (CP25) practice on 90% of the offer, and a food plot (CP12) on the remainder.
2. Offer new acres in a diverse planting of native grasses and flowers (CP25) practice on 90% of the offer, and a CP4B on the remaining 10% of the offer -OR- Offer in a CP25 practice on 90% of the offer, with an expiring CP4D contract (min 5 species) on the remaining 10% of the offer.
3. Conversion of an expiring grassland (CP1 or CP2) CRP contract to a CP25 practice on 100% of the offer -OR- A new acres offer to a CP25 practice on 100% of the offer.
4. Conversion of an expiring CP1 or CP2 contract (51% monoculture or more in the stand) to a CP25 practice on 100% of the offer.
5. A conversion of an expiring CP1 or CP2 contract (that does NOT have 51% or more in a monoculture stand) to a diverse native grass and flower (CP25) practice on 90% of the offer, and pollinator (CP42) practice on the remainder -OR- A new acres offer diverse native grass and flowers (CP25) practice on 90% of the offer, and pollinator practice (CP42) on the remainder.

For additional information regarding the CRP general sign-up, go to the USDA website. For more information regarding Pheasants Forever or the Conservation Reserve Program in Minnesota, please contact Matt Holland, Pheasants Forever Senior Field Coordinator.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Minnesota’s “Top 5” CRP Bid Considerations