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A blue-spotted salamander made its way recently across the forest floor.
Life in the slow lane
I was surprised recently on one of our cool late September mornings to find a blue-spotted salamander very slowly making its way across our gravel road. It was moving slowly because the temperature … more
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Bear harvest continues to run behind last season
REGIONAL— Hunters in Minnesota had registered 1,864 bears through Monday, Sept. 26, with only a relative handful of additional registrations expected by the time the season ends on Oct. 16. If … more
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Is peak upon us?
Peak color seems a bit behind normal this year. The late spring, combined with plentiful rainfall and mild temperatures in September appears to have delayed the color change at least by a week or so. … more
September among the fastest-warming months of the year
REGIONAL— Septembers aren’t what they used to be in northern Minnesota. Forty years ago, the fall air often started creeping its way into the North Country in late August, when the … more
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Hunt turkey in the North Country? You betcha!
REGIONAL— As recently as ten years ago, the notion of hunting wild turkeys in northern St. Louis County would have seemed ludicrous— right up there with hunting for sasquatch. What a … more
Joan Young (r) and her friend and trail helper Marie Altenau were all smiles as they stopped by the Timberjay office earlier this month. Young, who lives in Michigan, is working on her second full traverse of the North Country Trail.
74-year-old hiker seeks something new each day
REGIONAL- Most people have no idea that the longest trail in the National Trails System, which stretches 4,800 miles from Vermont to North Dakota, runs right through Ely and Tower-Soudan.But Joan … more
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Oversight board says game and fish fund not sustainable
REGIONAL— A citizens panel that oversees the Department of Natural Resources’ Game and Fish Fund is once again raising concerns about the fund’s lack of sustainability as revenues … more
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I can see fall from the island
We are all talking about the change of weather. Come on, you know you are. You know the polite, non-political, non-religious, non-sports team topic we talk about at the grocery store, the post … more
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Grouse numbers should be above expectations as high spring drumming counts combined with what appears to have been good breeding success in the northeast, should yield plenty of action for grouse hunters. The season gets
Grouse outlook favorable
REGIONAL— The explosive flush of the ruffed grouse will be on the minds of hunters starting this Saturday as the 2022 season gets underway. Ruffed grouse are among the most popular game birds … more
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A young bear looks down from a high perch in an aspen tree.
Bear registrations drop sharply, as anticipated
REGIONAL—Fewer bear hunters are reporting success this year as abundant wild food sources appear to have given the advantage to the bears. As of Sept. 13, hunter registrations statewide … more
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Paddle, picnic, and play on National Public Lands Day
VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK— National Public Lands Day is set for Saturday, Sept. 24, and the Voyageurs Conservancy has organized a number of family-friendly outdoor activities to mark the … more
A female belted kingfisher sits on a birch snag in a beaver pond. Note the rusty-orange coloration on portions of the bird’s breast. In the vast majority of bird species, it is the male that is more colorful, but the belted kingfisher is a notable exception. The females are also equally noisy and nearly as aggressive in defending their territory as males.
Kingfisher, noisemaker
No one would ever call a belted kingfisher shy. Their piercing rattle-like call is among the loudest of any bird in North America and it’s commonly heard here in the North Country, particularly … more
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Thick rice lined both sides of the Vermilion River last Sunday. A good crop on the river is largely an exception as the crop in most places is poor.
Rice crop generally poor in most parts of the region
REGIONAL— The quest for wild rice has been more challenging this year than most, but ricers have found a very harvestable crop along the Vermilion River, north of the Gold Mine Camp. As … more
Six Ely area students had the chance to canoe in the Boundary Waters recently, thanks to a grant from the Friends of the Boundary Waters.
Ely students experience the wilderness in their backyard
THE BOUNDARY WATERS— While all kids who grow up in Ely live on the edge of America’s most popular wilderness area, it doesn’t mean they all get to experience the wilderness … more
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The undersides of a nice haul of golden chanterelles.
A fungi fantasy
Here in the North Country, a wet summer typically means two things: happy frogs and happy fungi. Since I don’t eat frogs, it’s the fungi that have been getting most of my attention. And … more
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Wild rice crop running behind schedule
REGIONAL— The wild rice season has officially been open for nearly three weeks, but the rice harvest has been slowed by the later-than-usual ripening of the wild grain. While the season opens … more
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Trumpeter swans have become a common sight in Minnesota thanks to a very successful reintroduction program beginning in the 1980s.
It appears drought impacted most waterfowl populations
REGIONAL— Last year’s extreme drought across much of northern Minnesota appears to have impacted waterfowl populations heading into this summer’s breeding season. Based on spring … more
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Bill Rom with his latest Explorer’s Club flag in recognition of his recent trip down the Winisk River in northern Ontario, which he completed in July.
Adventure’s in his DNA
REGIONAL— Bill Rom was sporting a bushy gray beard recently when we sat down to talk on the deck of his Burntside Lake summer residence. It was a sign that his sense of adventure had gotten the … more
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A mother bear and her cub rest in the morning sun. This year’s abundant berry crop should limit the take of female bears.
Advantage goes to bears as season opens Sept. 1
REGIONAL— What a difference a year makes. Last year in late August, area guides were eagerly awaiting the Sept. 1 start of the bear hunting season. With the region then in extreme drought, … more
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Deer lottery application deadline set for Sept. 8
REGIONAL— If you’re hoping to snag one of the few antlerless tags being offered in northern St. Louis County for this fall’s regular firearms deer seasons, you’ll need to … more
A DNR crew member operates the recently-purchased air boat on Big Rice Lake. Cutting blades that hang out the back below the water line, slice off the leaf stems of the pickerel weed, setting the stage for a possible recovery of wild rice.
Big hopes for Big Rice
BIG RICE LAKE— For much of this summer, the roar of an airboat engine has regularly broken the sounds of nature that normally dominate the shores of this remarkable lake, tucked away in the … more
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Drillers installing a new well at The Rock.
A short history of water on The Rock
You would think that when you live on an island and are surrounded by water that there couldn’t possibly ever be a problem with, well, water. Only here’s the rub. It’s all in the … more
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New federal law will invest in public and private forests
REGIONAL— With President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act on Tuesday, the media has focused much of its attention on the big ticket items in the bill. Those include … more
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Fishing guide Matt Snyder with a 54-inch musky he caught on Vermilion nearly ten years ago. He’s concerned about changes he’s seen in the number and behavior of muskies on the lake.
Different perspectives on Vermilion’s musky outlook
LAKE VERMILION— It’s been good times for musky anglers here this summer, but could trouble be on the horizon? Matt Snyder, a longtime fishing guide who specializes in Lake Vermilion … more
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Ruffed grouse numbers may be up this fall, even though the population is supposed to be in the declining phase of its ten-year cycle.
Outlook for fall grouse harvest appears promising
REGIONAL— The region’s ruffed grouse population is in the declining phase of its roughly ten-year cycle. But someone forgot to tell the grouse. For over 70 years, the cyclical ups and … more
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