To get an event in the Outdoors calendar, contact Brad Dokken at (701) 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 1148 or by email at
. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays.
- Oct. 13-14: 13th Annual Chili Bowl Walleye Tournament, Border View Lodge on the Rainy River. Tournament boundaries are from the north concrete ramp of the public access at Wheelers Point on the Rainy River upstream to Manitou Rapids, Minnesota waters only. Tournament will follow a photo/release format, and anglers must provide and use a digital camera that utilizes a SD-format memory card. Prime rib dinner and rules meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 13, with the walleye tournament and chili dinner Oct. 14. Entry fee $300 per two-person team with a 75-boat limit; $17,000 in payouts. Info: (800) 776-3474 or
- Sept. 15-17: Fall Wild Outdoor Women (WOW), Lake Metigoshe State Park. Event includes sessions on handgun shooting, fly fishing, climbing and swinging, Dutch oven cooking, canoeing, kayaking, archery, shotgunning, metal craft and more. Fees vary by activity, and more information is available on the
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department website
at parkrec.nd.gov. Registration opens at noon Aug. 2 at
and closes at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 10.
- Sept. 16-17: Buena Vista Fall Colors Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Buena Vista Ski Area, 12 miles north of Bemidji on Beltrami County Road 15. Wagon rides, music, children’s activities, food and crafts for sale, blacksmithing demonstrations, woodcarving demonstrations, historical paintings display and more. Admission $10 age 13 and older, $5 ages 5 to 12, free admission younger than 5. Info: (218) 243-2231 or on the web at
For more information on any of the black powder shooting events below, check out the
Coon ‘n Crockett Muzzleloader Club’s Facebook page
or send an email to coonncrockett@gmail.com.
- Sept 22-24: Plainsmen 50th Anniversary Shoot & Rendezvous, Georgetown, Minn.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is continuing its series of hunting, fishing and outdoor learning webinars this fall. The webinars, which are free, begin at noon Wednesdays, and pre-registration is required at
. Webinars also are recorded and available online. Upcoming webinars are as follows:
- Sept. 13: Woodcock hunting: Lindsey Shartell, DNR northeast regional wildlife manager, will discuss everything about the American woodcock. She will cover where to find woodcock in Minnesota, how to hunt them, using dogs, appropriate guns, ammo and more.
- Sept. 20: Karr-r-r-o-o: speaking of sandhill cranes: Greater sandhill cranes are now common throughout Minnesota, and up to 29,000 greater sandhill cranes can be found at the wetlands of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge near St. Cloud during the peak of their fall migration. The loud and varied calls, dancing skills and massive wingspan of the cranes make them an exciting sight to behold. Jade Pederson, refuge park ranger, and Cynthia McSherry, refuge volunteer, will share the life history, quirks and migration of these sandhill cranes.
- Sept. 27: Planning a DIY bird hunting road trip: Join DNR biologists and bird hunting experts as they cover how to plan your own upland bird hunting trip. They will answer questions and talk about helpful resources, must-have items and everything hunters should consider in planning a successful road trip.
- Oct. 4: Fall turkey hunting: Hunting for turkeys in the fall is a great opportunity to spend more time in the field and to bag a tasty Thanksgiving bird. However, it is not the same as a spring hunt. Ryan Tebo, one of DNR’s turkey research experts, will share info about what hunters should know before trying to bag one of these wily birds.
- Oct. 11: Fall fishing tips and techniques: One of the best times of the year to catch big fish is in the fall. DNR area fisheries supervisors and avid anglers, Scott Mackenthun and Eric Altena, will share several fishing secrets on where and how to catch a variety of fish in the fall. Learn a bit about fishing in autumn for walleye, muskellunge, northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass and lake sturgeon.
- Oct. 18: Ciscos – Minnesota lakes’ keystone fish species: DNR fisheries experts Cory Goldsworthy and EJ Isaac will join us to talk about cisco. Also called tullibee or herring, they are members of the whitefish family and are commonly found in cold and deep Minnesota lakes. They will cover why cisco are so important to Minnesota lake ecosystems, how they are being impacted by climate change, and how anglers can catch them.
- Oct. 25: Selecting a knife and keeping it sharp: Join blade expert Derek Clark of Backcountry Hunter and Anglers as he covers the science of knife selection. Clark will discuss the factors to consider when selecting that next hunting knife and how to care for it.
- Nov. 1: Elk in Minnesota: Connie Cox, DNR naturalist, and Blane Klemek, DNR northwest regional wildlife manager, will share the history of Minnesota’s elk herds and how they are managed, including some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to hunt them.
- Nov. 8: No Child Left Inside Grant Program: The Minnesota Legislature has provided significant funding the last few years to support the No Child Left Inside grant program. Funds are available to nonprofit organizations, schools, and other government entities to connect youth with nature and get them engaged in outdoor recreation. Join us to learn about the program, hear success stories from past grant projects and how you can apply for upcoming funding.
- Nov. 15: Planning a BWCAW trip: Join Jess Edberg, executive director of the Dorothy Molter Museum, and Benji Kohn, DNR volunteer mentor program coordinator, in a discussion about trip itineraries, campsites, maps, portages, permits and new tools to help you decide where to go. From a “I want to relax” trip to “I want to put on some miles and explore” trip, they will share some of their favorites and help you get started in planning your next adventure.
- Nov. 22: Galls, burls and brooms! Oh my!: This webinar will explore the Lilliputian world of galls, burls, brooms and other non-metazoan plant diseases. Galls are little hidden insect homes inside plants. You’ve definitely seen some before, such as the ping-pong ball sized lumps on goldenrod. Learning what to look for will open an awe-inspiring world that’s been overlooked your entire life. Plant expert, Sam Guida, will teach us more about these lumps on leaves and other curious plant diseases.
- Nov. 29: Emerald ash borer and impacts to Minnesota forests: Rachael Dube, a DNR forest health specialist, will share information on the emerald ash borer and its impacts on our communities and forests. She’ll also cover what you can do to prepare for and control emerald ash borer and how to manage a healthy forest in the face of this pest.