Staff Directory 6370590

Dennis Anderson

Columnist | Outdoors
Phone: 612-673-4424

Outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson joined the Star Tribune in 1993 after serving in the same position at the St. Paul Pioneer Press for 13 years. His column topics vary widely, and include canoeing, fishing, hunting, adventure travel and conservation of the environment.


Anderson was born in North Dakota, but grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Minnesota, Morris and a master's in journalism from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where his focus was communications law.
Recent content from Dennis Anderson
Every spring the Great Blue Herons return to their inner city rookery on two islands in the Mississippi River near Marshall Terrace Park.

Anderson: Appreciating early spring can be antidote for troubled times

Sigurd Olson was right: "Spring is a time of rare transcendent beauty and promise.''
The Manitoba duck licensing scheme

Anderson: Though still winging it, Manitoba has U.S. duck hunters in its sights

Minnesota sends more waterfowlers to the province than any state, but restrictions are changing.
Abby Stone, 27, of Des Moines, Iowa, who learned to hunt pheasants after moving to Iowa from Illinois to attend college, isn't a diehard basketball fa

Anderson: Caitlin Clark isn't the only Iowa woman riding a success streak

A pheasant resurgence is attracting Iowa women who want to be outdoors and harvest their own food. Meet Abby Stone, whose college years included learning to hunt.
For $11, the Ely Steam Sauna offers a true Finnish experience - and a dry towel. Open since 1915, the business might be the longest-running public sau

Anderson: Before saunas got cool, Ely Steam Sauna was already hot

All you need to know about the difference between the century-old sauna — compared to the trendy sauna 'events' being offered around the state — is what $11 will get you in Ely.
Thousands of Minnesota high school trapshooters converged on Alexandria for the state championships in 2023.

Anderson: Lead-ban legislation could set back thriving prep trapshooters

In attempting to do so much with so little explanation, this bill likely would self-destruct — setting back for years more legitimate attempts to limit lead use in Minnesota.
Better habitat, more deer. More deer, more deer hunters, and traditions continue on strong. It's an uncomplicated formula.

Anderson: In north woods deer hunting debate, we're not seeing the forest

We can't drown in the details of northeast Minnesota's deer hunting decline. Let's start by protecting our habitat, so deer there, and deer hunters, can thrive again.
Peter Sorensen sat against the hull of his boat as Jeff Whitty, a research biologist, steered them down the Mississippi River towards their target are

Anderson: Are we going to save Minnesota waters from carp, or not?

Gov. Walz and the Minnesota DNR continuing to withhold support for an invasive carp block is 'environmentally irresponsible,' says a researcher with four decades of experience.
Lance Woods of Dent, Minn., not far from Fergus Falls, will cross the Iditarod Trail using all vintage gear, including a 1973 snowmobile, 1936 Swedish

Anderson: A new idea using old gear to go big across the Iditarod Trail

No stranger to Alaska, Minnesota adventurer plans will keep things vintage from snowmobile to sleeping bag.
As a young man, Roy Pinder of Spanish Wells in the Bahamas could free dive 70 feet. But on one spearfishing trip, he couldn't evade a shark.

Anderson: In the Bahamas, pursuing dinner can also bring hungry sharks

Bahamas native recounts shark attack that left 400 stitches after a deep dive decades ago.
A great winter driver and ice-fishing vehicle, this 1994 Suzuki Sidekick followed production of its forerunner, the Suzuki Samurai.

Anderson: For anglers on early ice, this is the little SUV that can

On Lake of the Woods, the relatively lightweight, vintage 4x4s are in high demand, even if it's a vehicle you wouldn't want to take on the highway.
DNR invasive carp specialist Brian Glasow held a fish netted near Trempealeau, Wis. This monster is representative of the invasive carp that increasin

Anderson: Invasive carp deterrent possible, and chance to do what's right

The outlandishly ugly fish are moving up the Mississippi River to Minnesota rivers and lakes. Without action, the consequences could be dire.
Walleye fishing on Mille Lacs has been curtailed this winter because of mild weather and weak ice. Extending the season would allow for more fishing,

Anderson: With better ice, should DNR extend winter walleye fishing?

The warmer-than-normal winter created problems for businesses in and around the state's resorts. Now that the ice is good, should the state help them out if the cold weather holds?
The cover of a Kennedy Bros. Arms Co. of St. Paul outdoor gear catalog, which featured a wide range of hunting and fishing equipment.

Anderson: Midwest Mountaineering joins long list of outfitters to close

Kennedy Bros. Arms Co. in St. Paul in the 1800s sold guns to buffalo hunters. They are part of a deep history of Minnesota outfitters here, then gone.
Wildlife artist Jim Killen of Owatonna with his yellow Labrador, Winston. Killen, who died Jan. 6, owned with his wife, Karen, 18 breeds of dogs in hi

Anderson: From canvas to conservation, Jim Killen left his mark

Some of the Owatonna resident's best work was as a conservationist. Killen died Jan. 6 at age 89.

Anderson: Annual DNR roundtable needs action over meet-and-greet

The gathering seems like a missed opportunity to engage Minnesotans in legitimately working toward a future in the outdoors that they want.
An ice crack exposed a gap of open water on Upper Red Lake in December.

Anderson: After multiple Upper Red rescues, sheriff said that's enough

Cold weather is forecast and will make ice daily. But for now, most vehicle traffic is shut down on the big northern lake in Beltrami County.
On an Alaska do-it-yourself caribou hunt taken by Dennis Anderson and three others, long hikes in mountains about 100 air miles north of Fairbanks wer

Anderson: No better time for adventure than now

No better time than now, at the beginning of a new year, to plan an adventure outside of your comfort zone
With four students in a one-room school house for grades K-6, teacher Allen Edman, left, is joined by Alessa Mallett, Rob Shoen, Alyssa Johnson and Ha

Anderson: Christmas at the distant Northwest Angle, where quiet and walleyes rule

Classroom projects for the four grade school students at the Angle's one-room schoolhouse included butchering a deer.

Anderson: Christmas lunch keeps my outdoor allies bonded, even virtually

Hunting and fishing were the reasons this bunch of friends met, and their bonds grew over the years. Some attend in person, some in spirit. I have stories about all of them.

Anderson: Letting everyone use crossbows is wrong for bow hunting

Until this year, only the elderly and people with disabilities in Minnesota could use powerful crossbows to hunt deer. The change was made by the Legislature without public hearings being held.

Anderson: In winter, crappies can't hide from anglers' latest gadget

Crappies prefer deep water in winter. But with new sonar technology, anglers can find, catch and release them, sometimes with deadly results.

Anderson: They're back. Invasive carp take aim at state's waters again

The DNR will finalize a new plan to deter invasive carp from further infesting the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers. Will it work?
Elly Stortroen, right, 12, of Fergus Falls, Minn., is a fan of blaze pink while deer hunting, while her cousin, Alex Pederson, 15, prefers traditional

Anderson: Hunting in pink is legal, but makes some women see red

The bill legalizing pink clothing was authored by a man who 'thought it might help' attract more women to hunt. Among others, Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, a hunter, was offended by the idea. And the gear can be hard to find, too.
Ted Williams and his then-girlfriend Doris Soule, of Princeton, Minn., after a fine day hunting in 1942.

Anderson: With bat or shotgun, Ted Williams hit home runs in Minnesota

The late Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams said the best year he ever had was in 1938 when he was hunting and fishing — and playing baseball for the Minneapolis Millers.
Women hunters in South Dakota included, clockwise from bottom left, Emilie Hitch, Jackie Taylor, Maija Hoehn, Anne Mezzenga, Danyel O’Connor, Lacy C

Anderson: Minnesota women aim for camaraderie and hit the mark

Ten women who hadn't hunted before headed west from Minnesota to South Dakota to flush, and shoot, pheasants.
Wolves in the northeast have decimated the deer population, which has been hampered in recent years by tough winters as well.

Anderson: The DNR needs to act as wolves decimate deer in Minnesota

Hunters and conservation officers alike in northeast Minnesota have watched as deer populations and deer hunters dwindle. Solutions are needed.
This buck was rubbing its forehead on a “licking branch’’ on property owned by Bill Marchel, who lives near Brainerd. Licking branches, together

Anderson: A dedicated hunter was overdue; then a buck walked up

Minnesota wildlife photographer Bill Marchel can spend years in a bow stand on his property, waiting for a quality buck to pass his way. Here's what happened when it did.
For many of Minnesota’s more than 400,000 firearms deer hunters, campfires and the tales told around them are highlights of their seasons.

Anderson: Going deer hunting this weekend? Here are five keys to success

Understanding whitetail behavior, knowing your gun and — above all — being safe are among the keys to experiencing a memorable Minnesota firearms deer opener.
As the sun sets, Will Smith, foreground, and Dan Gahlon watch redheads, ring-necked ducks, green-winged teal and trumpeter swans trade back and forth

Anderson: Ducks (and ghosts) of Lake Christina revel in its comeback

Central Minnesota's Lake Christina had gone from a natural wonder to a murky cesspool nearly devoid of birds. But technology has brought back ducks — and tales of its past.
Brothers Henry Ernst, 98, left, and John Ernst, 96, of St. Paul still look to the skies each fall for mallards and other ducks.

Anderson: Duck hunters in their 90s still where they want to be — a marsh

Brothers Henry Ernst, 98, and John Ernst, 96, of St. Paul still look to the skies each fall for mallards and other ducks.
Nicholas Sovell, left, held a rooster pheasant aloft that was among 14 birds taken by a group hunting in western Minnesota on a productive opening day

Anderson: The walks weren't wasted on Minnesota's pheasant opener

The DNR's ringneck forecast based on August roadside counts proved accurate, with plenty of birds flushed on Saturday.
In his day, Del the black Labrador saw a lot of open country and loved it all, drake mallard retrieving especially.

Anderson: When a hunting dog's time comes, so does the pain

A black Labrador, Del saw a lot of open country, from shooting estates in England to pheasant openers in Minnesota.
Thanks to thousands of acres of new habitat purchased with Legacy Amendment funds, and thanks also to conservationists’ efforts, the pheasant’s fu

Anderson: State pheasant prospects bright, should get even brighter

Accelerated habitat purchases and pheasant and waterfowl hunters' conservation efforts are helping the state's most beautiful gamebird.
Thirteen-year-old Ryker Copp of Warren in northwest Minnesota drew a once-in-a-lifetime DNR elk permit and shot this 8x10 bull.

Minnesota boy, 13, drops massive 1,000-pound bull elk

The hard-to-get DNR hunting permit eluded the boy's father, but young Ryker Copp was one of two to win the license lottery in a special area near the Canadian border.

Anderson: Epic adventure born in Minnesota takes paddlers into the Arctic

Three years in planning and decades in dreaming, the adventure was filled with Northern Lights, wildlife and challenges. It was a life-changing experience.

Epic adventure born in Minnesota takes six paddlers north into the Arctic

Sophie Arhart, left, with her sister Gracie and Ace the black Labrador in southern Minnesota during Saturday’s duck opener. Two woodies, a pintail a

Anderson: Lifetime of loving ducks fuels outdoorswoman's career

Sophie Arhart grew up in the outdoors, and the payoff is doing what she loves working for Ducks Unlimited.

Anderson: Minnesota history takes wing in new book about state duck camps

A lifelong duck hunter who grew up in Otter Tail County spent six years researching, writing and publishing the 756-page book.

Minnesota hunting history takes wing in new book about state duck camps

A lifelong duck hunter who grew up in Otter Tail County spent six years researching, writing and publishing the 756-page book.
For the first time, crossbows will be legal this fall for special archery hunts at Camp Ripley — and statewide — thanks to a law change by the Leg

Anderson: Legislators, crossbow hunters both take the easy way out

Society has become infatuated with giving rewards for little to no effort — that was on display when the Legislature more broadly legalized crossbows without a hearing.
grouse hunting in minnesota

Anderson: Fall hunters who hike for birds (and some Bud Grant wisdom)

Upland hunters prefer to walk for their birds, often endlessly, rather than sit in a duck blind and await their prey to arrive. Boot leather, briar-proof pants and Bud Grant were made for the challenge.
Blue-winged teal (Anas discors) in flight

Anderson: Blue-winged teal's surge turns duck hunting on its head

For the first time in Minnesota history, mallards were not the most abundant duck in hunters' bags last season. Here's why that happened.
Lane Johnson, a forest research scientist at the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Forestry Center, held photos of a controlled fire set on the pine

Anderson: North Woods researchers look to Indigenous techniques to fight fire with fire

At the University of Minnesota's Cloquet Forestry Center, ancient uses of fire by Indigenous people and its many benefits are being researched.
Barrett Gregory, 4, experienced his first “Up North” vacation recently, spending time with his parents at a family friend’s cabin.

Anderson: In his cancer battle, a 4-year-old catches a fish — and a break

Barrett Gregory caught a fish. Played on a beach. Sat around a campfire. Drove a boat on a northern Minnesota lake. All while his parents, grandparents and friends watched and laughed — and were finally able to relax.
Dallas Hudson of rural Akeley, Minn., finds pleasure in rowing to a favorite fishing spot on a warm summer evening.

Anderson: Are Minnesota anglers putting too much pressure on big northern pike?

Dallas Hudson has spent his life studying animal populations, he measured, weighed, sexed, and tagged northerns on his 160-acre lake over about eight years.
Martha Minchak, a retired Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife manager, walked through a diverse hardwoods stand that she helped manage

Anderson: DNR logs big failure in fish and wildlife land squabble

Doing the right thing for its own sake, and also to follow the law, is a lesson the DNR should learn in this logging conflict with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Last year ahead of Game Fair, Chuck Delaney posed with a portrait of his wife, Loral I, who died in 2021. Their long-running event reflects collective

Anderson: Game Fair carries on, honoring a famed outdoorswoman

Chuck Delaney, 90, sees the show, held on the family's land in Ramsey, as testament to the way he and his late wife — champion trapshooter and famed dog trainer, Loral I Delaney — lived their lives.
A grizzly bear in Glacier National Park in Montana. Wildlife officials are looking to hire a grizzly bear conflict manager in Montana. (Frank Fichtmue

Anderson: The grizzly bears attacked, and a Minnesota man recalls the horror

A teenager from Edina got free, but the fatal maulings of two young women, one also a Minnesotan, forever changed the history of Glacier National Park and the way its bears are managed.
Muskies in warm water are particularly susceptible to delayed mortality, meaning they die prematurely after appearing to be in good shape when release

Anderson: Minnesota can get too hot for fishing — and we're about there

With temperatures in the 90s and water temperature not that far behind, we're reaching a point when anglers should consider parking their boats and hang up their rods until things cool down.
Fly angler John Butler hooks a smallmouth bass on a surface “popper’’ while his fishing partner, Ted Higman, leaves the oars of his drift boat p

Anderson: Wild, scenic and kind-of fishy, the Upper St. Croix is a wonder

Smallmouth bass — feisty and exciting to pursue and hook — are among the attractions on the St. Croix River. It also harbors the rarest of present-day commodities, one that's among the most fragile
Scenes like this keep anglers fishing in mid-summer, a time when families in particular try their luck on Minnesota waters.

Anderson: Midsummer fishing isn't as easy, but here's how to hook 'em

Walleye action slows at this time of year because of the weather. But there are still opportunities for a successful outing. Here are some tips for making that happen.
Riding a horse requires control of the animal by the rider. But oftentimes control is illusory, which is both the frustration of equine sports, and th

Anderson: 4 a.m. wake-up, extra caffeine and a road trip to ride

Our columnist takes you along for the ride — in his truck at sunrise, to McDonald's for an unusual breakfast option and on the back of a gelding named Olaf.
A service helicopter dumps water on a back burn along the Gunflint Trail in 2007.

Can the BWCA be saved from fire — by fire?

Climate change virtually ensures future fires in the wilderness area — something Indigenous people survived for eons. Can we learn something from their ancient practices?
Zach Piescher, left, and Cole Semler, students at Cambridge-Isanti High School, won the High School Fishing National Championship on the Mississippi R

Anderson: Pumping gas, landing bass. Two Minnesota teen anglers make history

Zach Piescher and Cole Semler of Cambridge-Isanti can stake claim to being the best high school bass anglers in the United States. It was a weird journey.
Lake of the Woods is one of Minnesota’s — and Canada’s — most beautiful lakes, and one of North America’s best fishing waters.

Anderson: Fishing's rule No. 1? Follow rules — or face consequences

A fish possession limit in Minnesota means just that: A person is allowed only one limit of a regulated fish species at a time. The stakes are especially high on one heavily fished border lake.

Anderson: Kelley Farms soon to be wildlife management area

DNR hopes to take possession of the 1,820-acre property by the end of the year.
Roger Strand is shown here in 2019 in an heirloom duck shack near New London, Minn.

Anderson: Strand — physician and conservationist — will be missed

Roger Strand, of New London in Kandiyohi County, died June 5 at age 87.
Restoring drained wetlands and plowed grasslands has been a priority for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, created by passage in 2008 of the Legacy Amendment

Anderson: If you won't do it, who will speak up for state's wetlands?

Wondering why Minneapolis is suddenly pockmarked with sinkholes, or why basements of homes in the Minnehaha Creek watershed are filling with water? It's the same reason we don't have the numbers of ducks we once did.
Creating time and space for kids to fish. Someone did that a few summers ago for Jailyn Combs, then 10, at Hidden Falls Regional Park.

Anderson: Fishing hooks kids and grown-ups together, and we should do it more often

In Minnesota and Alaska and a million places in between, kids can benefit from fishing — fish or no fish. Getting them started early can yield lifelong benefits, including to parents.
Fishing on Mille Lacs on this May day was made a little easier with sonar technology.

Anderson: Will new tech mean the end of fishing, or the end of fishing as we know it?

New gadgets allow anglers to see underwater in real time, and watch their lures fall toward their targets.
A silver carp caught in an Illinois waterway.

Anderson: While invasive carp swim upstream, DNR forms a committee

The presence of silver carp in the Mississippi River and the threat they pose to Minnesota game fish, as well as lake and river recreation, has been apparent for at least a dozen years.
Guiding is a way of life for some in Minnesota’s outdoors.

Anderson: Guides' guide to summer, whether boating, fishing or paddling

Some of Minnesota's most interesting people make a living not in an office but in a boat or canoe.
Kay Hawley is an avid angler and one of 1,200 members of the group Women Anglers of Minnesota.

Anderson: In Minnesota, fish hook women, too — and in big numbers

In Minnesota, about 20% of anglers are women — a number that's thought to be highest in the nation. But would even more take to the water if given the chance?
Thousands of anglers descended Saturday on Upper Red Lake, a popular destination on opening day where walleye limits were commonplace.

Anderson: On yet another opener, Upper Red produces many walleyes

Thousands of anglers descend on the lake in northern Minnesota, seeking five-walleye limits.
Legendary Leech Lake fishing guide Al Maas, right, with his grandson, Grant, who is also a guide. 

Anderson: Meet Leech Lake's legend who fishes on despite paralysis

A 2019 stroke and accident left him almost entirely paralyzed, but 85-year-old Al Maas, a longtime guide on the northern Minnesota lake, keeps looking forward to the walleye opener.
'Walleye Road Trip': Cruise Minnesota and catch our tastiest fish

'Walleye Road Trip': Cruise Minnesota and catch our tastiest fish

To spark the imagination and nurture the wanderlust many anglers harbor, follow along with outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson on our seven-day Walleye Road Trip.
Anderson: Ice-out for walleye opener? Local anglers offer updates

Anderson: Ice-out for walleye opener? Local anglers offer updates

Spring has come late, and slowly, to northern Minnesota. Here's the latest conditions on our favorite lakes.
In 1992, Gov. Arne Carlson announced an effort to to clean up the Minnesota River. Carlson held a sample of dirty river water collected after a heavy

Anderson: Environmental Q&A with former Gov. Carlson. 'It's our survival we're talking about'

"I've always felt if a choice must be made between commerce and the environment, the environment should win,'' former Minnesota governor Arne Carlson said in an interview with columnist Dennis Anderson.
Deer hunting in Minnesota.

Anderson: Hunters, target shooters stand amid important gun debates

Purchasing a gun for sporting pursuits regardless of its cost or quality necessarily implies a belief in, and an intent to participate in, this nation's unique freedoms.
In 2005, a Capitol Mall rally of “Guns and Greens’’ attracted 6,000 Minnesotans in support of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

Anderson: Earth Day reminds 'Guns and Greens' to work together

Too often, environmentalists and hunters and anglers miss opportunities to conserve our natural resources.
Paul Dick, Rex Hibbert and Rob Hallstrom, from left, posed in Circle City, Alaska, where they ran into more mechanical issues.

Anderson: 'Old Guy' snowmobilers call Alaskan adventure a success

After suffering snowmobile breakdowns the last two days of their trip, the three men rode the last leg into Fairbanks on wheels.
Paul Dick, 72, Rob Hallstrom, 65, and Rex Hibbert, 70 , repair one of their snowmobiles in Fort Yukon, Alaska.

Anderson: On trail again, 'old guy' snowmobilers heading for Fairbanks

With help from local residents, damaged machine is retrieved and repaired.
The "three old guys'' travel on the Porcupine River in Alaska, headed for Fort Yukon, a trip that was interrupted by a snowmobile fire.

Fire on the trail: New obstacle delays 'Old Guy' snowmobilers in Alaska

The latest delay in the Minnesota-to-Alaska adventure came over the weekend when one of the snowmobiles caught fire and needed to be abandoned. Here's what happened and what's ahead.
Operating without a follow-along support crew, the three "old guy'' snowmobilers brought excess parts with them, and are shown here in Old Crow, Yukon

Gritty, 'old guy' snowmobilers (hopefully) within a few hundred miles of Fairbanks

Paul Dick, Rex Hibbert and Rob Hallstrom are experienced long-distance snowmobile adventurers and racers, and are equally adept with wrenches.
A fly fisher casts his line in the waters of the South Branch of the Root River in Forestville/Mystery State Park Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Preston

Anderson: Wading into fly fishing in Minnesota in 10 easy steps

Carl Haensel and Jade Thomason, a husband-and-wife team from Duluth, have published two new books that will help both novice and experienced fly anglers enjoy many fishing opportunities.