outdoors

Last weekend marked the second annual North American Shed Hunting Dog Association World Championships held at Oak Ridge Kennels in Northfield, MN. The event drew participants from across the country in its sophomore year and once again attracted Outdoor Channel superstar Tiffany Lakosky, the better half of Lee & Tiffany's The Crush.

I approached Tiffany and was greeted with a big smile and some sloppy kisses. The smile was hers....the sloppy kisses were from her lab Tank. 

 ^{Tank & Tiffany Lakosky}

Tiffany's husband, last year's Junior and Amateur Champion, Lee Lakosky was back in Iowa licking his wounds from a recent fight with a corn planter (he fractured his wrist in 6 places). Have no fear Lee, your wife and mother in-law Linda Profant represented you well!

Tiffany was off with Tank on their first run of the day which gave me a chance to catch up with her mom Linda. You've probably seen Linda begrudgingly on The Crush. She explained to me she avoids the camera and has threatened to withhold food from any camera crew that gets too near her kitchen. She is generally first on the distribution of good-news texts from the field and if you're a fan of Lee & Tiffany, there's frequent texts talking about big bucks down! Linda was pretty reserved and had low expectations about her prospects for victory with 2 year old Kyah. "I was hoping for a top 10 finish and would have been happy if Kyah managed to find all the sheds".

Despite her camera shyness and low expectations Linda was kind enough to let me tag along with her on her first run of the day and what a run it was.

 ^{Kyah in Action Finding and Retrieving a Shed Antler}

The course is set on a trail that cuts through trees, crosses bean fields and weaves its way through the Northfield countryside. Linda and a judge jogged down the trail behind Kyah as she ran nose to the ground hoping to "find the bone"-- the command Linda used to motivate her partner.

  ^{Linda Profant and a Judge Try to Keep Up with Kyah}

5 minutes 36 seconds and six sheds later later, Lynda and Kyah had set the fastest time of the day.  Lynda was greeted by smiles and high fives from Tiffany at the break between Lynda's first and second run.

 ^{Tiffany and Linda Celebrate Linda's Fantastic Run}

It didn't end there. Linda went on to win the Junior division and place 4th overall, with Tiffany and Tank taking a respectable 2nd place overall.

 ^{Kyah and Linda Profant with their Junior Division 1st Place Trophy}

The victory was a pleasant surprise for Tiffany and brought tears to her eyes. "I called Lee and he was hooting and hollering....we couldn't be more proud of my mom!".

One guy who was not surprised was Tom Dokken, owner of Oak Ridge Kennels, Dokken Training Products and founder of the competition.

"This is not a sport just for guys. It's a family event where women, men and kids can be competitive." There are judges-- it's just a man or woman and her dog against the clock."

This year's event drew competitors from across the country including Arizona and Georgia with a strong contingent from the upper Midwest. Regional qualifying events across the country  in 2012 should lead to an even bigger and more diverse field in 2012.

^{Win Mitchell and his Lab Duchess}

Northfield's Win Mitchell won both the Novice and Open categories.

Will the Lakosky's be back? "Absolutely!" says Ms. Tiffany. "Well, if they'll have us back" says Linda. Something tells me these first ladies of shed dog hunting will be welcomed back with open arms.

For more info:

Check out

The Crush

on Sundays at 6:30 PM CST on Outdoor Channel

Dokken's Shed Dog Trainer

 Follow me on Twitter: mjpetrie

Minnesota’s bizarre ice season had me looking north in search of good ice and great fishing. When the opportunity to travel to Saskatchewan presented itself I had no choice but to commit. Who wouldn’t want to go to Saskatchewan in February?!! Anticipation grew and my departure drew nearer. Just saying “Saskatchewan” brought with it a bit of an adrenaline rush. I was advised by a friend that in order to fit in I would be advised to pronounce the province Sas-KATCH-win as opposed to the Minnesotan version Sas-Katch-u-juan. Armed with this cultural knowledge I departed for SK with rods and gear for a weekend of Saskatchewan ice fishing. I’ve heard great stories of ducks, deer and amazing fishing and was eager experience first-hand what Saskatchewan had to offer.

The context of my invitation added to the excitement. The city of Prince Albert was hosting an inaugural fishing marathon to raise money for local charities. The event would coincide with Canada’s largest winter festival, an annual event held in P.A. (that’s local-speak for Prince Albert). I was eager to share my experience fishing in the annual Fishing for Life marathon held on Lake Minnetonka each summer.

Saskatoon is the largest city in SK and is easily accessible from the Twin Cities with 2 hour 5 minute direct flights from Delta and cheaper connecting flights on United Airlines via Denver. As we approached the runway for landing we buzzed Wholesale Sports which holds a little-known piece of Minnesota history. Rochester bow huntress Michele Leqve is the first woman to kill a polar bear with a bow. Federal regulations forbid her to import her trophy so it’s proudly displayed at Wholesale Sports. After a quick photo op we were on the road to Prince Albert which would be our base camp for the next few days.

^{Michele Leqve's Polar Bear on Display in Saskatoon}

My host for the weekend would be Strikemaster pro-staffer and fishing legend Holly Chow. Holly is a renowned guide in Manitoba chasing trophy walleye on Lake Winnipeg in the winter and guiding for trophy catfish on the Red River during ice out. Holly committed to promoting a couple events in the PA area but appears to have been adopted by the community and will most likely not be allowed to leave, ever. At 5’ and approximately 100 lbs Holly possesses unbridled passion that goes well beyond her physical stature. I met Holly on a shoot last year at Lake Winnie shooting a story on the ladies of Strikemaster…a group of pro-female anglers who share a passion for fishing. While our top priority was fishing, it was clear to me that Holly’s passion goes well beyond our favorite pastime.

 ^{Fishing Pro Holly Chow}

Prince Albert is a community of 45,000 people in central Saskatchewan that’s not immune to the challenges facing many rural cities in the US and Canada. There’s no shortage of disadvantaged children who are in need of positive role models and opportunities. Fortunately for them there are individuals like Holly and the organization she represents, The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre of Prince Albert, who care deeply about the kids and the community. My first night there I was invited to attend a music show called Voices of the North which featured singers from across the province. It’s an American Idol style event but was created about a decade before Idol. While all the singers were good I bet at least two of them were American Idol caliber talent. It was inspiring to see a community come together to support their own talent.

The fishing marathon started bright and early on Saturday morning. 45 anglers had been issued pledge packets and were tasked with soliciting pledges for the fishing marathon. Participating anglers would be eligible for some fantastic prizes, many of which donated by Minnesota companies including Big Lake auger manufacturer Strikemaster and Medina-based Clam Corporation. Fishing on the river proved challenging….for me it was a physical challenge as I drilled 50 holes through 30” ice! For the anglers it was battling rough currents and less than ideal conditions (clear sky and a pressure system that blew through the night before) Fish were few and far between but that didn’t dampen spirits. The honor for biggest fish was awarded to Lauren Ball, who also was a top earner in the pledge category. He wasn’t too proud of his freshwater burbot (that’s eelpout to you me!) but I assured him that somewhere in the Walker, MN. area people would be pleased. 

  ^{Lauren Ball and His Prize Winning Burbot (eelpout)}

The marathon ended with participants leaving with some sort of prize package and over $10,000 raised for the Friendship Centre.  Everyone left with a sense that they contributed to the future of the youth of Prince Albert so I would say it was a success!

The end of the marathon meant Holly and I were free to explore the lakes of Saskatchewan. We headed north with Friendship Centre VP Ron Fiddler, his son Ryan, and Prince Albert Tourism Director Dwight Bergstrom. The landscape changes on the north side of the Northern Saskatchewan River. The road looks like Highway Two heading north out of Two Harbors and turns to gravel after about 30 miles. I was on the lookout for wildlife as the area is thick with deer, moose, bears, coyotes and even wolves. I only spotted a couple of coyotes but noticed they use anatomically-correct deer signs (below) as opposed to our backwards-antlered deer signs!

After about 90 minutes we rolled into the Rainbow Lodge on Piprell Lake and were greeted by owners Rich & Shelly Lawrence. After a quick change of clothing and a brief fishing report we drove out on over 24” of great ice. Within about 30 minutes of fishing we accomplished goal number one which was to get Dwight on his first ever fish through the ice. Mission accomplished with this nice Rainbow!

 ^{Prince Albert Tourism Director Dwigth Bergstrom}

Piprell is a stocked trout lake loaded with trophy splake, rainbow, brown and tigers. It’s a gem of a lake situated in the middle of a treasure trove of prime fishing water. Within an hour of the lake you can find trophy northern, lake trout and walleye lakes including Lake Tobin where the world record walleye was caught last winter.

Fishing was relatively slow but we made the best of a beautiful sunny and 35 degree day and had a walleye fish fry on the ice. By late afternoon the bite had picked up and we landed several nice splake including this one...the biggest of my career!

^{Mitch Petrie and his Career-Best Splake}

^{Darrell Prokopie, President of Prince Albert Winterfest}

After a full day of fishing we headed back to Prince Albert for our next adventure….a sled dog experience! This week in Prince Albert is the Canadian Sled Dog Challenge which is a race from Prince Albert to La Ronge and back which is about 300 miles round trip. Last year’s winner finished the course in just over 12 hours. This race is a qualifying race for the Iditarod which starts in 9 days (and no, despite internet rumors the Iditarod hasn't been canceled!).

My whirlwind tour ended with a 1.5 hour drive back to Saskatoon and an uneventful 2 hour flight home to Minneapolis. In less time than it takes to drive to my home town of Mankato I was able to escape to a Canadian winter paradise and was very happy I made the trip. I look forward to future trips to Saskatchewan and will undoubtedly return for more fishing, hunting, Canadian wilderness and some of the nicest people on the planet!

 For More Information:

Saskatchewan Tourism

Rainbow Lodge on Lake Piprell : Tel: 306-426-2100

 Indian Metis Friendship Centre of Prince Albert

This just in from MN DNR Youth Mentoring Coordinator Mike "Cold Front" Kurre..... Attention first-time youth turkey hunters, get your applications in to quality for a mentored hunt. Here are the details provided by Cold Front:

Through a cooperative effort in 2003 between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the MN National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) a pullet of a Mentored Youth Turkey hunt was started by a handful of unnamed mentors. In 2004 the flock grew to 30 participants and more than doubled in ’05 and ‘06 to 63 & 79 rookie hunters respectively.  Since then the youths numbers have expanded to 167, 284, 305, 276 and last year’s 265 (numbers dropped due to youths being able to purchase their license over the counter the past few years and mentors providing family opportunities).

These hunts are unique as  a parent/guardian are required  to be a significant part of the required clinic, scouting, hunt and post hunt luncheon where the kids share the story of the day as it unfolded…hopefully folding a turkey. In fact, the average success rate is 42%, a full 10% higher than the regular lottery turkey hunter rate; due to the extensive scouting the NWTF volunteers do before the season. The goal is to provide an early experience in life, education, opportunity, social support, skilled turkey hunting volunteer and have some FUN…..so families can take the next step afield on their own or with the guidance of a new NWTF friend.

Attached are detailed information, application and map of participating National Wild Turkey Federation chapters. Youths and guardians can find the application at: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/hunting/youth/youth-springturkeyapp.pdf or www.mndnr.gov/discover  and click on the Youth Mentored Turkey Hunt. 

Gobble Gobble!

Over 600 participates competed for prizes in the annual Holes for Heroes ice fishing contest on Medicine Lake in Plymouth. The annual event, organized by Fishing for Life, benefits veterans, active military and their families. By all accounts the event was a huge success!

Fish were weighed in by species with great prizes award to youth and not so youth categories. Samantha Berent, age 6, from Mound weighed in the day's first crappie which turned out to be good enough to win biggest fish her category.

 ^{Samantha Berent, age 6, Mound, is interviewed by event emcee Mike "Cold Front" Kurre.}

 ^{Samantha Berent and her parents Amber and Brian show off Amber's hardware!}

^{Amber Berent and Grandpa Steve "Papa" Hendrickson (both of Mound).}

One of the coolest parts of the event was the Hole of Honor. Spouses and thier kids with loved-ones deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan registered for the opportunity to video chat via Skype with their loved one overseas while the family fished. It was pretty cool to see and hear a father giving ice fishing pointers to his wife and young son and daughter from half way around the world. When the mom mentioned she didn't know how to know she was 1' off the bottom as suggested by her husband I stepped in and helped set the depth of their jig and wax worm. Like most Minnesotans I appreciate the sacrifices that our military and their families make for us. After spending a few short minutes with this family I have and even greater appreciation of the sacrifice these families make and experienced the vision of Fishing for Life founder Tom Goodrich. 

^{Military Families Fish and Connect with Loved Ones Overseas}

^{Another Long-Distance Connection}

If you made it out yesterday, thanks for coming. If you missed it, make plans for next year. It's a great way to honor our Veterans and to have a little fun while doing it!

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would say my addiction to predator hunting is about about a 9. If you've never hunted coyotes I suggest you read on....I'm confident I can get your addiction level in the 7 to 8 range in a matter of a couple paragraphs!

I did my first stand for coyotes 5 years ago. I picked up a cheap electronic predator call from Sportsman's Guide and went out with a rifle in search of my first yote. I didn't do a lot of research or scouting in advance and my lack of results in the field started to wear on me. The next two seasons I spent more time online reading about coyote hunting and talking with friends and industry contacts who knew what they were talking about. Two years ago while turkey hunting in Prior Lake I had a close encounter with a coyote that fueled my passion for coyote hunting. Finally, after several years of trials and tribulations I shot my first coyote last winter, followed by my second....45 seconds later!

So after over 2 years of trying it appeared as though I finally cracked the code. The biggest mistakes I had been making in my early attempts were 1. trying to get to close to where I thought the coyotes were and 2. not paying close enough attention to the wind when I set up. Both problems have been easily corrected by 1. buying a FOXPRO Fury so I can call them in from long distances and 2. paying better attention to the elements when I plan a stand!

Coyote hunting is one of the fastest growing segments in the hunting industry...here's why:

1. Feel the Rush! When you have your first experience of a coyote running to your call not only will you be addicted, you'll probably convince 10 friends to join the addiction!

2. Hunters Welcome! Landowners are generally very generous in giving coyote hunters access to property to help control the population. I don't recall ever being denied access to land for coyote hunting....I wish that was the case for deer hunting! As always, be respectful when asking for permission.

3. Geared Up! You already own most of the gear you need for the hunt. If you have a 12 gauge shotgun you can pick up a super-full choke and some Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote to be effective within 50-60 yards. .243/.223/.22-250 rifles are also very effective at longer distances. You can kill a coyote with a .17 but my friends tell me it's probably on the lighter side of what you need to knock down a coyote.

4. Extend your Season! Ever have a big-game season that didn't fully scratch your itch? Prime time for coyotes in MN is December-February. This will help you bridge the gap between deer and turkey seasons!

5. Strong Population! Have you read all the news lately about people/coyote encounters? It's because there are more coyotes in MN than ever and they sit near the top of the food chain. They're also pretty smart and elusive so you don't see too many dead on the roads.

6. Smart Dog! Their intelligence makes the an exciting animal to hunt. As my experience taught me you can't typically ignore the basics of hunting and expect success. When you put the effort in and it leads to success it's a very rewarding hunt.

7. Cash In! A decent coyote pelt can bring in $50-$70. In recent years that amount has been over $125. If you can shoot 30-40 coyotes a year without driving 10,000 miles you might be able to pay for the experience in fur!

8. Save a Deer, Shoot a Coyote! It's well documented that coyotes kill deer, pheasants, turkeys, ducks and other game animals we pursue. Helping control the coyote (and fox) population will take a little pressure of other game animals/birds.

9. Coyote, It's What's for Dinner! Just checking to see if you were paying attention! Coyotes are scavengers and feed on road kill, carcasses, garbage and other nastiness. They're loaded with worms and parasites which don't make them suitable for consumption. 

 For more information on coyotes and coyote hunting check out www.furtakers.com. It's a fantastic predator hunting show on Outdoor Channel, produced by Ron Schara Productions. Watching this show alone can give you the confidence you need to pursue coyotes with effective tactics.

Feel free to share some of your coyote experiences. If you're new to the sport, welcome to the addiction!

Happy Hunting!