Outdoors Notes: Armadillos in Minnesota?

In the South, armadillos are called "Texas speed bumps" because of their propensity to get run over on highways.

What will we call them here?

A dead armadillo was found on a roadside near Montevideo last week, the second discovered in that area in the past year.

"I just happened to glance at the approach and saw it," said Alicia Laturnus of Park Rapids, who was visiting family in the area. "I thought I was seeing things. I took a bunch of pictures because I figured no one would believe me."

Dave Trauba, Department of Natural Resources area wildlife manager at Lac qui Parle, said a dead armadillo was found near Milan last year, and another was found in the area a couple of years earlier.

Unlike the zebra mussels from Europe and the carp from Asia, Trauba doesn't believe Minnesota has a new invasive species.

"The theory is they came up in a grain or hay truck," he said. "I don't think we have a resident population. If we did, we'd be seeing them all over."

Still, it's unlikely Minnesotan's will be hunting and eating armadillo (they reportedly taste like pork) any time soon: The critters don't survive freezing weather.

Crappie contest The renamed Minnesota Bound Crappie Contest is set for Saturday on Lake Minnetonka, continuing a tradition started 44 years ago. The contest will offer upwards of $50,000 in prizes, including awards for catching the biggest crappies in adult and youth divisions. The grand prize is a boat, motor and trailer. Contest hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with weigh-in at Lord Fletcher's. Proceeds will go to Fishing for Life and Minnesota Teen Challenge. For information, see www.mnbound.com.

The Lions Club also sponsored a crappie contest on Minnetonka last weekend. About 200 anglers fished, and officials called it a success and said they would hold it again next spring. Chad Carruthers of Mound caught the biggest crappie, weighing 1.13 pounds

Replacing McMillan Tim Spreck, who had been vice president of the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance (MOHA), will now lead the organization following the recent death of president Don McMillan. Spreck, 50, of Stillwater, becomes president under the nonprofit group's bylaws and will serve out McMillan's term, ending next January.

"It's an awfully big pair of shoes to fill," he said. "Don gave so much of his time, talent and energy to MOHA." More than 60 conservation groups are members of MOHA.

• Conservation officer Matt Frericks of Virginia and members of the State Patrol and Hibbing Police released a wolf caught in a snare last week. The snare had no ID tag.

• Based on his monitoring of boaters in the Pequot Lakes area, conservation officer Tim Collette reported a large percentage of boaters seemed to have forgotten about the legal requirements of draining all water from boat livewells and minnow buckets before leaving public waters.