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The author's five-month-old German wirehaired pointer, Remy, makes a near-perfect retrieve on a ruffed grouse during an October hunt near Chisholm, Minn. Tyler Shoberg/The Pioneer

Remy Tales: Dog knows best

Emerging from the dense woods, I spotted the last known location of the downed Ruffed grouse. The bird was gone - vanished. I closed my eyes, while a dreamy internal...

outdoors Wed, Nov 03, 2010 - 12:00am

Nature often reveals its hidden secrets -- such as this green darner (Anax junius) dragonfly hiding in a bur oak tree -- to those with a measured approach. Keith Corliss/The Pioneer

Flight Lines: Learning the value of patience and going slow

Tempo and pacing, two words we run across in just about everything we do. Golfers understand it, as do baseball pitchers and runners. Musicians are keenly aware of these terms...

flight lines / outdoors Wed, Oct 27, 2010 - 12:00am

When cleaning firearms, it is important to have the right equipment, such as gun oil, solvent, brushes, cleaning rods and cleaning patches. Products such as Bore Snakes also help expedite the process. Tyler Shoberg/The Pioneer

Open Season: Cleanliness is next to gun-liness

When my wife works weeknights at Sanford, I have a routine: watch hunting shows, clean my guns (if needed) and play with the pooch. Last Tuesday was one of those...

outdoors Wed, Oct 20, 2010 - 12:00am

A dark-phased red-tailed hawk is seen soaring over Clay County last weekend. This type is more typically encountered in the far west and only seen locally during migration. Keith Corliss/The Pioneer

Variations abound for this red-tailed hawk

The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is about as common an airborne predator as there is. During the breeding season, this large soaring hawk can be found in just about any...

flight lines / outdoors Wed, Oct 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Remy, the author's 18-week-old German wirehaired pointer, gets to work munching on a sharptailed grouse, which had been lined up with the rest of the day's harvest that included a goose, some ducks and a Hungarian partridge. Tyler Shoberg/The Pioneer

Open Season: Waterfowl opener slow, but still worth remembering

"You know what we should do next year?" my uncle, Paul Drechsel, asked before biting off another hunk of deep-fried duck. "Bring a bottle of wine." There was a murmur...

outdoors Wed, Oct 06, 2010 - 12:00am

A female purple finch (left) and a likely immature male showed up in a West Fargo yard on September 4. The deeply notched tail of the adult bird is another indicator to separate purple finch from the more common house finch.

Flight Lines: Purple finch, the one 'supposed' to be here

February, 1980, marked a moment of some significance among the state's birders. This was a milestone. In Bismarck, North Dakota, the first official sighting of a house finch was recorded...

flight lines / outdoors Wed, Sep 29, 2010 - 12:00am

Pheasants Forever to host youth outdoors activities day

Two area Pheasants Forever chapters are joining forces to support their organization's "No Child Left Indoors" initiative. The Dakota East Central and Ransom County Chapters of Pheasants Forever are hosting...

outdoors Wed, Sep 22, 2010 - 12:00am

Goldenrod galls can be easily seen almost anywhere the plants are numerous. Keith Corliss/The Pioneer

Flight Lines: Fishermen and woodpeckers share secret

A recent stroll at an out-of-state park helped me realize just how fast the summer is coming to an end. While most tree leaves still hold their green color, somehow...

flight lines / outdoors Wed, Sep 15, 2010 - 7:57am

Flocks of ducks come in for a landing during an early-season Canada goose hunt Aug. 28, in a stubble field in North Dakota. Tyler Shoberg/The Pioneer

Open Season: Multiple mallards, mosquitoes, misses part of August goose hunt

For some reason, my head was foggy. It could have been over-caffeination from a gut-rotting combination of coffee and energy drink, or from being a couple pints low due to...

outdoors Wed, Sep 08, 2010 - 12:00am

Local Pheasants Forever chapter to host banquet Sept. 9 at Legends in West Fargo

There is simple arithmetic involved when figuring out how to increase wild game populations: more habitat equals more wildlife. Though simple in theory, implementing the task can be rather difficult,...

outdoors Wed, Sep 08, 2010 - 12:00am

Helga Bennett, of West Fargo, poses with an 8 pound, 8 ounce northern pike she caught on Lake Ohies in South Dakota.

Bennett's porky pike

When Helga Bennett was fishing three weeks ago on South Dakota's Lake Ohies, she was going for "anything you could catch." She hardly could believe when "anything" turned into a...

outdoors Wed, Sep 08, 2010 - 12:00am

A rare barn owl--likely a female--roosts alone in an ash tree along the edge of Petersburg, N.D., last weekend, waiting for nightfall to feed. Keith Corliss/The Pioneer

Flight Lines: Night stalker among the natural beauties

It began with a fellow named Joe who wondered, along with some of his neighbors in Petersburg, N. D., whether the owls they were seeing every night in town were...

flight lines / outdoors Wed, Sep 01, 2010 - 12:00am

Out-of-state birders line up along a South Dakota trail for a glimpse at perhaps the most talked about bird in America this year, the orange-billed nightingale-thrush. Keith Corliss/The Pioneer

Flight Lines: In pursuit of passion, the chase isn't always easy

If Macklin Smith made the pilgrimage to the Black Hills of South Dakota you know it's something special. Really special. Mr. Smith, for those unaware, teaches poetry at the U...

flight lines / outdoors Wed, Aug 18, 2010 - 12:00am

The author (left) poses with his uncle, Jay Drechsel of Fargo, after a successful August 2009 North Dakota early season goose hunt.

Open Season: Early goose season offers hunting opportunity - but bring sunscreen

It's getting to be that time of year again. Time to dust off the scattergun and get ready for waterfowl hunting. If you're not prepared for summer to end, by...

outdoors / sports Wed, Aug 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Midwest Waterfowl Fest to be held Aug. 13-14 at Scheels

The region's largest waterfowl festival is coming up just in time for North Dakota's early goose hunting season. The Midwest Waterfowl Fest will be held Aug. 13-14 at the Fargo...

outdoors / sports Wed, Aug 11, 2010 - 12:00am

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