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Outdoors blog: Minnesota fishing license sales lagging

Battling eagles make crash landing at Duluth airport

Two adult bald eagles made an unplanned landing on the tarmac at the Duluth International Airport on Sunday.

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Field reports: Voyageurs moose population appears stable

About 46 moose are roaming the woods of Voyageurs National Park near International Falls, according to the park’s recently completed aerial survey. The 2013 population is similar to estimates from 2009-11, park officials said. No survey was conducted in 2012. The calf-to-cow ratio and the percent of calves in the population were relatively high in 2013, also similar to estimates from 2010-11.

Smelt on the run in Lake Superior

It’s 10:30 p.m. Lights are snuffed out in homes across the hillside as Duluth settles in for a good night’s rest.

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On scale not seen since 1950, Minnesota fishing opener on ice

On Thursday morning, just two days before Minnesota’s fishing opener, Mark Lease of Grand Rapids had a problem. It was the same problem thousands of other anglers were facing: Most northern Minnesota lakes were still sealed under a few feet of ice.

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Anglers out of their depth on flood-changed St. Louis River

Darrin Severance kept a close eye on his depth-finder as he eased his big Ranger through the channel of the St. Louis River. He was navigating a shallow stretch at the upstream end of Spirit Lake. The sonar device told him he had just 2.3 feet of water beneath his boat.

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Outdoors blog: Trail cameras capture the critters of spring

Wisconsin wolf population drops slightly

After Wisconsin’s inaugural season of wolf hunting and trapping last fall, the state’s wolf population has declined only slightly.

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Outdoors blog: Wisconsin wolf population declines slightly

Wisconsin wolf numbers drop slightly after hunting, trapping

After the inaugural season of wolf hunting and trapping last fall in Wisconsin, the state’s wolf population has declined only slightly.

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Columns

Urgency to get outdoors grows as we age

Sam Cook column: Up along a river on the North Shore, the steelhead angler said something that seemed to transcend the simple act of fishing. He said he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to fish like this. He is at that place where most of us will get one day.

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Sam Cook: Moms made for outdoors

Maybe Minnesota’s moms are behind this late ice-out scenario. Maybe they just got a little weary of sharing their Mother’s Day weekend with the opening weekend of Minnesota’s fishing season.

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It’s time to get down and dirty

SAM COOK: No matter what manner of physical activity you pursue this time of year, you’re looking for trouble.

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Contrite call sends good vibe

Sam Cook column: It was hard to tell where this call was going. “I unfortunately met you on the Lakewalk yesterday,” a woman’s voice was saying.

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We choose to put up with more

SAM COOK: One morning last weekend, I rose early and took my book to the patio. No breeze stirred. The water in the pool was glass. Nobody else was up.

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Sam Cook column: It’s April. What did you expect?

My wife, Phyllis, was sitting at the computer the other night when she began laughing. A friend of hers, according to a Facebook post, said her young son had looked out the window and started singing, “Jingle Bells.”

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Southern loon’s call moves the mind north

SAM COOK: I stepped out of my tent last Friday morning and heard the unmistakable cry of a loon. But the bird wasn’t anywhere near Minnesota.

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Sam Cook: Sticker surprise causes short-lived embarrassment

Most of us try to maintain a decent image of ourselves. Just a sense of, “I’m OK. I’m getting by. I’m doing all right today.” I mean, don’t we?

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Satisfied with signs of smoke

Sam Cook column: Like a lot of other non-Catholics, I suppose, I was fascinated once again this week by the smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke, no new pope yet. White smoke, new pope.

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Shades of the many who paved the way

SAM COOK: We like to think we choose our own path in life, set our goals and make our way in the world. But sometimes we take for granted those who opened our eyes to new horizons, took a chance on us or provided course corrections along the way.

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