DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac, April 21 (published April 21, 2025)

Pheasants Forever, Minnesota DNR join forces to get new hunters into fields and forests

With spring turkey season underway, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever are inviting Minnesota hunters to take the Hunter Mentor Pledge and take someone turkey hunting who has never hunted or hasn’t hunted for a few years.

After submitting a short recap of their hunt together, Minnesota hunters and those they mentor will have the chance to win a custom, limited-edition prize from Pheasants Forever.

The program is open to all spring wild turkey and light goose hunters. Experienced hunters can invite a new hunter of any age if the new hunter has the proper license/tag necessary and either the mentee hunter’s safety or apprentice hunter validation.

Participation is simple: hunters visit the Pheasants Forever website and take the pledge. After taking the pledge, hunters are asked to bring a novice or returning hunter on a hunt during the season and snap a picture or short video during the hunting trip. The last step is to submit contact information, a hunt recap and a photo or video on the submission page to be entered for prize giveaways. All online entries must be received by June 30.

The Minnesota DNR has helpful information for new hunters and experienced hunters who would like to share their skills with new hunters. To learn more, visit the Minnesota DNR take a friend hunting webpage.

Minnesota moms: Join the Mother’s Day weekend fishing challenge

Moms who live in Minnesota are invited to join a free virtual fishing challenge during Take a Mom Fishing Weekend Saturday, May 10, through Sunday, May 11, when Minnesota moms can fish without purchasing a fishing license.

To participate in the challenge, moms simply need to join the 2025 Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge Facebook group and submit one photo of each fish they catch on May 10-11. All participants who submit a fish will be entered in a random drawing for prizes provided by the Student Angler Organization and their partners.

Before the challenge begins, participants are invited to join pre-challenge fishing 101 webinars hosted by Women Anglers of Minnesota. The first webinar, on trout fishing, will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 6. The second webinar, on shore and lake fishing, will be 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8. The webinars will take place in the challenge Facebook group. Participants can join either webinar or both. The 2025 Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Student Angler Organization and Women Anglers of Minnesota.

To see challenge details and sign up to get notified when the challenge goes live, visit the Take a Mom Fishing webpage. The challenge Facebook group is not yet active, but it will go live Friday, April 25.

This is the third year the DNR and its partners are hosting the Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge. During the 2024 challenge, more than 3,000 Minnesota moms from across the state participated, catching 1,500 fish.

The Minnesota Legislature established Take a Mom Fishing Weekend in 1988 to coincide with Mother’s Day. Fishing season dates and regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR fishing webpage. More information about how and where to fish, fishing equipment, ways to catch different kinds of fish, and fishing ethics and stewardship is available on the Minnesota DNR learn to fish webpage.

Report fish die-offs to help DNR, others respond as needed

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources encourages Minnesotans to contact the state duty officer if they see evidence of a fish die-off in a lake, river or stream. Fish die-offs can result from a variety of natural and human causes.

To report fish die-offs, people should call the Minnesota duty officer at 651‐649‐5451 or 800‐422‐0798 (the duty officer line is staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week). An early report facilitates timely water and fish sampling and other response actions, if needed. It’s especially helpful to know what sizes and types of fish people see in a fish die-off.

More information on fish die-offs is available on the Minnesota DNR website.

Minnesota DNR hosts webinar on enjoying spring ephemerals, exploring SNAs

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the spring program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webinar series.

On Wednesday, April 23, learn about spring ephemerals. These tiny, early blooming plants are among the first signs of growth after a long winter, and they only stick around for a short time. Join Ann Gunness, conservationist on the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, Andrew Wendt, Minnesota state park naturalist, and Susan Wilkins, garden curator for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, as they highlight a few common ephemeral species, share tips on how to identify them, and give an insider’s guide on how to see ephemerals before they disappear.

Then, on Wednesday, April 30, hear about scientific and natural areas with Kelly Randall, SNA outreach coordinator. SNAs are lands that protect natural features, including native plant communities, rare species and geological features. Randall will also share ideas for activities that are encouraged at SNAs, and the rules to follow if people plan a visit to one of these special natural places.

The Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webinars are free and offered year-round, though registration is required. Visit the Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webpage of the Minnesota DNR website for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.