Firearms and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer throughout much of Minnesota this hunting season are reminded they must purchase a license and apply for an antlerless permit by Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.

Antlerless deer permits are issued by lottery in designated permit areas.

Some areas that have not been in the lottery classification in recent years are in that classification this year, primarily as a result of new deer population goals.

“Hunters should review the hunting and trapping regulation book now,” said Leslie McInenly, big game program leader with the DNR. “The lottery applies to over half of the state permit areas this year, and it’s important to start planning for the season.”

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued by lottery, and the application deadline is Thursday.

More information on deer permit areas and special hunts is in the DNR hunting regulations handbook online.

 

Heat and humidity make for unpleasant fishing

With the hot, steamy weather that we seem destined to endure for what seems like an eternity, I have really lost my desire to do much fishing.

A normal August used to have hot days and cool nights that made for good early-morning and late-evening fishing, not to mention great sleeping.

Now, it seems like every day is hot and humid, and the nights are damp and steamy.

Well, that’s about all the whining I will do for this week, and I hope it is the last weather-related whine you will hear from me for this year.

My oldest grandson, Trevor, and I had been planning on going to the cabin for the long weekend, but after checking and rechecking the forecast we decided to postpone it until the weather was more favorable.

I couldn’t justify driving all that way just to sit in the cabin for two of the four days watching it rain. At my age, I can make that adjustment, but Trevor — like his dad — isn’t much for sitting around and always has to be doing something.

Thinking about typical August weather reminds me of the times when I would be on the lake early, while the blanket of fog that was covering the lake waited patiently for the sun to give it the all clear. There is nothing better than early-morning fishing with the cool of the night still making it feel like jacket weather.

There is also that magical sound of fish jumping and feeding on the surface with that early-morning fog leaving only your imagination and rabbit-like hearing to guess their location. I am so ready for fall weather!

 

Operation LZ honors Vietnam veterans

A couple of weeks ago my son, Brian, asked me if I would like to go to Forest City to attend Operation LZ, which was put on to honor Vietnam veterans.

He said that his brother, Brad, and two of my grandsons, Taylor and Dylan, were also going to go. I heard it advertised on the radio and thought that I’d like to go, if for no other reason than to see the traveling wall. There were also helicopter rides, a car show and an air show on the Sunday I attended.

Operation LZ was a welcoming home for Vietnam vets we never received when we came back more than 40 years earlier. The event was a joint effort by volunteers from nine north Iowa counties, and it was a humbling experience.

I spoke with one of the organizers who said that it was a year and a half in the making and cost around $300,000 to pull it off.

I can’t say how much it was appreciated, not only by myself, but by other vets who I spoke with in attendance.

I always wanted to see the wall to search for some names, and thanks to these fine folks, I was able to do just that.

Seeing the 58,000 names and the amount of space it took to display them was a very humbling experience.

I was glad Brian planned this trip and that I was able to share it with him and my other son, Brad, along with grandsons Taylor and Dylan. It really meant a lot.

Thanks again to all the fine folks for their hard work who made this event possible.

Until next time, just keep in mind that we will eventually have those cool evenings and early mornings, which means that there will still be plenty of fishing to enjoy.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

 

Dick Herfindahl’s column appears in the Tribune each Sunday.