Weather dampens early turkey season

Raw, windy and rainy weather has hampered Minnesota's spring turkey hunters and could spoil their chance of setting another harvest record.

Hunters killed 2,173 turkeys in the first five-day season, compared to 3,191 last year.

"But last year was a spectacular early season," said Bill Penning of the Department of Natural Resources. This year's harvest is closer to levels of 2008 and 2009, he said, meaning it's about average.

But hunters in the second five-day season, which ended Friday, also faced foul weather, and Penning expects their harvest to be down, too. Gobblers aren't as active in cold, windy weather, making them harder to call in. That could mean more turkeys for later-season hunters.

"I think we have birds out there; as the weather gets nicer, I think the harvest will pick up," Penning said.

Penning had predicted another record harvest this year but says now that is unlikely to happen.

"But that's OK," he said. "We can't set a record every year."

Walk-in hunting The DNR likely will hire a person this week to administer the state's new walk-in hunting program. The money for the administrator and the program, which pays landowners to allow public hunting access, comes from the federal farm bill. Minnesota is getting $2.7 million over three years. The DNR hopes to have leases on about 10,000 acres by fall, with 25,000 acres by 2012 and 50,000 acres by 2013. "We have landowners ready to go," Penning said.

Governor's deer opener Gov. Mark Dayton will continue the Governor's Deer Opener tradition launched by Tim Pawlenty in 2003. The event will be held in Biwabik in November.

Walleye stamp sales More than 32,000 anglers bought state walleye stamps last year -- six times the number sold in 2009, the first year the voluntary $5 stamps were available.

The proceeds paid for 200,000 walleye fingerlings for stocking and improvements to a walleye-rearing pond.

The DNR attributes the increased sales to more angler awareness of the stamps, advertising and changes that require license vendors to ask customers if they want to buy a stamp. Legendary walleye angler Al Lindner again is helping the DNR promote the 2011 stamp.

Red Lake walleyes Anglers fishing Upper Red Lake this season will again see a midseason change in the walleye slot limit that will allow them to keep bigger fish. From May 14 through June 14, anglers must release all walleye 17 to 26 inches long. Beginning June 15, anglers must release all walleye 20 to 26 inches long. During both periods, anglers can possess no more than four fish, and only one of those fish can be longer than 26 inches.

Did you know? • Alligators or crocodiles -- neither usually show up in Minnesota. But DNR conservation officer Mike Lee of Isle got a call recently about possible alligators in a ditch in Mille Lacs County. Lee checked it out and confirmed that they were crocodiles and were nearly 6 inches long. They were dead and appeared to have been destroyed by their owners.

• Fishing along the Minnesota-South Dakota border opened Saturday.

• A 27-pound bighead carp was caught in the St. Croix River last week, raising more concerns about the invasive species. See www.startribune.com/outdoors.