Outdoors - Pierce County Journal

Outdoor Tales & Trails: Training for the mountains

Man, it’s July already. Corn is way past knee high and the summer days are going by way faster than I would like. Instead of February lasting longer during leap year, I would prefer … more

By Dave Beck | 7/20/23

DNR issues statewide air quality advisory due to Canadian wildfire smoke

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has issued a statewide air quality advisory due to wildfire smoke coming from Western Canada. The advisory is in … more

7/14/23

Dave Beck spent time with friends recently making wing bone turkey calls. The process took a little more than one hour.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: Wing bone turkey calls

Recently I spent a pretty fantastic evening with some friends. No one was on their cell phone or working at the computer. There wasn’t even a television or radio playing in … more

By Dave Beck | 7/13/23

Plastic tubes protect the saplings that were planted earlier this year. In the background are some of the original plantings from 20 years ago.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: Repaying Mother Nature – and Big River Rich

It’s chillin’ and grillin’ season and I should be talking about fishing with the long weekend ahead but I have other fish to fry, figuratively speaking. So, you know how good … more

By Dave Beck | 7/6/23

Outdoors Tales & Trails: A crappie thrashing

While waiting for the muskies to get more active, I have trended toward crappie fishing. It’s not that I can’t catch a musky this early in the season, it’s just that it … more

6/29/23

A goat tagged “Phoebe” was one of the 31 goats at Sea Wing Park in Diamond Bluff that assisted in the removal of the brush this past weekend.

Goats donated for brush cleanup at Sea Wing Park

DIAMOND BLUFF – Emily Dosdall of Goats on the Go has provided goats for brush removal services at many locations, but donating the service to Sea Wing Park of Diamond Bluff was a new … more

By Andrew Harrington | 6/29/23

The Gulf of Mexico's hypoxic "dead zone" at the end of the Mississippi River is seen by satellite south of Louisiana in 2017.

Gulf 'dead zone' predicted to be twice the size of national goal. Again.

Scientists have released their 2023 forecast for the so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico — predicting it will be around 4,100 square miles this summer. That’s much … more

By Tegan Wendland Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk | 6/22/23

The Summer Solstice is my favorite day of the year. When the sun touched the Minnesota river bluffs when I was a kid, we knew we had time for two more innings of baseball.

Outdoor Tales & Trials: The Summer Solstice

As the lakes heat up, so does the fishing action. I’ve been out chasing trout, walleyes, crappies, bluegills, muskies, bass, and pike. I’ve been winning most of those battles … more

By Dave Beck | 6/22/23

Even though the Minnesota and Wisconsin musky openers were fishless for Dave, that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for future outings.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: I’m hooked! Musky season is here

Another season opener has arrived and it is one of my favs: The musky season opener. Actually, if you know the right people you can have two musky openers. The first is the Wisconsin Southern … more

By Dave Beck | 6/15/23

The DNR is advising Wisconsinites to reduce their time outdoors due to ongoing air quality alerts resulting from Canadian wildfire smoke.

DNR recommends Wisconsinites limit time outside due to Canadian wildfire smoke

MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is recommending Wisconsinites to reduce their time outdoors due to ongoing air quality alerts resulting from Canadian wildfire … more

6/15/23

(From left) Grandmother Gloria Nelson, Ava Brunckhorst, Ariel Brunckhorst and mother April Brunckhorst enjoy visiting “Eagle Park” and the Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center.

Freedom Park column: Our future of “Eagle Park!”

I first met Ava one year ago when she and her grandmother, Ms. Gloria Nelson, came into the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center. Ava Brunckhorst, resident of Prescott, is 4 and loves Freedom … more

By Operations Director Linda Schenk | 6/8/23

Boden Fink, 11, River Falls, was declared the Eau Galle-Rush River Sportsman’s Club trout contest’s youth winner May 6 with a 4.71-pound Brown Trout, measuring 22 3/8 inches in length.

The 47th annual Trout Contest is rainy, but successful

The Eau Galle-Rush River Sportsman’s Club held its 47 th annual Trout Contest Saturday, May 6 at the Ellsworth Rod & Gun Club. The day started with a heavy mist and ended up with heavy … more

By Lin Linder | 6/8/23

These morels and trout made for a wonderful lunch.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: Not quite a hat trick, but a great morning

Now that warm weather is here to stay, there are just too many things to do and not enough time to do them. Even with the extended daylight hours, it’s tough getting after everything but I … more

By Dave Beck | 6/1/23

This week, I decided to try writing the column from the turkey blind, so you could be with me in the heart of the action.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: Writing from the turkey blind

Last fall I wrote a column while deer hunting from Big River Rich’s deer stand. It got some great reviews including but not limited to my mail carrier who said, and I quote, “nice … more

By Dave Beck | 5/25/23

Johnny Johnson, council president of the Prairie Island Indian Community (left) and Gov. Tony Evers greet one another at the Upper Pool 4 Islands Complex Project groundbreaking ceremony May 16 in Bay City.

Years of dogged determination

BAY CITY – Bay City’s Saratoga Park was full of government officials and community members Tuesday, May 16 for the historic Upper Pool 4 Islands Complex Project groundbreaking ceremony … more

By Sarah Nigbor | 5/25/23

Outdoor Tales & Trails: A fine mess of trout

I have been talking turkeys for weeks and then I finally got to go hunting but I can’t let the Wisconsin Fishing Opener come and go without paying my respects. I celebrated the tradition … more

By Dave Beck | 5/18/23

Dredging has begun in the Mississippi River at Bay City as part of the Upper Pool 4 Islands Complex Project. Crews use pipes to remove sand from areas to be dredged. They will use the sand to construct islands.

Dredging project begins in Bay City

BAY CITY – Work has begun on the Upper Pool 4 Islands Complex Project in Bay City, celebrated by a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, May 16 with Gov. Tony Evers in attendance. The U.S. Army … more

By Sarah Nigbor | 5/18/23

(From left): Doug Weiss, Ty Fisher, Samantha Bowen, and Nancy (Matzek) Weiss are asking people to sign a petition asking Pierce County for a 12-month moratorium on CAFO expansions.

Petition aims to put moratorium on CAFO expansion

TOWN OF SALEM – Imagine being inexplicably ill for years with vomiting, stomachaches, headaches. You go to doctor after doctor, but they can’t figure out what’s wrong. Your children … more

By Sarah Nigbor | 5/18/23

The perfect morning for my first day of the spring hunt.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: 'I can't wait for Day 3'

Are you tired of me whining while I am waiting for my turkey season to get here? Well guess what? It’s finally here and I have some real live turkey hunting action to tell you … more

By Dave Beck | 5/11/23

To pass time until my turkey season, I decided to take part in trout catch-and-release time.

Outdoor Tales & Trails: Tom turf war vs. trout time

Over the past few weeks, I have been biding my time waiting for my turkey hunting season to begin. I’m not very patient when it comes to waiting. To make matters worse it seems … more

By Dave Beck | 5/4/23