The Wild, Wild, West

Hello everyone!  We recently returned from Gillette, Wyoming where I was hunting pronghorn with my new Bear, Motive 7 compound bow.  The trip was a total success and we went 5 for 5 (3 with cross bow and 2 with compound bows)!!  

Rob, Scott and Jason from Excalibur cross bows and Anita Williams were the 4 other hunters that were with us on this trip and we all harvested mature pronghorn bucks.  We hunted, we moved cattle, watched professional ropers up close and personal, and saw some beautiful country.  I love the west!! 

I was so happy to have had some really awesome help setting up my bow from Marty at the Mills Indoor Shooting Range in Baxter, MN.  And also some very, very helpful advice form David Peterson who is a representative for Bear Archery.  I would also like to thank the cameraman that has been with me through the thick and thin.  Kyle Peterson has been a real trooper; he is a hunter and avid outdoorsman himself and this really helps when things get down to the nitty gritty.  It’s not always easy to range, draw and make all the right judgments when you only have SECONDS.  

I am so thankful and totally appreciate all the people that helped me out and were a part of this hunt out west: Bruce Hudalla, Bill and Cindy Mankin, Julie Mankin, Dean Carlson, David Peterson, Big Mike, Kyle Peterson, Ryan Dechaine, Bradle Kangas, Anita Williams, the Excalibur crew (Rob Dykeman, Jason and Scott), guide Kyle and whoever else I may have missed!  The Rocket Hammerhead broad head was an absolute killer, I think I may shoot one at my Minnesota whitetail this fall.  

If anyone of you have the opportunity to get out west, I highly recommend it!  It will be an experience you won't forget!  I hope you are all enjoying your summer and that you're getting ready for the fall hunting season! 

-Dan

Summertime Heat

Happy July!  I just got off the water and it’s a scorcher!  Our thermometer here in Lake Shore, MN reads 85 degrees in the shade.  This is definitely going to get that water temperature up in a hurry.  Thankfully the wind decided to blow a little this afternoon otherwise it would be dangerously hot!  I guess all a person has to do is look at the winter we had in the upper Midwest this past season and it makes a person take the heat a little easier.  

The fishing has been pretty good, but I have had a couple of back to back slower days on the water (one on Mille Lacs and this a.m. we only caught 3 walleyes on Gull).  But, I did drop in on some walleyes after my trip and caught 2 nice ones on a Lindy Rig and a juicy minnow!  

Last week we were over preparing for an upcoming crossbow show in WI.  We hooked up with Todd Hess down in Buffalo Co. WI and did a little planting, tree stand hanging and set out a couple of game cameras.  We will be heading down there for the opener on his in-laws property in search of a whitetail or two with the Excalibur crossbow!  For now, it’s time to get the new Bear compound bow and get it rigged ready and sighted so when I see that giant antelope in WY next month, it will hit the mark.  

As for now, it’s time to do a little more fishing and hopefully some more catching!!  I hope you all are enjoying this summer!  

-Dan

Fishing!

The fishing season is in high gear and the action seems to be picking up for all species!  We were over visiting Larry Smith in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago and had a great time on Lake Winnebago and the Bay of Green Bay.  We caught a lot of fish and many different species (walleye’s, pike, perch, carp, drum, catfish, bass and I’m sure something else that I forgot about).  

We fished Winnebago on the 2^nd of June and Green Bay on the 3^rd.  I was impressed with both fisheries, but I would have to say that the walleye’s on Green Bay took the cake!  We were catching fish on the Mills exclusive Salmo Hornet’s, Berkley Flicker Shads and the Rapala Shad Raps, these baits are all exclusive colors only available at your local Mills Fleet Farm!  We also caught fish on numerous other presentations (jigs and Gulp Alive, Rippin Raps, Jigging Raps and hair jigs) while casting!  Larry knows his stuff and I would certainly recommend him if you are looking for a fun, fish-filled outing!  Look him up at Larry Smith Outdoors.  


Our guide service here in Minnesota (Walleyedan’s Guide Service) has been busy too and the fishing is starting to crank-up in the Brainerd Lakes Area and beyond.  This past weekend I fished the 31^st annual Confidence Learning Center’s Fishing Classic on Gull Lake and we won it!  

It was my mother, father and myself and it was a trip that ranks near the top of my best ever fishing experiences!  Yes, it is up there right near the outing with Al Lindner two years ago on Mille Lacs!  We won the total bag for the walleye division and also had the lunker walleye of the day. 

If you would like to book a guided trip with one of our professional guides, look us up at www.walleyedan.com and we will do our best to put you on some hungry fish.  
The next scheduled filming mission is going to be in Wyoming and I will be looking to harvest my first antelope.  Stay tuned and we will keep you up to snuff!!  

Get out there and enjoy this awesome weather!! 
- Dan

Busy, Busy, Busy

Boy oh boy are things happening!!  Fishing season has begun, turkey season is still “on” and it seems like it’s all getting compacted into a smaller window because of this late spring once again.  Hopefully we have a nice, long summer!  The filming schedule is looking like a good one for the 2015 season and we already have 3 shows in the can!  Our next filming mission is with Brian “Bro” Brosdahl and we will be targeting crappies in northern Minnesota (possibly with my son, Mac).  After that, it will be over to Wisconsin to fish walleyes with Larry Smith on Winnebago and Green Bay, these should be some fun times!  Al Lindner might be back in the 2015 line-up as well with smallmouth bass the likely target.  Jimmy Bell is also going to take us after some of the bronzebacks in Wisconsin later this fall.  Mix these fishing trips in with some deer hunts, antelope, maybe bear and some waterfowl and I can see the 2015 season as really good one!  Things are busy, but things are good!  

Last weekend the Brainerd Lakes area hosted the Governor's Fishing Opener, which took place on Gull Lake.  The ice was out and weather cooperated and everything turned out well.  What a great way to showcase the beautiful area that I am fortunate enough to call home!  

I would like to thank all of you for reading this blog and for tuning into We Love It! Outdoors television!  Spread the word and we will try our best to produce some action packed outdoor reality!!  Now that the weather is warming up, be sure to get out and enjoy it!

-Dan   

It's All Happening at Once!

The ice is going out, the turkey season is in full swing and it’s time to prepare and get rigged for “Opening Day”!  This year, the Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener is on Gull Lake in Nisswa.  This will be an exciting time for all of those involved and a great community event for the town of Nisswa, MN.  

I have turkey on my brain and this is not something that is easy to get rid of!  2 of my 3 children have tagged their birds this spring and now it’s time for my oldest daughter to bag one.  She is a fair weather hunter (she wants it to be sunny and 70), so we will see how this goes.  The forecast isn’t looking to “fair weather”, in fact it’s looking like really “ugly weather”!  Let’s keep those folks down south (Arkansas, etc.) in our prayers and thoughts.  It is the season for this “ugly” weather, so make sure you are aware.  


Our next filming adventure sounds like it will take place on Lake Mille Lacs, where there are some really interesting regulation changes on the books for this year.  I think Al Lindner and I will have a reunion guide trip over there as soon as the ice is out and the season is on!  We will keep you posted, until then keep checking back and I will try to get some ice-out photos and maybe some more gobbler photos up!!  

-Dan

Gull Lake Ice Out Contest

This year, Governor Mark Dayton will be spending the fishing opener weekend (May 9-10) in the beautiful Brainerd Lakes area, fishing on the one and only Gull Lake.  

We're about a month out and the lake is still frozen solid, so we're having a contest on the We Love It! Outdoors Facebook page (facebook.com/weloveitoutdoors) to see who can guess the day the ice will go out.  You have one week to submit your guess (April 8 to April 15), then we'll close the contest and be patient as the ice melts.  The winner will receive some goodies from Mills Fleet Farm, We Love It! Outdoors and Walleyedan. 


Here's a video with some more information:

I drove across the lake today and drilled a hole, looks like there's about 30 inches of ice as of this morning.  This week is looking like some warmer weather so maybe that will move things along.  

Submit your guess this week and get out and enjoy this weather!!

-Dan

Spring is here!!

Spring is here and I’m ready for some warmer weather!  I’m in the middle of the Fleet Farm turkey seminar tour and will also be mixing in a trip to Lake Winnipeg for the giant greenbacks (walleyes).  There’s still a lot of ice in our neck of the woods and some of the best pan fishing is right around the corner.  Then it won’t be long for the turkey opener!

The next few We Love It! Outdoors shows cover both fishing and hunting.  This week you will see Bruce Meinz and myself out on the Gull Lake chain in central Minnestoa.  Bruce is a guide and Gull Lake is our home water.  It’s not very often two of us get to fish together but the last time we did, Bruce was running the boat so now it’s my turn.  The late fall is a great time to be on the water: not many people, and a lot of hungry walleyes that are loading up for the hard water season.  Typically Bruce and I are jigging and rigging but we learned a new technique and will be putting that to use as we attack these Gull Lake walleyes.

The next show you will see my very first muzzleloader hunt ever and it was an awesome experience!  Bruce Hudalla, who has a beautiful piece of property in west central Minnesota, invited me out to join Todd Hess and some other friends on this little slice of white tail heaven.  I feel pretty spoiled to be able to hunt such a well-managed piece of property.  The fact that the muzzleloader was totally new to me, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it turns out I will be doing this the rest of my life.  Some people may be intimidated by a muzzleloader, but in my opinion it’s a lot easier to operate than I thought.  And we’ve got some meat in the freezer; you’ll have to watch to see how that happens. 

Get out and enjoy this weather!  -Dan