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OutdoorMN News - Volunteer instructors crucial to DNR Enforcement safety training program


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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Since the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division began offering firearms safety training nearly 65 years ago, it has certified more than 1.3 million students – an average of about 20,000 per year.

-14-300x200.While conservation officers are intimately involved in the program, the reality is it wouldn’t be possible without the thousands of volunteers who hold classes and field days in communities throughout the state. The same goes for the DNR’s other safety education programs, such as ATV and snowmobile safety and bowhunter education.

There are more than 6,000 volunteer safety instructors in Minnesota, and some of them have been a part of the program since its earliest days. This spring, the DNR Enforcement Division recognized one instructor who’s been teaching for 60 years; 14 who’ve been teaching 50 years; 16 who’ve been teaching 40 years; and 36 who’ve been teaching for 30 years.

“The dedication of our volunteer instructors is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Capt. Jon Paurus, education/safety training programs manager for the DNR Enforcement Division. “They truly are the backbone of our safety training programs and the reason these programs continue to be so successful.”

Some instructors plan and hold one class each year. Others provide several offerings, and still others teach on multiple topics, becoming go-to resources in their communities when it comes to enjoying the outdoors safely. They work closely with local conservation officers and regional training officers, recruit other volunteer instructors, and do their best to meet their communities’ educational demands.

“Our instructors’ commitment to safety education means there are fewer recreation-related injuries and fatalities today than in the past,” Paurus said. “It’s humbling to work with people who give so freely of themselves so others can learn to safely and ethically enjoy Minnesota’s natural resources.”

See mndnr.gov/events/safety_training.html for a full list of safety training classes currently scheduled. Anyone interested in taking a class – or required to take one – should keep in mind that many classes fill up quickly.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
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