The Arrowhead Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association recently presented a check for $5,000 for habitat improvement to the Minnesota DNR. (L-R) Wayne Russ, US Forest Service; Vince Nelson, DNR; Dave Ingebrigtsen, DNR; Pete Harris and Gail Englund of the Arrowhead Deer Hunters Association.
On Wednesday, June 9, Gail Englund and Pete Harris, representing the Arrowhead Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, handed off a check for $5,000 to Minnesota DNR Assistant Wildlife Manager, Dave Ingebrigtsen, and U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Wayne Russ.
“The DNR is cooperating with the U.S. Forest Service to mow wildlife openings on National Forest lands included in their East Side Opening Project,” said Ingebrigtsen.
DNR employee Vince Nelson of Two Harbors is mowing an area of about 36 acres. The land is located about one-half mile up the Lindskog Road and is prime deer habitat.
But, said Wayne Russ, “This opening isn’t just about deer. It is a multi-use area that will benefit lynx and migratory birds.”
Russ explained that snowshoe rabbits would feed off the grass in the field, and lynx, loving the taste of rabbit, would hunt the edges of the field.
“We started working in June using a DNR brush mower,” said Ingebrigtsen, “With $5,000 in additional funds, we can now mow an additional 25 acres.”
After cutting, the USFS will burn the area periodically to keep it in a grass/brush state.
g 6 20 20 0 “These openings of grass
or brush are excellent for foraging deer, especially in the
spring when the nutritious grasses are critical for reproduction and fawn survival. The openings also provide good hunting opportunity on public land in good deer habitat,” said Ingebrigtsen.
For this project, the DNR has committed $5,000 and the USFS has committed $3,000. All of that money will be used for on-the-ground-work.
Russ said the Forest Service has about 400 acres of land dedicated for this purpose in Cook County.
“We [the U.S. Forest Service] started this in the 1990s but we haven’t always had the funds to maintain
No r these areas like we would like to” he added.
Englund said the club was looking for a good place to donate money, and this project seemed like a good fit. “We liked the fact that the DNR and the U.S. Forest Service were partnering on this job, and that this was a conservation project that would help keep the deer population healthy.”
Harris said the club has raised money through “banquets and raffles and the selling of deer hides.” This summer the club is also sending two kids to a conservation camp that teaches, among other things, gun safety and respect for the wilderness and the animals that live within it, said Harris.
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