One of the top reports from the Gaylord area came from hunters afield near Altnow’s Lake which is located north and east of town. Several bucks were bagged around the lake and there were numerous doe sightings. For the second year in-a-row, Sibley East eighth-grader Kyle Goetsch shot a buck near Altnow’s.

Also shooting dandy bucks were McKoy and Caden Rodning. McKoy bagged an eight-pointer in northern Minnesota while Caden shot a 12-point buck in a woods south of Gaylord. The two boys are the grandsons of Gerald and Elna Rodning of rural Gaylord.

Shooting a buck on his first hunt was Beau Swenson. He shot a four-pointer while hunting with his dad Greg near Mille Lacs lake. Other area hunters afield near Mille Lacs reported little success and said deer sightings were few and far between.

Hunting in the Henderson hills appeared to be similar to last season. It was another successful season for Gaylord’s Bill Walsh who bagged a buck near Henderson. The Walsh party also tagged a doe and said the hunt was “similar to last year.”

Reports from big game registration stations in the area indicated that the deer harvest was slightly better than in recent seasons.

True Value in Henderson reported that 85 deer had been registered as of noon on Tuesday. According to La Donna Bender of True Value, the store had registered 53 bucks and 32 does so far this season. That is four more than last year at this time but a large decline from the number of deer registered in 2006.

As of Tuesday noon, Cenex in Arlington registered nearly 90 from the firearms season. A majority of those deer registered were bucks. Cenex had also registered 12 deer bagged by bow-and-arrow hunters. In previous years, Cenex in Arlington averaged registering approximately 50 deer following the opening weekend of the firearms season.

Casey’s convenience store is Gaylord’s lone big game registration station. A report from Casey’s was not available when this edition of The Gaylord Hub went to press.

There was a bit of everything in Minnesota during the opening weekend of the firearms season. Near Duluth, two hunters waited only a few minutes to track a doe they had shot. When they caught up with the deer, part of it had been torn away by two hungry cougars.

There were three hunting accidents reported in the state. A 25-year old man from Crosby, MN died Sunday after he accidentally shot himself. He was hunting north of Crosslake.

A Brainerd-area man was injured after he accidentally shot himself in the foot. And, a juvenile fell out of a tree stand at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Sunday while hunting north of Hackensack. He was taken by ambulance to the Brainerd hospital.

The area’s new 9-day firearms season continues this week. It will come to a close on Sunday evening.

–submitted photo

Main and his pro partner John Wicht III of Rogers, MN, finished tenth out of 59 teams. Their six bass weighed a total of 16.6 pounds, according to Main.

The winning pro in the event was Cory Putnam of Brandon, MN. He and his amateur partner caught six bass weighing 20.76 pounds.

Main was happy with his team’s finish but said the rough waters made it a battle. “It was the worst wind I have ever fished in,” Main said. “We tried to stay in shallow waters. When we ventured out into deeper water, it was not good.”

This was the best finish of the season for Main in the Silverado Pro-Am Bass Tour. The next tour event for the former Gaylord High School teacher and football coach will be in August on the Alexandria Chain of Lakes. The final tour event of the season is scheduled for September on Lake Minnetonka.

Eric and Don Swenson shot these wild boars last month near Lake Moorehaven, Florida. According to Swenson, each boar weighed approximately 100-pounds.

–Submitted Photo