We take pride in bringing you a different type of outdoors show. While we do a lot of hunting and fishing on Prairie Sportsman, we also try to dig into stories, conservation methods, foraging and other outdoor recreational opportunities, like showing that old dogs are the best. Our show airs on Pioneer PBS on Sundays at 7:30pm and then on 13 other PBS stations in 7 states. It’s funded by Minnesota Lottery dollars from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Part of the reason we do what we do is because…well, we’re supposed to. But, we’d do it anyway.

According to Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, (LCCMR): The Trust Fund holds assets that can be appropriated, “for the public purpose of protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.”  Since 1991, the ENRTF has provided approximately $1.1 billion to over 1,700 projects around the state.

The Mission Behind Prairie Sportsman

Even though we use this as a guideline for our production, it’s also something we believe in, so we’d be doing it anyway. I’ve always wanted to find ways to help outdoor conservation and preserve traditions. You can go on YouTube or turn on the Sportsman Channel and see thousands of shows that just catch and kill stuff. There has been a boost in educational videos on YouTube showing you how to use the latest and greatest gear to be more successful. But there has been a lack of content dedicated to actual ways our favorite places are being protected and managed.

We’re halfway through our new season and so far we’ve covered everything from student anglers, invasive cattail control, history that goes back hundreds of years at the Northwest Angle and more. We even found out the nutritional benefit of that annoying plant that leaves burrs all over your upland gear in the fall. We have more to come including the preservation of a family fishing operation in western Minnesota, a deep dive into cleaning up Mille Lacs and more.

I always describe the show as, “Celebrating Minnesota’s outdoor opportunities and the science and management behind those opportunities.”

Old Dogs Are The Best

While all the episodes are “my babies” and I love them all, the episode that came out this week might be my favorite…don’t tell the others. It’s all about what bird dogs mean to bird hunters. They’re more than tools of the hunt, despite the perception to some. They’re family members and after a lifetime of giving you everything they’ve got, it was time to give back to them.

Back in September I received a message from Matt Schmidt. He had seen some of my snapchat videos about my old lab, Mika. He told me about a tradition with friends when they’re hunting dogs get older. They take dogs over 10 to a game farm. There they put a bunch of birds out in a small field and let them have their last hunt. This got me right in the feels.

I have a few buddies with dogs around Mika’s age and asked if they wanted to be a part of it. There was no hesitation. Cory Loeffler, Ben Brettingen and Jason Markkula joined Dan Amundson and I at Wings North near Pine City. We filmed a segment with Chad Hughes about the facility where he explained their role in getting more people introduced to the outdoors. Then we hit the field with our old pups.

The Day Of The Hunt

It was cold. Single digits with 20-30mph winds. The “feels like” temp was well below zero. The hunters might have been cold, but the dogs were loving every minute of it. Tails were wagging, noses went straight to the ground and birds were flushed or pointed. Some shots were true, some were missed and cold fingers fumbled with safeties, causing birds to fly away unharmed. The last example was from yours truly.

Why put ourselves through a miserable day when most hunters would wait until the weather clears? Because it wasn’t about us. We owed it to our four-legged friends to take them to the bird dog equivalent of Disney World. They may have been sore the next day, but it was worth it. Watch this episode and you’ll see what I mean. But, be warned, the room might get a little dusty.

The Episode:

In case you’ve missed them, the first six episodes of the season are linked below. Before you go to those, I would encourage you to watch this next video. It digs deeper into Cory Loeffler’s Boone and a Raising Tiny episode I filmed with him awhile back.