WE’RE ABOUT TO BLOW!  Relatively calm conditions persist through tonight, but a huge shift in the wind is coming for tomorrow’s Pheasant Opener as forecasts now add an extra 10 mph to the maximum gusts.  Hold on to your blaze orange hats!   We go potpourri in today’s Three Things. (WAITING ON WIND. Seeds hanging from…

HUSKS IN THE WIND.  Okay, so that’s not the title of a Kansas song, but it will most likely be one for North Dakota this weekend, as Pheasant Opener is expected to be a breezy one. We toast to the breezes that blow through the treezes, and factor gusts into your hunting strategy. (CORNY.  Chaff…

DAILY LIMIT!  Just three days remain until Pheasant Opener.  We’re convinced it’s not a coincidence that’s the same number of birds in your daily ND limit.  We talk more about pheasant biology, rooster harvest and how it does little to nothing to the population in today’s Three Things. Even in years where numbers are low,…

FORE!  Watch out, only four days between you and that first flushing rooster of the pheasant season.  Today we sneak a little fishing fun into Three Things before we get back in pheasant focus with the latest from Dakota Edge. (Opener Memory.  The author with his lab, Gunnar, and a pair of roosters on the…

ALL CHOKED UP! We’re that excited for Pheasant Opener!  Just five days until North Dakota’s pheasant season kicks off on Sat. Oct. 7.  Here’s hoping you’re getting your gear together, your dog’s final exercises in and your shot in order, if you haven’t already.  Speaking of the latter, we talk about primary pheasant hunting chokes…

GUSTS & MUSTS.  While it will be a windy day, for hundreds of youth it will be a must-hunt day, as ND’s Youth Pheasant weekend kicks off.  While conditions won’t be ideal, there are still a lot of great opportunities out there to find roosters and there will definitely be some wind for dogs to…

CHICKEN? CHANTERELLE? COULDN’T TELL!  By no means experts on fungi or foraging, when we see something on the ground that’s bright orange, we leave it be!  We talk about what orange in the outdoors means in today’s Three Things, and leave the foraging to our foodie friends! (Blazing Fungus.  A bright orange fungus resembling chicken…

GO FOR THE GOLD.  It was a gorgeous day yesterday, whether on the water or on the hunt, and with autumn colors taking hold across the upper Midwest, today will be another great one to get out there and see all that nature has to offer. We talk more fun fall stuff in today’s Three…

YOU’RE NUTS!  This little red squirrel was surprised anyone was out walking the grouse trails in recent rains, as it too sought shelter under the pine canopy from the constant precipitation.  We get a bit squirrelly in today’s Three Things and drool over the near perfect fall days on tap for today and tomorrow! (Featured…

LIGHT AND VARIABLY AWESOME.  If you were looking for a day to get on stand, and get sick with buck fever, this would be the one.  Light winds and overcast conditions with decreasing rain will have deer moving again, and will make things comfortable for your sit.  We talk about deer stands and safety in…

TAKE THE SHOT(GUN SHELL).  Pheasant season is fast approaching, make sure to get your ammo now and not the night before the season starts, when shelves and selections get a little slim.  We begin to dry out today, and things look good for the rest of the week, we talk about the specialized pheasant load…

MOVING & GROOVING  Yesterday’s edge hour was loaded with wildlife movement ahead of last night’s wet weather.  Today may be the same, but continued rain throughout the day might make it a bit of a soaker – unless you’re waterfowling on the edge of your favorite small water, then you’re halfway there already!  We talk…

ON TO AUTUMN.  Cool air takes control this weekend, and it’ll start to feel like fall again as below-average temps will dominate the next week of the forecast.  On the bright side, it’ll be conducive to your hunting activities once the rains subside….on Monday.  D’oh. (Featured Photo: Red sumac leaves paint the edge of a…

SUMMER’S LAST STAND.  We officially bid adieu to Summer at 3:02PM today, when the autumnal equinox occurs.  We figured we’d give you one last glimpse at the fading summer hues as fall’s reds, oranges and yellows take over. It’ll feel like fall as more shifty weather makes its way into the region today and for…

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN.  Welcome to the roller coaster of fall.  In yesterday’s Daily Edge we were singing the praises of a glorious near-autumn day.  Today we’re lamenting gusts, and rain and a weather maker that’ll keep you off stand – and with lightning, the water as well – so catch up on Monday’s work,…

SWAMPY START!  It’ll be a wet first day of the ND Youth Deer Season by noon when it kicks off today, but this shift in conditions might get things moving for the ND Youth Waterfowl Weekend on Saturday and Sunday. No matter the weather, make sure to take a kid into the outdoors this fall…

SMOKE ON THE WATER.  Anyone who spent any time outdoors yesterday could smell, taste and at times see the smoke from fires burning north and west of North Dakota. A shift in the wind over the next couple of days – and higher velocity – should move some of that smoke out of the area. …

THINK POSITIVE.  We know, we know, the headlines aren’t pretty: hurricanes, earthquakes, and pheasant numbers down over 60 percent. But think positively, there’s more deer tags than in recent memory, fishing this summer has been fantastic, and we’re getting closer to fall!  We cover that topic and more in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: A…

PUP IS UP.  It’s an extended summer for us this weekend as temps soar into the mid-80s and a warm stretch settles in.  It may be a bit hot for your grouse and partridge opener, so spend some time on the water, or take your pup out for a few more training exercises before the…

HEN’S TEETH. No seriously, you can trust us as we dole out some fun pheasant hen facts that aren’t hogwash in today’s Three Things.  You know that saying, that today’s a gift, that’s why they call it the “present?”  Well it is – especially today – so get out there and enjoy a perfect sampling…

THE UNOFFICIAL START OF FALL!  If summer’s end is unofficially Labor Day, then it’s also the start of fall.  So much hunting to do, and so little time.  We lay out the map for success and talk about other random fun stuff, while getting a tad nerdy and science-fictiony in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo:…

I FEEL A CHANGE. Back to a better day?  Cool temperatures settle in on Sunday’s shift in the wind which came a bit later in the day than expected, and it will start to feel like fall over the next couple of days.  Winds die off early in the week, making time on stand a…

SUMMER FALLING.  One more warm day today, before a cooler trend sweeps over the region.  Winds will shift and rise around midday, so get your fishing or hunting in this morning and save the beach time for the afternoon with highs one more (last?) time in the 90s.  We dip back into the old bag…

YOU MADE IT!  Welcome to the first day of hunting season, and the first day of September! Odds are you’ve bagged a limit of doves before you read this, or you’re reading it just before you go out this morning.  Deer archery starts at noon, and you’ll want that north wind stand, as we get…

THEN THERE WAS ONE.  Just one day to go until hunting seasons start in earnest across the state.  Dove season opens tomorrow morning, and deer archery kicks off tomorrow at noon.  We know you’re excited so we have some distractions for you in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Heads Up! A five-by-five whitetail buck in…

FROG DAYS OF SUMMER.   You should start seeing a good population of young-of-the-year frogs and toads in those areas where water stuck around to support a hatch of tadpoles this spring.  Watch for bass to key in on this readily available forage, and match the hatch with some great frog lures in today’s Three Things….

IT’S LIKE A HEATWAVE!  Summer is making its comeback as August-like temps return.  We jump above average with highs in the upper 80s today and light winds.  Don’t be fooled though, autumn is still on its way, and hunting seasons will open shortly.  We’ve got the scoop on last minute dove prep, some swan news…

STILL SUMMER!  At least for a little bit longer, conditions will revert to those normal August dog days, heat, humidity and warmer evenings.   Unfortunately, the year’s first crop of widespread mosquitoes have emerged after recent rains in areas that were gripped by the drought.  Ah well, take the good with the bad I guess –…

30,000 FOOT VIEW.  The bulk of late Friday and Saturday’s rain slipped south of the state line, and a few small spatters yesterday kept the dust down in Bismarck, but most moisture fell east.  A big warm up is on the way, making up for a cooler-than-average August to this point.  Will temps moderate before…

BACK IN TIME.  Rain chances move out overnight, and clouds subside to mostly sunny by mid-day.  A perfect 80 on the thermometer with light winds will provide an ideal summer Saturday.  It’ll feel like déjà vu as Sunday appears to be a carbon copy temp wise, perhaps with more sun! We grab our rods and…