By Rich Larson
Northfield’s turn as host of the Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener drew statewide coverage last weekend. Visiting reporters came away impressed with the area’s landscape and its welcome, even though record heat kept the roosters scarce.
Star Tribune outdoors reporter Dave Orrick, who hunted near Northfield on Saturday morning, wrote that Rice County is far from the state’s best pheasant country. But he said the area’s rolling prairies and hardwood groves gave the hunt a pastoral appeal, even on a sweaty walk.
Orrick hunted with Jason Wood, a Northfield engineer, and Wood’s 11-year-old Labrador, Tucker, who tired quickly in the heat. Along a field edge, Tucker flushed a pair of woodcocks. Wood dropped one, so the party didn’t come home empty-handed.
Temperatures in the 80s and 90s kept many hunters out of the fields across the pheasant range, Orrick reported. Gov. Tim Walz, at his eighth and final opener as governor, hunted private land, saw no roosters and headed in early for lunch.
St. Cloud’s WJON reported that the weekend showcased the area’s conservation work, public lands, outdoor recreation and community hospitality. On Friday, Walz toured Sharing Our Roots, a nonprofit focused on regenerative agriculture, and the Northfield History Center. The day closed with the Rooster Round-Up downtown, featuring live music and local food trucks.
On Saturday, DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen and more than 20 hunters joined Walz in the field. Afterward, his office thanked Northfield and Rice County residents for “this memorable celebration of community, conservation, and pheasant hunting.”
Walz told Orrick he has cherished the official events and looks forward to hunting next year’s opener as a private citizen. Redwood Falls will host in 2027. Both candidates for governor, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and House Speaker Lisa Demuth, have pledged to continue the tradition.
Rich Larson is the owner and General manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
