OUTDOORS NOTES

Upper Red Lake walleye anglers still can keep four fish beginning Dec. 1, but all walleye 17 to 26 inches in length must be immediately released. Anglers may keep one walleye longer than 26 inches.

"Winter angling pressure has been consistently higher than open-water fishing pressure, making the adjustment back to the 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit for the winter season a necessity," said Gary Barnard, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor for the DNR. "Anglers still will have good success because walleye abundance remains high and there are good numbers of fish smaller than 17 inches."

The change from the open-water, 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit will continue through Feb. 28.

The estimated open-water walleye harvest from state waters of Upper Red Lake for 2009 was 147,000 pounds. That harvest level is 21,000 pounds below the threshold that would trigger a more conservative three-fish limit.

Regulations for the 2010 open-water fishing season will be determined later in the winter and announced in advance of the walleye opener May 15.

Youth archery hunters at Camp Ripley

Approximately 130 youth archery hunters harvested 12 deer in the eighth annual youth deer hunt last month at the Camp Ripley Military Reservation north of Little Falls.

That was a success rate of 9 percent for the two-day hunt, which is the average success rate for a two-day archery hunt at Camp Ripley, according to the DNR.

The first deer, a 105-pound doe, was harvested the morning of Oct. 9. The largest deer was a 120-pound buck. Most of the 12 animals harvested were the first-ever deer for youth participants.

All youth hunters were paired with non-hunting adult mentors. The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and the Minnesota State Archery Association were the primary hunt administrators. The hunt took place in a 15,000-acre area on the northern third of Camp Ripley.

Crow Wing County eyes recreation trail plan

The Crow Wing County Land Services Department has initiated a project to develop a comprehensive recreation trails plan for county-managed public lands.

The plan will address existing and proposed recreation trails that serve a full range of motorized and non-motorized uses, including ATV routes, equestrian trails, biking, hiking, dog-sledding, skiing and snowmobiling.

The full project is expected to take up to two years to complete, with the preliminary High Conservation Value Forests findings being shared with the public in about six months and the first draft of the recreation trail plan being released by the end of 2010.

Off-road cyclists' meeting set Nov. 11

The Cuyuna Chapter of Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Hallett Center in Crosby.

Among topics discussed will be the 2010 budget, status of construction for Phase 1 of trails in the Cuyuna Country Recreational Area, an IMBA-MORC alliance and goals for the Cuyuna Country Recreational Area.