Columnist | Outdoors

Outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson joined the Star Tribune in 1993 after serving in the same position at the St. Paul Pioneer Press for 13 years. His column topics vary widely, and include canoeing, fishing, hunting, adventure travel and conservation of the environment.

Anderson was born in North Dakota, but grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Minnesota, Morris and a master's in journalism from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where his focus was communications law.


Anderson: Chiovitte's state record walleye shouldn't be thrown back

The DNR has changed the way it recognizes Minnesota's biggest fish, but the walleye record should still stand.


Anderson: Minnesota's muskies are no match for sonar gadget

Minnesota muskies were trending downward before advent of forward-facing sonar, which redoubles the threat to these trophy fish. DNR likely will be slow to act, so anglers must.


Anderson: Anatomy of a nighttime helicopter rescue in Boundary Waters

DNR pilot Grace Zeller recounts sudden involvement in nighttime rescue of injured paddlers below Curtain Falls.


Anderson: With summer training, know a dog's tail is meant to wag

Though hunting seasons are months away, bonds between dogs and their partners are often solidified in June, July and August.


Anderson: Did June rain wash away Minnesota pheasant nesting prospects?

Poised for a population comeback, Minnesota pheasants see nesting success threatened by rains.


Anderson: Releasing even 'fish of a lifetime' is the ethic guiding many anglers

The "Muskie Rampage," in which more than 160 muskies were caught and killed, was a watershed Minnesota moment.


10 tips on how to catch Minnesota's tight-lipped walleyes in midsummer

Anderson: Unraveling the mystery of finding, and catching, walleyes in midsummer


Anderson: Barred owls targeted for death to save northern spotted owls

The federal plan to shoot 500,000 barred owls to save smaller and less aggressive spotted owls is controversial.


Anderson: Boundary Waters hits milestone, but its future isn't guaranteed

The Wilderness Act of 60 years ago set about safeguards, and it's high time to recognize that.


Anderson: Where have all of Minnesota's muskies gone?

The DNR is initiating a planning process that could lead to a new muskie management framework.