Otter Tail Country Tourism

Taxidermy is a great way to remember a great hunt or fishing trip and when done right, shows the true beauty of the trophy you brought home.

But when it's done wrong, it's pretty terrible.



There's a Facebook page dedicated to these poor taxidermy jobs named "Badly Stuffed Animals" - with about 10,000 fans.

Outdoor Life magazine took 30 of the most absurd and put together a slideshow. Click here to view the slideshow at Outdoor Life.

Let us know if you've seen any other poor stuffing jobs - and remember, we recommend taking your trophies to a reputable taxidermist, and there are plenty in Otter Tail Country who would love to help you remember your excursion.

Labels: fishing, funny, hunting, taxidermy

I've spent many summer afternoons shooting trap - either at a club or just throwing clay pigeons by hand in a field. It's a great way to spend time with friends and get ready for the coming Fall hunting seasons. Many hunters enjoy the bird hunting in Otter Tail Country - we have ducks, geese, pheasants, grouse, turkeys - you name it. Staying sharp in the off season will ensure better experiences when the seasons open in the fall.

I found an article on Field and Stream about shooting trap - it's actually quite funny, more funny than informative, to be honest, but basically the article talks about focusing and concentration being huge. You'd think it would be easy to shoot a bright orange disk flying through the sky, but it gets tough.

Take a look at the article and have a laugh, then get out and shoot some clays - it's cheap, fun, and will help you bag more birds during hunting season in Otter Tail Country

Labels: fun, hunting, shooting, shooting sports, sports, summer

We're looking for any fishing updates you guys are finding out there on any of the 1,000 lakes and waterways in Otter Tail Country, since the Summer 2011 fishing season opened earlier this month.

We don't need to know your hot spots, but we'd love to hear what time of day is working best, what lures and baits you're using, how deep you're finding fish, etc. We're just hoping to be able to send our loyal readers to some good places with good chances of catching a few of our wonderful Minnesota walleyes, northerns, panfish, bass, or anything else they're looking for!

Feel free to email alecwinmill@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog post and we'll be sure to credit you for helping us out.

Good luck and happy fishing!

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: fishing, fishing tips, hot spots, reader help

Field and Stream magazine, who also has an outstanding website we check out frequently, started running a Hook Shots special with fishing tips.

This video, How to Become a Bass Pro, has some great tips for any of you avid bass fishermen out there - and there are plenty of you in Otter Tail Country.

These anglers are fishing in New York, but the tips are transferrable to the waters of Minnesota.

Here's the video:



Original article on Field and Stream.

Labels: bass, fishing, fishing tips, video

Robert Lawler, an angler on Lake Havasu in Arizona caught what could potentially be the new world record redear sunfish - weighing in at over 5 lbs.



The fish outweighed the current Arizona state record by more than a pound and bested the world record sunfish by about an ounce.

Field and Stream has a nice photo slideshow - check it out and let us know what you think in the comments. Do you think we have any mammoth panfish swimming around in one of Otter Tail Country's 1,000 lakes?

Original Post at Field and Stream

Labels: fishing, news, panfish, records, sunfish

I just talked to a buddy who's headed to the lake right now - in preparation for the midnight opening of Minnesota's 2011 walleye fishing season.

The season closed a few months ago, and now that the ice is off the lakes and walleyes are in ready (mostly post-spawn), it's time to start back up again.

It seems like we're always pushing for safety, but once again we hope you're being cautious of the weather. It's unseasonably chilly this weekend, it's hovering around 40 degrees right now with wind and intermittent rain fall. Dress warm and be sure to wear your life jacket, even if you're a strong swimmer. You never know what could happen!

That said, we hope you get out there and catch a limit of beautiful, feisty Minnesota walleyes at the lake of your choice this weekend. See you in Otter Tail Country!

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: fishing opener, Minnesota, spring, walleyes

Hey All!

This is just a friendly reminder that we're out there in the world of social media and we'd love to connect with you.

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OtterTailCountry and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OtterTailCounty - notice we couldn't fit OtterTailCountry on Twitter, so we're OtterTailCounty.

Let's get started on the social web!

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: connections, internet, social media, Social network

I'm not lucky enough to have a place on Otter Tail Lake, but my good friend Mark has family with property on the lake.

He's going to be putting the docks and boat lifts in at his grandparents' place this weekend, and that's exciting for everyone - we're one step closer to summer! He just put a new stereo in his boat and got it tuned up and ready for action once the weather warms up a bit more.

I know there are a lot of you getting ready to put your boating accessories in the water at your cabin, and we just ask you to be safe as you're doing this. Water is much colder this time of year than even a month from now. We're not suggesting you wait to get your dock and lifts in the water, but just take your time and be safe - put on a pair of insulated waders, even if it's a tougher move to go in just your swimsuit in May. Be careful of rocks you may have forgotten about or any sudden drop offs in the lake.

We're excited to see more boats out on the lakes - whether you're fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding, or just out there enjoying the day, we're hoping you're out there in Otter Tail Country.

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: boat lifts, boating, docks, fishing, relaxation, safety, spring, wakeboarding, water skiing

They are two of most people's favorite things: vacations and money. We found a great article at Fox Business showing you have to save money so you can enjoy your vacation even more.

There are plenty of places to fly into near Otter Tail Country, and whether you fly into Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN's Hector International Airport or Minneapolis/St. Paul's International Airport, or anywhere in else in our area, we hope you get the best deal possible on your flight. The article suggests buying your tickets in advance - 60 days before your flight is a great time to do this. Another tip is to be flexible when buying your airfare. From the article:

Travelers can cut as much as 50% off airfare by flying on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday because they are considered off-peak days. When you buy the tickets also matters. “A lot of airfare sales are lunched on Tuesday and many end on Thursday,” according to Young.

The article also talks about traveling during off peak seasons - which is great for Otter Tail Country because Winter can be just as much fun as Summer here in the lakes country of Minnesota!

See the full article for more tips on saving money on your next vacation - we hope to see you in Otter Tail Country in the near future!

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: fishing tips, help, travel, vacation, vacation tips

We're big fans of saving money at Otter Tail Country Tourism - and we're also big fans of outdoor activities. I think it's time we share a website with you guys that will help any outdoors-person enjoy their passions for less money.

SteepAndCheap.com offers a deal on a variety of outdoor goods, until it sells out. Once the deal sells out, they find a new deal and put it up for sale on the site. They sell anything from biking gear to camping equipment and everything in between. They have some great clothes and accessories, too.

Not every deal is for everyone, but that's the great thing about SteepAndCheap.com - the deals don't stick around for too long. Give the site a whirl and let us know what you think in the comments!

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: deals, otter tail country, outdoors, websites