Worthington will play host to the Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting opener this weekend, and related activities are planned for Friday.
The Nobles County Pheasants Forever chapter will offer tours Friday of the Worthington Wells Wildlife Management Area in Bigelow Township and the Schwessinger Wildlife Management Area in Bloom Township. Both will describe the partnerships that made the purchase of the areas possible.
Also scheduled for Friday is the 5 p.m. dedication of 296 acres of new public hunting land added to Ransom Ridge Wildlife Management Area, which is located three miles south and one and a half miles east of Rushmore. That event is expected to include local and state leaders, and Worthington FFA students will also be planting native grasses and wildflowers at the site as part of the ceremony. All are welcome.
Four food trucks – Jon-E-1 BBQ, the Long Branch Taco Truck, The Cheese Carriage and Fruitissimo – will be part of a Food Truck Flocking that will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at the new downtown pavilion. DJ Barry Roberts will be the emcee and provide entertainment.
On Saturday, Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will hunt with a hunting party on undisclosed private lands. Nobles County is home to more than 6,600 acres of state-owned public hunting land, and the Nobles County Pheasants Forever received the 2022 Conservation Excellence Award in recognition of $14 million of investment in county habitat. It has also received Outstanding Chapter award recognition three times.
