Vol. I  ·  No. 58
Monday, November 9, 2026  · 
274 stories in the archive

Outdoor Unc: Everything that changed since you last went out.

closed Wild River Road, Shelburne Trail, parts of High Water Trail; Kenduskeag TrailCoos County, New HampshireAbout 821 acres, 29% contained (Nov 8); full containment targeted Nov 12checked Nov 9

Trail reports

Weekend Rain Slows the Wild River Fire; Containment Reaches 29 Percent

Crews expect full containment by Thursday, but the Forest Service says it will take a season-ending storm to put the fire out.

Painted illustration of firefighters in yellow gear walking a muddy road in heavy rain toward a burning forested ridge, with fire engines and a badge reading 29% contained.
AI-generated editorial illustration of rain over the Wild River Fire. Illustration

By Outdoor Unc

Rain Saturday night, heavier than forecast, and cooler weather slowed the Wild River Fire near Gorham, New Hampshire, which had burned about 821 acres and is expected to stay within an 856-acre footprint, the Boston Globe reported Sunday, November 8. The White Mountain National Forest put containment at 29 percent on Sunday, up from 20 percent Friday, Connecticut Public reports, and crews expect full containment by Thursday, November 12.

The fire was still burning overnight, "when fire activity is usually tempered due to higher relative humidity," the Forest Service said, and the soil remains dry well below the surface. The agency says the fire will not be declared out until a season-ending event, such as several inches of rain or snow. The forest closure around the fire remains in effect. A public meeting is set for Tuesday, November 10, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Shelburne Town Hall, 74 Village Road, and online.

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open Boquillas Port of EntryBig Bend National Park, TexasReopened Sat Nov 7; Thu–Sun, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.checked Nov 8

Public land

Big Bend's Boquillas Crossing Reopens After Three Weeks

The border crossing to Boquillas del Carmen reopened Saturday once mud on the trail to the Rio Grande dried out.

Visitors approach a rowboat on the Rio Grande beneath desert mountains, with village buildings across the river.
AI-generated editorial illustration inspired by the Boquillas river crossing. Illustration

By Outdoor Unc  · 

The Boquillas Port of Entry in Big Bend National Park, the crossing to the Mexican village of Boquillas del Carmen, reopened Saturday, November 7, after about three weeks closed, the Big Bend Times reports; the National Park Service now lists it as open. High water on the Rio Grande closed it by mid-October, and as of November 5 about 100 feet of the trail to the river was still covered in slick mud with no safe way around it.

The crossing is on its winter schedule, Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and hours can change with weather and river conditions. Visitors need a valid passport and must meet entry requirements on both sides of the border.

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open Minnesota firearms deer seasonMinnesotaNov 7–29; mandatory CWD testing in the southwest on opening weekendchecked Nov 8

Hunting

Minnesota's Deer Opener Brings Mandatory CWD Testing in the Southwest

The firearms season opened Saturday and runs through November 29, with licenses and harvest registration now in a new electronic system.

Painted illustration of two hunters in blaze orange talking with a wildlife worker in blue gloves at a sampling table with test tubes and a clipboard, with deer in a frosty meadow behind them
An illustration of CWD sampling at a deer check station. Not a photo of an actual station. Illustration

By Outdoor Unc  · 

Minnesota's firearms deer season opened Saturday, November 7, and runs through November 29, Northern News Now reports. The Department of Natural Resources has started a four-year rotation for chronic wasting disease surveillance that splits the state into quadrants; this year, testing is mandatory in southwestern Minnesota for deer age 1 or older taken on opening weekend, and voluntary elsewhere. Northeastern Minnesota is not scheduled for mandatory testing until 2028.

Licenses can be bought and harvests registered online, through a mobile app or in person under the state's new electronic license system, and license sales are up this year. Deer numbers are rebounding in the northeast, especially around Duluth and parts of Itasca County, after mild winters. Wear blaze orange or blaze pink, check stands before climbing and tell someone where you are hunting. Michigan's firearms season opens November 15 and Wisconsin's November 21.

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Screen & channel

Creator Watch List, Grouse Over the Fire and a Hot Tent Night

Joe Robinet cooks grouse and tests a new woodstove tent, plus a minimalist hammock night and two shelter and pack reviews.

Joe Robinet, Grouse over the Fire at my Comfortable Camp (Nov. 3). Joe Robinet on YouTube

By Outdoor Unc  · 

Cold-weather camping dominated the week. Joe Robinet cooked grouse over an open fire, spent a solo night in a new hot tent with a woodstove and built a bushcraft shelter in the rain. The Outdoor Gear Review went minimal with a hammock night in a remote forest, TA Outdoors tried a cozy woodstove setup in a hobbit-style tent, and Justin Outdoors reviewed a lightweight 40-liter pack.

If you try a hot tent, follow the stove maker's spacing and ventilation guidance and bring a carbon monoxide alarm. Our watch lists feature videos we think readers will enjoy; creators don't pay to be featured, videos play from each creator's own channel, and we point out sponsored segments and affiliate links when a video has them. We leave out videos that promote gambling.

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