Prairie Sportsman celebrates our love of the outdoors to hunt, fish and recreate provided by Minnesota’s vast resources of lakes, rivers, trails and grasslands. The weekly half-hour show, hosted by Bret Amundson, takes viewers on adventures around the state and features outdoor sports and recreation, environmental science and ways to restore and protect natural resources.
Conflicting Canines
Living with Wolves
Pollinator Friendly Solar
Prairie Sportsman productions and talent have received 23 nominations and four Upper Midwest Emmy® awards.
In 2022, an Emmy was awarded to “Conflicting Canines,” which features researchers studying whether fox are moving into urban areas to escape coyotes in the "Public Affairs Program" category.
In 2020, an Emmy was awarded to “Living With Wolves,” about world-renowned wolf researcher Dave Mech who founded the International Wolf Center, and to Bret Amundson in the “Program Host/Moderator” category.
In 2019, Prairie Sportsman received its first-ever Emmy for "Pollinator Friendly Solar," in which the team visits a 1200-acre North Star Solar Array that is planted with native grasses and forbes in the Emmy’s "Business/Consumer Feature Segment" category.
In 2022, a record-setting nine stories created by the Pioneer PBS Prairie Sportsman production team of Cindy Dorn, Bret Amundson and Dylan Curfman were nominated. Nominated stories feature restoration of native freshwater mussels and wood turtles in southeast Minnesota, the Raptor Center in St. Paul, the Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria, wild food forager Nicole Zempel of Granite Falls, artist Ken Schmitz of Big Bend and a disabled army sergeant being presented with a custom-made rod and reel.
In 2021, seven segments and one full episode were nominated and created by the Pioneer PBS Prairie Sportsman production team of Cindy Dorn, Bret Amundson and Dylan Curfman. The nominated stories highlight the dedication of conservationist Ginger Homme of Granite Falls, hiker Emily Ford of Duluth, whitewater rafting on the Kettle River, the Quality Bluegill Initiative, tapping maple syrup at Osprey Wilds and Get the Lead Out campaign promoting nontoxic fishing tackle. Also nominated was an episode featuring Nobles County Pheasants Forever’s award-winning conservation efforts and annual veterans hunt and Minnesota researchers developing printable solar cells made from agricultural byproducts. Bret Amundson was nominated in the “Host/Moderator” category for his talent on the Pioneer PBS production Prairie Sportsman, which airs on Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and North Dakota PBS stations.
In 2020, two full episodes and three segments were nominated and created by Pioneer PBS’s Prairie Sportsman production team of Cindy Dorn, Bret Amundson, Dylan Curfman and Max Grabow. The selected stories feature the careers of DNR Nongame Wildlife Supervisor Carrol Henderson and wolf researcher Dave Mech and dog sledding in Ely. The episodes nominated include “Exploring Red Lake” filmed at the Red Lake Nation, Waskish and Northome and “Driftless” filmed in southeast Minnesota and featuring timber rattlesnakes, Mystery Cave and the Root River State Trail. Prairie Sportsman’s host Bret Amundson was nominated in the “Program Host” category and Prairie Sportsman producer Cindy Dorn was nominated in the “Writer” category for the outdoors series, which is carried on all Minnesota and North Dakota PBS stations.
In 2019, Five segments created by Pioneer PBS’ Prairie Sportsman production team of Cindy Dorn, Bret Amundson, Dylan Curfman and Max Grabow were nominated. The selected stories feature twin sled dog mushers, decoy artists, T.U.N.E. Camp for youth, pollinator-friendly solar and the National Eagle Center in Wabasha.
