#46: Ron Schara: The Man Behind Minnesota Bound

<p>Ron Schara is an outdoor writer, television producer, and the creator of Minnesota Bound. A former Minneapolis Tribune and Star Tribune outdoors columnist, he launched the show in 1995 with his black Lab, Raven, and later hosted ESPN’s <i>Backroads with Ron and Raven</i>. Before any of that, he was a music student who wanted to be the next Andy Williams.</p><p></p><p>In this conversation, Ron shares how a writing professor changed his direction, why he left a newspaper career for television, and how a red bandana helped turn Raven into the star.</p><p></p><p>Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.</p><p></p><p>Chapters:</p><ul><li><i>00:00</i> Minnesota Favorites and Rapid Fire</li><li><i>02:55</i> Duck Hunting with Bud Grant</li><li><i>07:26</i> Growing Up Outdoors in Iowa</li><li><i>09:31</i> Music School, Journalism, and Andy Williams</li><li><i>15:47</i> Why Minnesota Bound Started With People</li><li><i>20:40</i> Raven’s Red Bandana and the Leap to Television</li><li><i>26:08</i> Leaving the Newspaper and Reaching ESPN</li><li><i>29:09</i> Peacock Bass, Tarpon, and Piranhas</li><li><i>34:01</i> Africa, Hunting, and Habitat</li><li><i>36:44</i> Monarchs and Purple Martins</li><li><i>40:47</i> Finding the Next Story</li><li><i>42:54</i> The Fishing Story He Never Forgot<p></p></li></ul><p>Show links</p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/@longfireco" target="_blank"><b>Watch Longfire on YouTube</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/longfire/id1851467002" target="_blank"><b>Listen on Apple Podcasts</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt" target="_blank"><b>Listen on Spotify</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/longfireco/" target="_blank"><b>Follow Longfire on Instagram</b></a></li></ul><p>Guest links</p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://mnbound.com/" target="_blank"><b>Minnesota Bound</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ronscharaproductions.com/" target="_blank"><b>Ron Schara Productions</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://outdoorcalendars.com/collections/books" target="_blank"><b>Ron’s Books</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/mnboundtv/" target="_blank"><b>Minnesota