The time has come for Northland Adventures to break camp, pack away its rod and rifle, and settle into a well-deserved retirement. The Eau Claire-based syndicated outdoors show hosted by Dave Carlson will air its final episode Dec. 29 on WQOW-TV (Channel 18). Carlson entered semi-retirement earlier this year with the hopes of periodically contributing to the show while eventually entirely shifting production to a new team. However, in the words of WQOW/WXOW General Manager David Booth, “We came to the realization that Northland Adventures just isn’t the same without Dave Carlson.” And for good reason: Carlson has hosted the program since its inception in 2000; before that, he hosted a similar show, Northland Journal, for nearly 20 years on WEAU-TV. Last summer, Carlson was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame; he’s also penned several books, most recently A Fish Gift, and won a host of awards. “All of what Northland Adventures became is due to dedicated high-quality work of photographers and production staff,” Carlson said in a press release. “But mostly, it was possible because of the involvement of hundreds of guests who, over the years, shared their experiences, skills and passions for the outdoors through our show seen by tens of thousands of viewers. My job was simple, just tell the folks’ stories.” Northland Adventures airs on 23 stations across 12 states, including WQOW, where you can tune in at 6:30pm Saturdays and 10:35pm Sundays – but only until the end of the month. After that, you’ll have to be content with tales about the one that got away.