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Natural Resources Board sets quota at 200 wolves for February hunt

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Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board has set a quota of 200 wolves for the rapidly-organized winter hunting season.  The board met online Monday, unanimously supporting the Department of Natural Resources recommendations.

DNR Division Administrator Keith Warnke says application for permits will begin at the DNR’s Go Wild website at 12:01 am Tuesday, February 16th and close Saturday, February 20th at 11:59 pm. “Customers who win in the drawing will be able to review the results on February 22nd. Drawing winners can begin hunting and trapping when they have purchased their license and printed their carcass tag. The season will run through February 28th.”

Warnke says the online applications for the November hunt will open March 1st, and he says applicants can apply for preference points without seeking a harvest tag.  Permits cost $10.00 and if applicants are drawn for a license, wolf harvest tags cost $49.00.  Hunters and trappers can begin harvesting wolves Warnke also says DNR will forego carcass testing for the winter hunt.

DNR Program Supervisor and carnivore specialist Dave MacFarland told the board the 200 quota figure along with other human-caused wolf mortality figures is a figure that stabilizes the wolf population.  Board member Greg Kazmierski asked if that is the goal. “I’m not sure that should be our objective, and maybe that’s what the biologists were asked to do is come up with a quota that stabilizes the population, but the current population is almost four times what our population goal is.”

Board Chair Dr. Frederick Prehn appreciated the efforts of DNR and the board since Thursday’s Jefferson County court ruling. “We have a job to do and I think we completed it, but we completed it with what we believe (is) good science from the department, all politics aside.”

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Bennett Brantmeier ruled Thursday, February 11th the DNR violated existing state law by refusing to schedule a winter 2021 gray wolf hunt.  He scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, February 16th to get DNR’s update on complying with his Thursday order.

Livestock growers have had increased depredation problems since the last wolf season in 2014 including nine confirmed and 36 unconfirmed wolf kills in 2020.

Larry Lee, Brownfield

Natural Resources Board takes no action on February grey wolf hunt

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The state Natural Resources Board on Friday heard from proponents and opponents of an immediate wolf hunt in Wisconsin.

Luke Hilgeman is a former legislative staffer who founded the hunting rights organization Hunter Nation. “For the Department of Natural Resources and the Evers’ administration to claim that this is somehow rushed, just doesn’t make sense in fact,” Hilgeman said.

“We’re dealing with some really unknowns that we’ve never dealt with . . . if we’re allowing our harvest to occur in the middle of winter, and the use of hounds extensively across the state that we’ve never done before,” said Adrian Wydevan, a former wolf biologist with the DNR who now chairs of the Timber Wolf Alliance Council.

A wolf hunt is scheduled for this November, but proponents of a February hunt fear the Biden administration will put the wolf back on the federal Endangered Species List. The wolf was official delisted in early January.

Republican legislators have also demanded the immediate hunt, but the board voted 4-3 against that on Friday.

The DNR’s most recent estimate put the number of grey wolves in the state at 1,034.

Alice in Dairyland finals cancelled

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A signature Wisconsin event has been cancelled due to COVID-19. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has cancelled the 74th annual Alice in Dairyland finals, which were to have been held in Walworth County in May.

The 75th finals will be held May 19-21, 2022 in Dane County as previously planned. Julia Nunes of Chippewa Falls will continue as Alice in Dairyland until July 15, 2022, officially becoming the 74th Alice in May.

Gypsy Moth population increases in Wisconsin

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A destructive invasive species has seen a rebound in Wisconsin this year. Gypsy moths can damage trees and shrubs by eating away their leaves.

The annual trapping program conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) caught 83,720 moths this year, up from 52,396 in 2019.

It’s an increase attributable in part to variations in winter weather. Last year was a historic low after two harsh winters.

“Weather conditions were relatively mild across Wisconsin compared to the previous two years,” said Michael Falk, DATCP’s gypsy moth trapping coordinator. “Winter temperatures were not low enough to kill gypsy moth eggs, and spring conditions did not support the fungal and viral diseases known to kill gypsy moth caterpillars. As a result, gypsy moth populations rebounded after two consecutive years of population decrease.”

Turn your deer into tasty venison with tips from the DNR and UW-Extension

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Once you’ve got your deer on the ground this season, now comes the time to turn that deer into tasty food.

DNR wildlife management director Eric Loebner says adding deer meat to your diet is a great way to get lean, healthy protein. 

“Making that homegrown sustainable organic meat protein source, you know really it’s unique to the experience and it certainly adds to the experience and as well.”

There’s more and more interest these days in processing and butchering deer at home, rather than taking it to a meat processor according to Loebner.

“There’s even videos out there now about the whole nuances of making your own meat at home, whether you’re making sausage or whether you’re making bacon.”

The UW-Extension offers tips and classes on handling your own deer, as well as canning and preservation processes.

Loebner says it’s important to be ready to field dress your deer by yourself while COVID-19 continues.

Temperatures are getting cool enough to properly hang a deer, but won’t freeze it outside, so be sure to get your deer to a processor or cut it up yourself before too long. 

Consider changing up how you eat to stay healthy during the winter, says UW expert

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As we move into the colder months and the days get shorter, experts say to need to switch up what sorts of things you’re eating to stay healthy during the pandemic.

UW-Extension nutritional sciences professor Beth Olson says that with less sunlight on the way, you need to keep up your intake of Vitamin D. 

“You need to look at the labels on your Foods. It’s fortified in dairy products, grains, cereals, and take a look and make sure you’re getting enough.”

Olson says you shouldn’t be afraid of moving to canned and frozen veggies over fresh as well, since that gives you plenty of options on making meals. 

“Using Frozen and canned gives you the option of a lot of variety. Maybe you can get some fruits and vegetables that you wouldn’t be getting in the winter if you were only using fresh.”

You should consider swapping out some carbs in your diet for proteins, says Olson

“Get enough, lean protein especially depending on your preference. You might be a meat eater, you might prefer plant proteins. Recently we’ve really been promoting to people to try to eat a wide variety of plant proteins because that’s not something we’ve done in the past.”

She says that could mean tofu or soy, or nuts and legumes and even oats. 

Slow down and take it easy around farm equipment during the harvest, says Farm Bureau

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More farm equipment is going to be out on county roads as the fall harvest continues, and farmers are asking people to slow down and take it easy.

Farm Bureau member Shane Goplin says that there’s never a good reason to pass a vehicle in a no passing zone, even if it’s a slow moving vehicle. 

“I’ve had instances where I was even making a right-hand turn and somebody passed me on the left over a blind Hill and it just sent cringes down my neck. You don’t know what’s coming around that corner, or over that hill and it could be dangerous, no doubt!”

Goplin says that if there is an issue, that farmers will try to make space for someone so that they can be properly passed but that drivers just need to have patience. 

“I’m constantly looking for a place where I can get off on a road or where I can get myself off a hundred percent off the road so they can pass.”

State law makes it illegal to pass a farm tractor or hauler in a no passing zone, but Goplin says that ought to just be good common sense in the first place. 

Bad seeds: DATCP issues warning about unsolicited packets

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Unsolicited seed packages have been arriving in mailboxes across the country, including Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer protection says they should not be planted, or even opened.

DATCP Spokeswoman Grace Atherton said the source of the seeds is unknown, but are likely from China. “We don’t have definitive evidence that they are all from China but that’s what appears to be happening so far.”

Those seeds could introduce invasive species to areas where they’re planted, and that could damage existing crops or livestock. Atherton said planting any unknown seeds from an unknown source could have devastating effects.

If you have received a package of seeds, keep it sealed or seal it back up, don’t plant them, and contact DATCP for proper disposal.

DATCP creates new training program to help people identify farmers in crisis

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The state ag department wants to help people in the ag industry catch people heading into a mental health crisis before it happens.

Wisconsin Farm Center director Jayne Krull says they’re offering special training called Q P R or Question, Persuade, Refer.

“Our training is for farmers to help their fellow farmers or for the agricultural service providers who go to those farms like the milk haulers and the veterinarians and those types of people to get training so they can identify a potential person in crisis.”

“They will be virtual training sessions, and there will be six offered in the months of July through October. We’re offering them at different times and days of the week to accommodate everyone.”

Krull says the QPR classes are just one part of a larger effort to assist farmers going through hard time. “We’ve definitely noticed an increase in calls to the Farm Center. We’ve also opened up a 24/7 hotline recently for them to speak to a mental health counselor.”

For more info or to sign up for a course, go to the Farm Center website.

Coronavirus pandemic forces cancellation of World Dairy Expo

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Another major Wisconsin event is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic — World Dairy Expo in Madison. Dairy Expo General Manager Scott Bentley, in an announcement posted to YouTube Thursday afternoon

“We had every intention of adhering to our initial communication timeline of July 1st. But an abundance of clarity has been obtained through the public health order Forward Dane, released on May 22, and we have been left with no viable options.”

The announcement said World Dairy Expo “remains committed to issuing full refunds for all payments made for the 2020 show.”

Dairy Expo Board President Bill Hageman said the decision was not what they had hoped to announce.

“However, unwaveringly we recognize our responsibility is to maintain the health of our community, and the safety of all of you as exhibitors, attendees, volunteers and staff, and to adhere to the orders dictated by Dane County through the Forward Dane public health plan, and Emergency Order Number Three.”

World Dairy Expo was scheduled for September 30 through October 3, at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center. The expo annually brings upwards of 50,000 people to the Madison metro area, with an economic impact for the region in the tens of millions of dollars.