Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Recreation & Entertainment

Northwoods bass fishing opens this weekend

By

Northwoods anglers can rev up those bass boats this weekend as the bass season opens up on inland waters.

Department of Natural Resources fisheries manager Mike Vogelsang says you can expect to see an influx of people out on the lakes this weekend, if the weather holds up.

“And as with any opener, there’s always a little excitement generated with it. It’s the first chance you get to actually fish and harvest those species, so that’s the big attraction.” 

He says both smallmouth and largemouth bass are exciting fish to try out. “They’re typically easier to catch, a good family fish, and most of our lakes have abundant bass populations right now.”

Vogelsang says if you’re looking for an early trophy bass this year, you should check the fishing regulations and head for lakes with single fish bag limits. He says those typically have pretty good sized fish on offer. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also try out Green Bay.  “Tremendous trophy potential there, lots of great numbers, although it’s bigger water. So you know, the general angler might be a little more intimidated by that.”

He reminds people heading out into Green Bay and the Great Lakes in general that water temperatures are still very cold for this time of year, so wear your flotation devices and limit the time you’re in the water.

Be sure check the regulations for the lake your on before you head out on the water. Those are typically posted at boat launches, but you can also check the regulations online or with the DNR’s Hunt Wild app.

Jordy Nelson confirms he will retire as a Green Bay Packer

By

Jordy Nelson

Former Green Bay Packer Jordy Nelson has confirmed he’s coming back to the Pack for his last day on the job.

In an interview with WIBW TV in Topeka, Kansas, Nelson confirmed that he was working out the details to sign a one day contract with the Packers for the upcoming season, so he can retire from football as a Green Bay Packer.

He also laid to rest rumors that he might try for a longer contract, says that even if Aaron Rodgers asked him to play again, the answer would be no.

DNR offers summer water safety tips

By

Summer is here and more people will be heading out on the water, but the Department of Natural Resources is reminding you be safe out there.

Chief Warden Todd Schaller says the best way to prevent accidents is to wear your personal flotation devices and be sure your surrounding are safe.

“Wisconsin’s a great place to enjoy the outdoors, and certainly our waterways. And we want you to do it for years to come and not have that tragic event.”

People need to be especially careful in the Great Lakes this time of year, because even a short time overboard can be deadly. “It might be 80, 90 out, but those water bodies, their temperatures lag behind ,and hypothermia can set in even in July.”

Schaller says people also need to be very careful on rivers this time of year, because even seemingly calm rivers and streams are moving large amounts of water and it only takes one mistake to get pulled downstream.

Lawsuit over construction of new Kohler golf course reaches State Supreme Court

By

The legal battles over the construction of a new Kohler golf course have reached the State Supreme Court.

The State Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments in a lawsuit over the annexation of land between Sheboygan and the Town of Wilson.

Wilson leaders say that that property was annexed specifically for Kohler by the city after Wilson rejected the construction of the new course alongside Kohler Andrae State Park. Sheboygan says the annexation is a legitimate expansion of the city.

This is just one of multiple lawsuits against the new course. Environmental groups have also filed suit against the DNR for originally approving the plan, saying it would damage delicate wetlands in the park.  

Don’t transport firewood this camping season

By

Spring camping season is here, and the state agriculture department is reminding people not to transport firewood.

Moving fresh firewood from place to place can spread pests and diseases. Spokeswoman Donna Gilson says it’s not just emerald ash borer or gypsy moths that they’re worried about.

“There could be insects or diseases that we aren’t even aware that are here. They might have crept up on your firewood and you don’t want to be the first one to introduce it to the state.”

You should be using firewood from directly near your campsite, or buying treated firewood. Spokeswoman Donna Gilson says you want to look for a stamp from either the state ag department or the USDA.

“Either one of those ensures it’s been treated, probably dried for a couple of years, to kill anything in it before it’s been sent out into the marketplace.”

Gilson says that can help stop the spread of diseases, bugs or pests that can damage Wisconsin’s forests and woods.

DNR: fewer hunters harvest more deer this season

By

Fewer hunters were in the woods harvesting more deer during this year’s gun deer season. That report from the DNR on Tuesday.

Ecologist Kevin Wallenfang says the decline in hunting sales for the gun hunt doesn’t concern them so much, because totals from the other seasons make up for it.” As crossbows and as the archery season and some of the added seasons out there such as holiday hunt and the antlerless hunt have been added on, we see more of the harvest getting taken outside of the regular gun deer seasons.”

The total deer harvest was up about 7 percent. Wallenfang says this is a rebound after poor weather last year snarled the deer hunt. 

“It’s kind of a typical season really, in that some areas increased and some areas went down a bit, so there’s really not anything surprising about the season at this point.”

More hunters are also taking advantage of CWD testing this year. “We’ve got crews working out at our C W D testing labs, pretty much all hours of the day trying to get animals processed as quickly as we so that we can get results back to hunters as quickly as we can,” says Wallenfang.

The hunt is also one of the safest on record, with no gun fatalities and only three injuries during the whole nine days.

Deer season was safest ever in Wisconsin

By

This year’s gun deer season is the safest on record for Wisconsin. That’s despite three hunters getting shot. Jon King with the Department of Natural Resources said those three hunters were treated for non-fatal gunshots wounds, but there have been no fatalities.

King said six hunters were shot last year. None of them died. The last time a Wisconsin hunter died in the field was 2015. The DNR doesn’t have a final count of deer permits for this year, but as many as 570,000 hunters in the state could have taken to the field during the 2018 deer season.

Wisconsin nine day gun deer season opens on Saturday

By

The Wisconsin gun deer season opens Saturday, and hunters are getting ready to take to the fields and forests to bag a buck or doe.

As you head out to your favorite hunting spot, it’s a good idea to give your tree stand or deer blind a once over.

State hunter education administrator John King says you want to make sure that your stand can still support you on your hunt, before you head out on opening day.

“Obviously on a metal stand we’re going to have some rust, so we want to just make sure that things are still good structurally for that tree stand if we leave it out there from year to year.”

Also check to make sure all the bolts and straps holding your stand to your tree are in good working order and give the ladder you use to get in and out a check as well.

If you’re using a heater in your deer blind, King says you want to make sure it’s working properly ,and to keep combustible materials away from it.

“Through the years we’ve had some people suffer injury and even death because of carbon monoxide poison, and then also we’ve had a few shacks catch on fire and burn to the ground.”

Be sure to sweep out the blind or shack as well, and make sure that there’s no extra critters sharing the space with you inside while you’re out hunting. You should also make sure your windows are clean and ready to open, and that your shooting lanes are clear.

If you find you’ve got an extra deer you can’t fit in your freezer or don’t need this season, consider donating it to charity. The Wisconsin deer donation program is back in action, and local butcher shops and meat processors are ready to handle your extra venison.

Stevens Point based People’s Meat Market co-owner Lee Falkavage says the process is very simple.

“There’s a paper you have to fill out. They want to know kinda where you shot it so if it does turn positive they can track that deer. So all you do is sign it off and drop it off and on your way you go.”

Hunters have donated over 90-thousand deer since the program started in 2000, which has put 3.6 million pounds of meat into food pantries.

You can find a list of donation locations online at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/deer.html

Madison Ironman to run on Sunday, despite flooding

By

The Madison Ironman will go on this Sunday, despite historic flooding in the city. 

Organizers say flooded sidewalks and trails will force minor changes to the race’s 112 mile bike course, but everything else is good to go.

The annual race is known as one of the best in the world. It combines a 2.4 mile swim through flooded Lake Monona, and then a full Marathon that will finish downtown.

Organizers say participants should be aware that there could be debris floating in the water and to be alert.

More than 24-hundred participants are expected to take part.

Police marchers disinvited from Madison LGBT pride parade

By

Organizers of Madison’s pride parade are not going to allow police to participate. The board of directors of the OutReach LGBT Community Center are withdrawing applications from the Madison Police Department, the UW-Madison Police Department, and Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney to march in the parade.

The action is in response to concerns among the LGBTQ community regarding police presence in the parade. Police will still be on hand for security. The parade is August 19.

WIBA