Lake Winnebago will be full of spearfishers Saturday, hoping to see a sturgeon swim under their hole. DNR Sturgeon Coordinator Ron Bruch says it should be a good year on the ice. “Conditions are actually not too bad,” says Bruch. He says there are some cloudy areas in the lake, but much of it is clear down to the bottom. He says sunny conditions will help: “we’re looking forward to a good opening day.” [Read more…]
Push to override veto of DNR secretary bill
A state lawmaker wants a vote scheduled to override the governor’s veto on who appoints the DNR Secretary. Representative Terry Van Akkeren (D-Sheboygan) has called for Assembly leadership to schedule a vote to overturn Governor Jim Doyle’s veto on a measure that would return the appointment power to the DNR board.
A proposal to entice the casual angler
Representative Joan Ballweg wants to allow would-be fishing enthusiasts to buy a one-day license. The Republican from Markesan says some business owners watch potential customers decide not to buy tackle and bait because of they only want to fish for one day but a multi-day license is required.
Ballweg says those are the very folks she is trying to cater to with the one-day fishing license. She says anglers who normally buy an annual license will continue to do so, but under this proposal (AB-577) their visiting friends can tag along and get their feet wet.
The DNR says they would lose money as buyers of four-day licenses would opt for the cheaper one-day license, but Paul Heinen, a legislative liaison for the DNR, says the agency won’t stand in the way of hooking new anglers, if that’s what the lawmakers decide.
The DNR issues various fishing licenses including resident, nonresident, annual, 15-day, four-day, youth, and senior citizens. Ballweg says a one-day license would help recreational tourism in Wisconsin.
NOTE: The bill would create a one-day fishing license for both residents and non-residents. Also, if a person who holds a one-day fishing license decides to purchase an annual license during the same year for which the one-day license is valid, he may apply the cost of the one-day license to the yearly one. The Assembly Committee on Fish and Wildlife held a public hearing on this measure Tuesday.
Jackie Johnson 1:45
DNR Secretary urges baiting & feeding ban
Baiting and feeding of deer, already restricted in Wisconsin, needs to go away altogether, in the view of DNR Secretary Matt Frank, who speaks for the agency. “We believe we should have a statewide ban on baiting and feeding of deer,” Frank told lawmakers at the state Capitol recently.
What’s the problem with baiting and feeding? Twofold, according to Frank, who says DNR wildlife staff believe it’s changing deer habits and affecting the deer hunt. “We have hunters who do bait and feed, or hunters who don’t, changing the deer movement, making deer more nocturnal, moving them onto lands that maybe other hunters can’t get to. All of these issues I think are in play here.” [Read more…]
A lot of disappointed deer hunters this year
The deer kill during the nine-day gun season that ended last Sunday was down nearly 30% from last year. That’s according to preliminary figures from Greg Matthews of the DNR.
The harvest this year totaled 195,000, down 80,000 from last year, and Matthews says the “gap” is almost entirely in fewer doe that were shot.
The DNR had predicted a smaller harvest, saying there weren’t as many deer out there, earn-a-buck rules were dropped outside the CWD zones, and fewer permits were issued for shooting doe.
John Colbert, WIBA
Officials want hunters to watch out for pot farms
The state Department of Natural Resources has a message for deer hunters: As you put your sights on that deer, keep your eyes open for marijuana-growing operations and methamphetamine labs.
Bill Engfer is a conservation warden with the DNR. He says if you see something that just doesn’t look right, get out of the area and call local law enforcement to report your findings. If you have a GPS unit, make a note of your coordinates. He says, though, be safe.
Just last month hunters in Shawano County stumbled upon one of the largest organized drug grow operations in Wisconsin. Over 8,000 marijuana plants were confiscated. Engfer says hunters should look for things that seem out of place in the woods, like huts, tents or other makeshift structures; equipment; watering jugs; chemical containers; or signs of disturbed vegetation. Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season begins Saturday.
Call: 1-800-TIP-WDNR
License sales down for deer hunt
It could be another sign of the sour economic times. License sales for deer hunting in Wisconsin are down.
About 315,000 licenses have been sold so far, compared to more than 360,000 at this time last year. That’s a decline of nearly 13-percent, and Greg Matthews of the DNR wonders why. [Read more…]
DNR Secretary bill vetoed
The Governor has vetoed legislation that would have stripped his office of the power to appoint the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources.
Governor Doyle used his veto pen on the bill Friday, saying Wisconsin’s people and natural resources are best served by allowing his office to appoint the Secretary. The bill would have allowed the Natural Resources Board to appoint the Secretary, which supporters say is needed to get politics out of the agency. [Read more…]
Strong response for mentoring hunters
A new mentoring program for young hunters is proving to be a big hit.
The new state law enacted earlier this year allows hunters to serve as a mentor for others who are interested in the sport. DNR “Learn to Hunt” coordinator Ben Mott says over 10,000 people have purchased the special license since the program started. [Read more…]
You can help pick new license plate design
Wisconsin will soon have a new license plate benefiting the state’s endangered resources.
And, Department of Natural Resources spokesman Bob Manwell says, you can help choose the new design.
“The wolf license plate will still be available, and what we’re looking to do is add one to it. We’ll be featuring a contest on our website where folks can go and look at the four final designs and indicate their preference.”
The gray wolf has been featured on the Endangered Resources plate since 1995. Manwell says new flat-plate digital printing technology allows for more colorful and detailed license plates. The DNR hopes a new design will generate more interest in the program and help to revive declining sales of the plates, whose $25 annual fee supports the Endangered Resources conservation fund.
“The four final designs will feature animals familiar to a lot of Wisconsin citizens. There will be the badger, of course, and then four bird-based license plate designs. The Eastern bluebird, the red-headed woodpecker, and a blue heron.” [Read more…]