Wisconsin DNR Outdoor Report
Edited by Paul Holtan
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707-7921
(608) 267-7517
Fax: (608) 264-6293
E-mail: paul.holtan@dnr.state.wi.us
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/news/or/
DNR Outdoor Report as of November 10, 2011Wisconsin received its first substantial snowfall of the year, with up to 6 inches of wet heavy snow falling in a swath through the central and north central part of the state Wednesday. Lesser amounts fell though south central region, with the far southeast and the northwestern part of the state receiving just a trace of snow. Mornings have been cool enough to create a thin layer of ice across small ponds in the north, which has been melting in warmer afternoon temperatures. Temperatures are forecast to go into the mid 40s to the north and low 50s in the south by the weekend, so snow cover is not expected to last.
The state?s white-tailed deer herd is at or very near the peak of its mating season, known as the rut, and deer activity is very high. With Wisconsin?s traditional nine-day season now just over a week away, many biologists expect hunters will benefit from deer still being in rut when the season opens. Archery deer hunters continue to report very good success.
This week the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources launched a Facebook page and Twitter account. The Facebook page will focus on enjoying Wisconsin?s outdoor recreation. The DNR is encouraging hunters to share photos and stories from the upcoming deer season, as well as fans to share fishing, biking, hiking or other outdoor-related experiences. The page can be found by going to
www.facebook.com\WIDNR. You can find us on Twitter at twitter.com/WDNR.
Hunters preparing for this year's deer hunt are also reminded to leave firewood at home. Firewood can harbor pests and diseases that people can easily move with firewood from one place to another without knowing it. Threats to forests also threaten the enjoyment of hunting and countless other recreational activities. Instead of moving firewood, hunters should purchase or harvest it where they plan to use it.
Pheasant hunters have been out in force on the stocked public hunting grounds. Hunters are reminded that the 2 p.m. closure rule for pheasant hunting on certain state wildlife areas expired last week. Pheasant stocking will continue through the week of Dec. 5 on some properties.
Reports from waterfowl hunters indicate there was a significant increase in northern diver ducks moving into the state last week. Due to mild weather, woodcock remained around making for good hunting until the season closed on Nov. 7.
Fishing activity continues to diminish. Water temperatures are now down into the mid to low-40s. Nearly all waterfront property owners have removed docks and boat lifts and most anglers have winterized. But there are still musky anglers out, nearly all of which are dragging large suckers at this time of year. Lake Michigan tributaries are running low and fishing pressure has been generally light. While chinook salmon have tapered off, decent numbers of coho have been caught, along with more brown and rainbow trout.
Bald eagles are beginning to congregate, with a large numbers spotted on Pool 8 of the Mississippi River and a golden eagle spotted on Pool 9. Eagles area also being seen along the Wisconsin and Fox rivers. Other raptors such as American kestrels, red-tail hawks, harriers, short-eared owls and rough-legged hawks are also being seen. Trumpeter swans are flocking up getting ready to head south and approximately 600 tundra swans migrated to the Horicon Marsh this week.
# # #
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
A new report is put on the line each week.
Hunting and firewood
Hunters preparing for this year's deer hunt are reminded to leave firewood at home. Firewood transports pests and diseases that kill Wisconsin's forests. These pests hide well within the logs, so hunters and other people can easily move them from one place to another without knowing it. Threats to forests also threaten the enjoyment of hunting and countless other recreational activities in the state. Instead of moving firewood, hunters should purchase or harvest it where they plan to use it. Most state owned properties have quality firewood for sale at reasonable prices on site or nearby. Or, move only Wisconsin certified firewood, which has a label from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on the outside of the bundle. A link to a list of certified firewood dealers is on the
www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov website and on the firewood regulations page. Hunters who want to take firewood from one home to another or to a hunting cabin, should not move firewood more than 25 miles or out of an emerald ash borer quarantined area. Doing so puts the trees at the second destination at risk. Maps of the 25 mile radius around most state owned campgrounds and more information about firewood and invasive species is available on the firewood pages of the DNR website.
DNR Northern Region
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Mornings have been cool enough to create a thin layer of ice across small ponds. The afternoon temperatures have been warming up into the 40s and 50s. Unless some precipitation comes, hunters will find the ground to be dry and crunchy. Not only is this an inconvenience when trying to quietly get to a stand/blind, it can also become a concern for potential wildland fires. Hunters are asked to be extra cautious with fire this season with the dry fuels out there. While many birds have been migrating through, some birds such as the snow bunting are reaching their destination here in Wisconsin. The 2011 gun deer season is fast approaching and many hunters are beginning to look through the carcass tags that came with their licenses. Hunters are reminded that the heard control tag is for herd control units only. A piece of the Brule will be heading to Madison next week. Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. a 36 foot tall balsam fir will be cut off of Stone Chimney Road and hauled to the Capitol Rotunda to be used as the 2011 Capitol Holiday Tree. Governor Walker has asked art teachers, parents, and youth all across Wisconsin to help the State of Wisconsin decorate the Capitol Christmas Tree. The theme of the tree this year will be Honoring 163 years of Wisconsin?s Veterans. Teachers or students interested in displaying ornaments on the tree must make their submissions by Dec. 1, and the ornaments must be based on the Honoring 163 years of Wisconsin?s Veterans theme. The ornaments can be mailed to:Governor Walker?s Office, State Christmas Tree Ornament Program, PO Box 7863, Madison, WI 53707-7863
Ashland DNR Service Center area
Ashland County - Weather remains warm but was very windy for the past weekend. Most hunters found it hard to cope with and stayed out of the woods. The high wind speed also prevented any boating and or open water hunting of waterfowl during the weekend. The last of the leaves are now turning and or were blown from the trees. The deer continue to increase in their breeding activities and bears are still being reported to be active too
Copper Falls State Park - Water levels on the Bad River are better than they have been for most of the Fall making hiking along the Bad River popular over the past few weeks. Although the leaves are all down, it is still a beautiful time of year to enjoy the rugged beauty of the Bad River Gorge. Park staff has been busy prepping ski trails for the upcoming winter season in anticipation of snow. The park has opened several new snowshoe and ski -- both classic and skate -- trails over the past few years making Copper Falls a perfect winter destination for those who like to enjoy Wisconsin's Northwood's on ski's or snowshoes. Last year crews began trail grooming on Dec. 10. Copper Falls is open to camping year round. Sites 1-5 are maintained for campers during the winter months. For those already thinking about next summer remember reservations can be made 11 months in advance by calling 1-888-947-2757.
Bayfield County - Bucks are starting to be seen around the area with scrapes and rubs happening in the woods. Grouse are easier to see at times, but they are hanging tight to stumps and blow downs. At times the winds have been tough for the anglers to get out, but those venturing out are catching fish. Trappers have been getting raccoon, coyotes, and beaver. The fall has been easy since there has not been much for rain and no snow as of yet.
Douglas County - Colder temperatures have slowly been filtering into northern Douglas County and this change has brought some flight ducks in. Success has still been somewhat variable. A new sense of urgency is evident with archery hunters as the rut is set to peak in the next week or so. Most people have winterized boats for the year but some die hard musky anglers continue to ply the St. Louis River using late season tactics.
Spooner DNR Service Center area
Barron County - Flocks of northern giant Canadian geese appeared this week in the Rice Lake area offering water fowlers some excellent field hunting opportunities. Duck hunting has been especially slow as the local ducks have been pushed out by hunting pressure and we have not had much of an influx of migrating birds yet this year. Large flocks of sand hill cranes are staging on grain fields in the New Auburn area providing some unique music to local residents. Whitetail deer are rutting and car deer accidents are skyrocketing in the area. Motorists are advised to drive with caution all times of the day and slow down around likely deer crossing areas.
Burnett County - Trapping season is in full swing in the area. Trappers are reporting poor muskrat numbers. Trappers are reminded to report incidental catches to the local conservation warden. Hunters continue to report reduced upland game bird populations in the area. Hunters who are putting time in the field are still enjoying some success. There are some decent numbers of diving ducks in the area but not many hunters pursuing them. The deer rut is in full swing and bow hunters are having some good success. Several hard frosts in the area have taken care of those pesky bugs. Hunting dogs still need to be checked for ticks. Remember to lead by example this hunting season by always following safe gun handling practices and remind others of safety first.
Governor Knowles State Forest - The snow that was forecast this week missed us. The rut appears to be in full swing as the author witnessed a buck breeding a doe in the woods this week. Hunters in the woods are reporting some moderate success with squirrels, birds, and deer. One anglers reported great late season walleye fishing along the St. Croix River.
Washburn County - Trumpeter swans are flocking up getting ready to head south. Good flocks of mallards and other ducks are also being seen.
Ladysmith DNR Service Center area
Rusk County - Fishing activity has been very slow with most people turning to hunting activities. Deer activity has varied across the county with some reporting little to no mid-day buck movement. Consensus is that the rut will continue into the nine-day gun season. Most local population of ducks have moved on. Trappers are continuing to do well on muskrats and fisher.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
In the Park Falls area, grouse hunting activity is slowing down and archery deer hunters are pounding the woods. Not a lot of rut sign is being reported and many hunters are complaining about not seeing much on their deer cameras. Waterfowl hunters are taking advantage of the fairly mild fall weather and light hunting pressure locally. Fall turkey hunters are not finding a lot of birds to hunt and many of the broods have very small poults which may not make it through the winter.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Fishing activity on waters in the Wisconsin Northwoods continues to diminish with each passing week of the fall. Water temperatures are now down into the mid to low-40s. Nearly all waterfront property owners have removed their docks and boat lifts and stored them onshore in anticipation of ice-up in the next few weeks. Most anglers have winterized their boats and put them in storage until spring. But then there are the musky anglers, with many of them still trying their luck on a few of the local lakes. At this time of year, nearly all of the anglers are dragging large suckers around and hoping for that once-in-a-lifetime lunker. Recent reports indicate that the fishing has been slow, with many of the anglers finding musky hard to come by. There have also been a few walleye anglers still trying their luck, but success has been generally poor on the lakes. A few positive reports have come in from those fishing the deep holes and below the dams on the area rivers. Fair catches of ?eater-size? walleye have been made, with medium fathead minnows being the most productive bait.
Price County -The deer are rutting and many archery deer hunters are connecting with some nice bucks. Most grouse hunters have connected with fewer grouse than they did last year. The woodcock have moved through and have been for the most part gone since the start of November. Fisher trappers seem to be continuing a trend of having a hard time finding fishers, compared to prior fisher trapping success 5-10 years ago.
Flambeau River State Forest - Deer are in full rut and moving about on the state forest. Along with normal hunting areas, hunters may want to scout out recent timber sales through-out the area. Fringes and heavier cover associated with these areas should be holding deer. The acorn crop was low on the forest this past year. White oak acorn production was better than red oak. Grouse numbers are down slightly but hunters up to bush-whacking off the trails and working the creek bottoms are still finding birds. Woodcock numbers and hunting was good. The Flambeau River State Forest allows camping through-out the forest during the deer season. All that is required is a camping permit. Hope everyone has a safe and great hunt. No snow up here yet, the storm stayed to the south and east of us.
Antigo DNR Service Center area
Langlade County - Winter is creeping in, with cold nights causing small bodies of water to freeze, but thaw out during the day. With the coming cold air from the north, waterfowl hunters should be preparing for some northern ducks to push into the area. Of course, with this cold weather waterfowling it is especially important to wear a personal flotation device while on the water.
Lincoln County - Deer rut activity is at full swing. Deer are primarily moving at night due to the full moon. Waterfowl numbers in the area are building with hunters having success on lesser scaup on area flowages. Musky action is picking up with the cold water temperatures. Musky anglers should be aware that pulling a line with a sucker for bait could be constituted as illegal trolling. The line should remain vertical in the water.
Florence DNR at the Florence Natural Resource Center
Florence County - The bow hunters have taken over the woods in looking for rutting bucks. Many reports that the bucks are not yet serious about chasing does. Activity should pick up as November continues. Very few local ducks remain, and no large flocks of northern ducks have been seen or reported. The duck season has been very slow so far with only a few weeks remaining. Snow in the north should bring some migrating waterfowl and give diehard waterfowlers a chance at a few birds. Some musky action has been reported on the Brule Flowage with suckers, but overall very little fishing activity for anything other than muskies as folks winterize their boats and concentrate on deer. If you are planning a duck hunting or fishing trip this fall, remember your personal flotation device as water temperatures are now in the low 40s, and an unexpected incident could end up as a tragedy without a PFD.
DNR Northeastern Region
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County ? Snow was falling Nov. 9, with some large flakes. Whitefish are steadily moving into the lower Menominee River; the bite is likely best towards dusk. Whitetail bucks are starting to rut. Deer are really starting to move during all hours of the day. Many hunters are reporting increased sightings and increased sign. Also, many more deer are causing car deer collisions. There has been a lot of new waterfowl migrating into the area, especially on the Bay. A push of diver ducks moved through last week offering opportunities to hunters and birders alike. Wood ducks have been gone for awhile. The will likely be a big "push" of ducks behind this front.
Governor Thompson State Park - Scouting has begun. The state park has seen an increase in visitors this week that are beginning to scout places to hunt for the nine day deer gun season, just a reminder that there are two refuge areas in the park. The state park has sold some of the old buildings that are no longer being used and they are starting to be removed to make room for new projects like a beach at the Woods Lake Picnic Area.
Shawano County - Whitetail deer activity is picking up in the area with larger bucks on the move seeking out receptive does. The deer are in full rut. A doe had to be put down recently after several onlookers watched it get gored by a buck for several hours. The buck would not retreat when a warden approached. He stood off to the side while the doe was put down. The buck was frustrated that the doe would not cooperate so he continued to gore her in an attempt to get her on her feet. The doe had broken legs, probably from a car and so she couldn't stand. Archers are seeing deer but most are waiting for the big one to walk by. Duck hunters are seeing northern birds coming down with the storm fronts. There was about 3 inches of snow on the ground in Shawano County Wednesday. That should help deer hunting if it sticks around. Waterfowl hunters are reporting good success on area waters. Diver ducks have moved into the area providing great hunting opportunities.
Peshtigo River State Forest - Deer are on the move, and so are the hunters with bow season underway and the weather starting to get colder hunters are excited to find the big buck this season. The forest had several early morning visitors this week who were scouting out their place to hunt. Old Veteran?s campground hasn?t had any visitors recently though it will stay open all year.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - The rut appears to be picking up as people are seeing more bucks moving and pushing does around. The rainy weather during the past week has helped with duck and goose hunting as more flocks are in the process of moving around on the Bay of Green Bay and Fox River. Duck hunters have reported successful harvests and good duck numbers.
Manitowoc County - Limits of long-tailed ducks are being shot on Lake Michigan off of Two Rivers and Manitowoc.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Potawatomi State Park - Many trees in the park are hanging onto their fall colors. All hiking and biking trails are open and in overall good condition. Snowmobile trails have been signed. Volunteers will be working on the cross-country ski trails this Saturday. The well at the campground shelter remains open year-round. Campsites are available year-round, with four sites plowed out for winter campers. Water is turned off at the shower building, fish cleaning station, and dump station until next spring. Launch piers will remain in the water at Sawyer Harbor until November 14. The park will be open to gun deer hunting Nov. 19-27.
Kewaunee County - The leaves have just about all fallen to the ground covering up deer scrapes. However the bucks are very active making new scrapes and rubs every night they are out searching for does. The rut is on and the bucks are active. A lot of waterfowl hunters have traded their shotguns for their bows and are heading into the woods. The pheasant stocking on the DNR lands as winded down but pheasants are still available but it takes a little more effort than it did earlier in the fall.
Wautoma DNR Service Center area
Marquette County - The rut is in full swing throughout the county and archery hunters have been harvesting some very large bucks. Muskrat trapping has been very spotty with some areas being very good and other areas muskrat numbers are down. Raccoon hunters and trappers are reporting pretty fair success. The duck hunting has been slow throughout the county. Turkey hunters have been seeing and harvesting a lot of birds.
