Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report

 Looking northwest at the mouth of the Sturgeon Bay, a bay in the Bay of Green Bay on Lake Michigan near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin from Potawatomi State Park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fall Color now near or at peak in Wisconsin's Northwoods

Fall color is now at or very near peak across much of northern Wisconsin, about nearing peak in central Wisconsin and probably a week away in the Black River State Forest area and about two weeks off in the far south. Remember you can check progress on the Department of Tourism’s Fall Color Report (exit DNR).

DNR offices have been receiving inquiries on the status of state properties in light of the federal government shutdown. All state park, forest, trail and wildlife and fisheries areas remain open for public recreation and enjoyment.

Autumn activities continue this weekend at many state properties, with a fall festival at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in Burnett County, the 25th Colorama Run-Walk at the Lapham Peak unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Waukesha County, and Run Wild and Potawatomi State Park in Door County. On Saturday the C.D. “Buzz” Besandy Anadromous Fish Facility in Kewaunee will hold an open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be tours, egg collection demonstrations, wagon rides and an “Adopt a Sturgeon” event where individuals will get to release a baby sturgeon into the river.

A cool foggy mornings made for a great southern duck opener in east central Wisconsin while sunny and breezy conditions greeted hunters in the southwest. Hunters reported good numbers of mallards, wood ducks, and teal. Goose hunters are beginning to have much more success with the increase of corn being harvested.

With waterfowl hunting seasons underway and trapping on the horizon, it’s a good time for outdoor enthusiasts to consider whether their gear might be transporting harmful invasive species (EDITOR'S ADVISORY: link to news release including slide show) to and from a favorite hunting spot, Wisconsin invasive species experts say.

Archery hunters have been out in large numbers on both state owned and private lands, with deer activity picking up during the evening hours. Some young whitetail bucks have already left their bachelor groups and started to chase does. A youth gun deer hunt [PDF] will be held statewide this weekend and bow hunters are reminded that they are required to wear blaze orange in the field.

Musky fishing has been bordering on excellent in the Northwoods with anglers reporting multiple catches on a single trip. The sucker bite really turned on in the last week. Walleye have also begun to get more active and anglers are having increased success.

Strong winds limited activity on Green Bay this week but when possible to get out anglers have been catching some nice walleye. Perch fishing has been good at Sturgeon Bay, Little Sturgeon Bay and Sawyer Harbor. There were a lot of king salmon being caught from the piers in Sturgeon Bay and in the shipping canal.

Lake Michigan tributary fishing pressure has increased and catch rates have improved, with chinook and coho salmon and brown and rainbow trout all reported. Action was reported on the Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Milwaukee rivers. Flows on the Root and Pike rivers remain low and fewer fish have been seen.

Sandhill cranes have been seen in large flocks along the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. The fall bird migration continues strong across Wisconsin. Saturdayand Tuesday nights saw especially large migration events as millions of birds moved south across the state, including the last of the warblers and a slew of short-distance migrants. The hawk migration is in full swing with peregrine falcons, merlins, American kestrels, sharp-shinned, and Cooper’s hawks nearing their seasonal peaks.

Prairies are now in the late fall stage with showy goldenrod expressing its golden colors and a variety of asters in bloom. Milkweed plants are dispersing seed.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report

Wild rice on northern lakes is ripe and will be harvestable for the next few weeks.

Last week northern Wisconsin was very wet with heavy rain on multiple days and some areas also experienced winds of 50 mph or more with the rain. Water levels in some area are very high. Meanwhile, the west central part of the state remains very dry and fire danger remains high in many counties, with burning permits suspended in some areas.

The Lower Wisconsin River continues to be at fairly low levels for the fall. However, there have been some big fluctuations in the past week, caused by discharges at the Prairie du Sac dam. The river has come up or dropped down as much as one foot in 36 hours, so paddlers are urged to take that into account when choosing sandbars for camping.

Musky have been the highlight of the past week in Northwoods fishing and action was very good. Nearly all anglers were reporting sightings, follows and strikes. Artificial baits have provided most of the action. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have also provided some very good action, northern pike fishing remains excellent and panfish activity has been sporadic with some decent crappie and bluegill found suspended around deeper water cover.

Lake Michigan trollers have been reporting decent catches with a mixed bag of large rainbows, coho, and chinook. Fishing pressure has remained steady on harbor piers with some chinook reported at Sheboygan, Port Washington, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha. A few chinook were caught near the mouth of the Pike River, but there were no reports this week of salmon moving up rivers.

The early goose and dove hunting seasons opened last weekend and some hunters did very well on doves during opening weekend, especially in the Columbia County area. Some goose hunters reported success, while others reported that it was pretty hard to locate geese due to the late farming season. Few fields have been cut so the birds are still spending time in retention ponds and elsewhere.

Whitetail bucks are starting to shed their antler velvet and the red coats on deer are starting to turn to the darker winter color. Fawns are also changing, their coats are starting to turn dark and they are beginning to lose their spots. Cooler weather is increasing deer movement, especially during the day, so drivers should beware.

Coyotes have been very vocal over the last several weeks, enlivening quiet nights with their barking, howling and yipping. Family groups have established rendezvous sites where family groups will meet to socialize and prepare for hunts. Coyote pups are especially vocal this time of year and will readily respond when howled at by a human.

Some of the late summer-early fall flowers that can be seen now are large-leaved aster, native sunflowers, evening primrose, goldenrod, and jewelweed. Wild rice on northern lakes is ripe and will be harvestable for the next few weeks. Numerous regulated wild rice lakes have opened in the last week. Search the DNR website for wild rice for information on what lakes are open and harvest rules.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for March 29, 2012

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With the continued mild spring weather, most areas of Wisconsin are reporting that many spring events are occurring as much as a month early from most years. Lake ice is gone from most lakes even in the far north. Walleye runs on rivers are peaking or nearly over in many areas when they would normally just be starting in many years. Walleye spawning on northern lakes is already well underway and Chippewa Indian tribes have begun spearing. Many spring ephemeral flowers are and blooming and cherry and crab apple trees are blossoming. Sandhill cranes are doing mating displays and tom turkeys are displaying and gobbling. Frogs, turtles and salamanders have emerged.

The mild cool-down in the last week, which still has temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above normal for this time of year, has slowed some activity. Northern pike and musky are already done spawning in the south. Sturgeon were actively spawning but the drop in water temperatures slowed that activity. That could pick up again with a warm-up in the forecast. Sturgeon had made it upstream as far as the Shawano dam.

The walleye run on the Wolf River and throughout the Lake Winnebago System came early and fast and walleyes have begun making their way back to the lakes. Prime spawning activity lasted just a couple days. On the Wisconsin River the walleye run is in full swing below the Nekoosa Dam to the Petenwell Flowage, but is about complete below the Wisconsin Dells dam with many fish showing back up in Lake Wisconsin. Walleye runs are near peak on the Menominee and Peshtigo rivers in the northeast.

The ice is now out on Lake Superior and people are preparing for smelt fishing which opens April 1. Lake Superior anglers have been capitalizing on early warm weather and ice out bringing in some good catches of trout and salmon from along the south shore. Strong numbers of steelhead were still being caught on the Lake Michigan tributaries in Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Sheboygan counties. Rain in the last week had tributaries in the south running high and muddy, but good numbers of anglers were still fishing the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Root rivers and Oak and Sauk creeks, but success has decreased in recent days.

While the game season is closed on many inland lakes, anglers have been having some good early success for crappie and bluegill especially in the southern and southeastern lakes. White bass and suckers are running and providing some very good action and dip netting.

Chorus frogs and spring peepers had been very active, but quieted down with the cool spell. Salamanders are emerging now as well. Painted and Blanding’s turtles have been seen sunning themselves on rocks or logs. Coyote pups are being born this time of year in burrows and red fox pups may already be here.

Pasque flowers, marsh marigold, Dutchman's britches, bloodroot and hepatica are blooming. May apples and prairie smoke are emerging.

The recent record warm temperatures across the state and region have resulted in a large number of early records for bird migration and this week early nest records were reported for killdeer and wild turkey, both species weeks ahead of a typical nest initiation date. Ruffed and spruce grouse are drumming and displaying in the north and prairie-chickens are displaying at leks in central Wisconsin. The large numbers of snowy owls that wintered in Wisconsin are now leaving the state for the arctic, with multiple snowy owls reported this week at Ashland and 10 seen at the Oconto harbor.

Related articles

• Wisconsin DNR Outdoor Report Summary for January 5, 2012
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for February 23, 2012
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report Summary for January 12, 2012
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for February 16, 2012

• Indiana: Young anglers caught six "Fish of the Year" in 2011 (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)