Wisconsin Outdoor Report 7/22/2016

Smallmouth Bass 

Extremely warm weather is blanketing much of the state

As we move toward the weekend, extremely warm weather is blanketing much of the state. Thursday evening, areas of Bayfield and Ashland counties were hit by a second, high-wind storm, following last weekend's, which left massive flooding in its wake. Due to saturated soils from the previous storm, numerous trees were down in the region.

Water levels across the state are variable at this time, with some areas dropping to just above average and others, fed by the past storm and rain events, sitting much higher. This has led to large fluctuations in both angling pressure and angling success over the past week and weekend.

Those on the northeastern sections, between Manitowoc and Marinette, were seeing more consistent walleye success. Anglers in those counties were also landing catfish, smallmouth and sheepshead, with intermittent mentions of perch success. The smallmouth bass bite picked up this past week and anglers were catching bass of all sizes throughout Door County. Decent numbers of yellow perch are being caught off of Little Sturgeon Bay and Sawyer Harbor. Anglers fishing on the southeastern sections of Lake Michigan, from Kenosha all the way up to Sheboygan, were consistently landing chinook, coho and rainbow trout, with a smattering of browns and freshwater drum. Early in the week a large number of anglers caught their limit of trout and salmon on McKinley Pier in Milwaukee, but by Thursday the water temperature dropped down to 45 degrees and the fish moved out.

Anglers in the Northwoods were combatting washouts and road closures this week, but that didn't stop them from working up consistent musky action. Topwater baits near weed edges or beds have been successful. Largemouth bass have also settled into their summer patterns and decent catches are resulting. Smallmouth seem to have moved back to deeper water and walleye are proving similarly challenging. There has been some success for crappie, perch and rock bass, but sizable bluegill still remain tough to find.

Off the water and on the prairie, the bouquet of blooming flowers continues to change as spiked blazing star, rattlesnake master, American germander and more make their first appearance this year. Accompanying the growth are sounds and sights from cicadas, grasshoppers, butterflies and more.

With the second hay harvest of the year, turkey broods will be taking to the cut fields looking for the previously mentioned insects. Fawns are also beginning to move more independently from their mothers and feed on the plants around them. The elk bachelor bulls from the Clam Lake herd are still spread throughout the south part of the forest and their antlers are almost fully developed.



Blackberries and blueberries abound in the woods and edges of waterways and trails, get to them before the birds and have a fantastic, warm, weekend in Wisconsin's outdoors!

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Wisconsin Outdoor Report 7/15/2016

Torrential rains hit northwestern Wisconsin cause some closures but most properties remain open

Some areas of far northwester Wisconsin received torrential rains early this week, with 8 to 10 inches reported in some areas causing major washouts of roads and even major highways. Copper Falls State Park was closed temporarily but has reopened. A campground at Governor Knowles State Forest is closed, and as the water moves down through the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, some facilities are closed or may be closed at Merrick and Interstate state parks. Sections of the Wild Rivers, Saunders and Gandy Dancer state trails are also closed. Other state properties in the area including Amnicon Falls and Pattison state parks and the Brule River State Forest are open, but travel to destinations may take longer due to numerous road closures. People traveling to the area should check the Wisconsin Department of Transportation www.511wi.gov website for details. The waterfalls are roaring at both Amnicon Falls and Pattison with many visitors showing up with cameras to capture the images. Paddlers are being asked to stay off the Brule River for a few days until the extremely high flows recede.

The heavy rains were quite localized to northwestern Wisconsin and other northern properties such as the Flambeau River, Northern Highland-American Legion and Peshtigo River state forests were not affected by the storm and facilities remain open as is access to all these properties.

Angling pressure remains strong, despite pressure from changing winds and heavy rain. Anglers in the Northwoods are seeing consistent success for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Warmer waters also seem to have improved the number of follows for musky, with some fish up to 45 inches. Panfish action has also been fair.

On Green Bay, the walleye bite has been good at the Menominee River in Marinette and from Pensaukee to Oconto. Anglers out of Suamico were finding good numbers of walleye along with freshwater drum and catfish. Shore anglers on the Fox River were having good success catching white bass, freshwater drum, channel catfish and some walleye. Fishing pressure was far below average this past week along Door County with pleasure boat traffic far outweighing fishing pressure on the bay side. Decent numbers of yellow perch are being caught off of Little Sturgeon Bay and Sawyer Harbor but most were on the smaller side.

Along Lake Michigan pier fishing picked up at Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Port Washington, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, with chinook, coho and brown trout all being caught. Perch action was also on the rise at Milwaukee. Out on the lake, trolling success was down some this week but some boats were still hitting their limits in just a few hours, with mostly chinooks were being caught but also many coho and a few rainbows and lake trout.

Healthy looking fawns are plentiful now and moving about; bucks are still growing their velvet antlers with some becoming quite well developed. Plenty of grouse coveys and numerous turkey broods are being seen. Eagles and many other wildlife are fledging at this time, so don't be too surprised to see them on the ground or hear them complaining from the nest as they prepare for their first flights.

Raspberries, blackberries, juneberries and blueberries are ripening across the state. Virginia mountain mint, marsh hedge-nettle and purple prairie clover are a few of the species that are flowering for the first time this year.

Cedar waxwings and whip-poor been feeding frequently on the insects. Up to 40 butterfly species have been counted at Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area since July 1.

Wisconsin weekly Outdoor Report

Green Bay

Great weather brought out crowds for holiday weekend followed by storms that brought down trees, power lines across the south

Sporadic and punctuated rain and storm events across the state have tempered off into cloud cover and light rain, after what was an excellent Fourth of July weekend. Severe winds in southern Wisconsin took down trees and power to some areas earlier this week, but most trails have been cleared or will be going into this weekend.

Water levels are continuing to drop closer to average across the state. Many sandbars were submerged on the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, but there are still sandbars showing. It looks like it will be an excellent weekend to take a canoe or kayak down any of Wisconsin's major rivers.

The holiday weekend's pleasant weather saw large increases in angling pressure across the Northwoods. Panfish and bass produced erratic action, with rock bass and pumpkinseed showing the most consistent success, along with some musky bite. Large and smallmouth bass have both settled into their summer residencies, deeper along weedy and woody edges. Walleye success seems to be a hit or miss proposition, with just a few reports of decent action being found.

On Green Bay, fishing pressure was relatively high this week with Fourth of July traffic. The walleye bite was inconsistent, and walleye anglers were having a tough time finding active fish. But anglers were catching decent numbers of yellow perch although the average size was about 6 inches. Smallmouth bass were a little tougher to come by but anglers were still finding a few fish.

Along Lake Michigan, fishing pressure and reported successes out of both Kewaunee and Algoma made for the busiest weekend of the year to date. Both landings were full and good numbers of chinook salmon were coming into both ports, including some weighing well into the mid to upper 20-pound range and even a 30 pounder was recorded in Kewaunee. Success was also good in southeastern harbors, with good numbers of chinook and coho salmon along with some rainbow and brown trout coming in to Sheboygan, Port Washington, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, including many limits.

White-tailed bucks are starting to get some very noticeable antler growth. Rabbits and squirrels are beginning to give birth to their second litters. Songbirds such as wrens, chickadees, sparrows, and bluebirds have fledglings.

Along the prairie and oak savannas compass plants are flowering, as is pale Indian plantain and purple prairie clover should bloom within the next week or two. Be mindful of invasive and/or poisonous weeds along roadsides and trails. Wild parsnip is in bloom at this time and its oil will cause burning when exposed to sunlight, even on cloudy days.

Along other edge habitat, including bike paths and hiking trails, blackberries are beginning to set their fruits. Look for their ripening in a month or so and be prepared for competition; more than 100 bird species eat blackberries, including robin, cardinal and ruffed grouse.

Scarlet tanagers, cerulean warblers and yellow-throated vireos will continue their song for a short while longer as their young leave the nest and begin to feed themselves. Brightly colored butterflies, amazingly camouflaged moths, and boldly patterned dragonflies are being seen in many areas. Unfortunately they have been joined by many mosquitoes, deerflies and "ankle-biters" out in force with the recent rains and humidity to be a nuisance to outdoor recreationalists.

Wisconsin Outdoor Report for 6/5/2016

Panorama view of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Pike Lake Unit near Hartford Wisconsin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Free Fun Weekend in Wisconsin June 4-5; free admission to parks, forests, trails, no fishing license needed to fish

This weekend is Free Fun Weekend in Wisconsin, with free admission to state parks and forests, no trail passes required for state trails, no fishing licenses needed to fish, and no non-resident trail passes needed to operate all-terrain vehicles on state trails. Events include: the 50th anniversary celebration of Hartman Creek State Park, ribbon cutting for a new 60-unit campground at Buckhorn State Park, Discovery Day at Pike Lake Unit and an Outdoor Skills Day at the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, as well as, Art Along the Willow at Willow River State Park.

Some properties are taking advantage of Free Fishing Weekend to offer fishing clinics, including: High Cliff, Kohler-Andrae and Merrick state parks, Richard Bong State Recreation Area, and the Northern and Pike Lake units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and there are additional free fishing activities taking place around the state. Other fishing rules apply, such as size and bag limits.

Saturday is also National Trails Day and hikes are planned on a number of state properties and local Ice Age Trail Alliance chapters are planning hikes around the state (exit DNR).

Large portions of the state experienced heavy and punctuated rains over the past Memorial Day weekend but that did not stop people from getting out, especially when skies cleared on Monday. The rains did wash out a section of the Tuscobia State Trail and flooded parts of the Chippewa River State Trail, so sections are closed on both trails.

In the Northwoods, panfish action is improving dramatically. A slower rise in water temperature has extended the spawning activity of some crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass. This has also prompted a few bluegill and rock bass to begin their nesting periods. With the northern musky opener last weekend, musky fishing was the highlight of this past week, but while anglers reported sightings and follows there were relatively low numbers of hook-ups.

Anglers were catching walleye on the Menominee River, and the walleye bite along the west shore of Green Bay continues to be good with anglers reporting limits of fish being caught off Oconto. Walleye fishing along the Door County side of the bay was also good, especially at night. Smallmouth bass fishing was proving to have its ups and downs early this season for many anglers, but bass fishing reports continue to get better throughout the peninsula.

Rough water conditions, heavy fog, and a strong southerly wind hampered Lake Michigan fishing activities through the first half of the weekend and fishing pressure was relatively low. As the weather conditions improved and the lake settled down, fishing pressure increased and many anglers were reporting success in Kewaunee, Algoma, and Sturgeon Bay. Mostly rainbows were being caught, also an occasional chinook, coho salmon and lake trout.

The forests and fields are full of new wildlife. Numerous reports of fawns, young rabbits, foxes and bear cubs have come in. Elk cows are having calves, so the yearlings are being displaced from mom and are frequently seen along the sides of the roads. Many songbird species are fledging their first nestlings and grouse and turkey broods should be starting to hatch. As a reminder state law requires dogs to be on leash until July 31 on state-owned lands to protect fledglings and young animals.

Numerous prairie flowers such as: prairie smoke, golden alexander, and lupine are competing with invasives such as yellow sweet clover and dame's rocket. Bug populations have arrived in much of the state, particularly in wet conditions. Mayfly hatch has begun and ticks and mosquitos are out in the woods and along streams, in force.

Wisconsin Outdoor Report 5/28/2016

Deer Cove Rockshelter, Governor Dodge State Park, Wisconsin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Northern zone musky season opens Saturday; rains and green-up have lowered fire danger

Recent rains, alternating with strong sunshine across much of the state have powered "green up" and lowered fire danger statewide. Expect more punctuated rain events and possible thunderstorms as we move into and through Memorial Day weekend.

Great weather last weekend brought on canoeists and kayakers on the Bois Brule and Flambeau rivers last weekend. Water levels are dropping on the Lower Wisconsin River and good numbers of sandbars are forming just in time for the holiday weekend.

The unseasonably warm weather turned the panfish and bass spawn into overdrive in central Wisconsin. The northern zone musky season opens thisSaturday, May 28, and fisheries biologists say musky size is on the rise in Wisconsin and that means the potential for a big bite is better than ever.

Anglers were catching walleye on the Menominee River and the walleye bite out of Pensaukee has been good to very good this past week. On Green Bay, water temperatures were in the high 50s to low 60s and anglers were having success with smallmouth bass at Little Sturgeon Bay and Sawyer Harbor.

Wisconsin is currently near peak in fawns being born, and DNR offices are continuing to receive calls about abandoned fawns. Does leave fawns alone for extended periods and fawns natural instinct is to lie down and not move. This is part of their defense and doesn't mean they are abandoned or injured. Their mother is nearby and will return to care for the fawn. If you see a fawn, leave it along and back away slowly.

Trillium's are out in force and other species blooming include wild geraniums, prairie phlox and the state-threatened white lady slipper orchid. Mayapple, wild ginger, columbine and jack-in-the-pulpit are other woodland flowers now in bloom. Both gray and Cope's tree frogs are calling. Both frogs look identical, but unlike the tree frog's melodious, cricket-like song, the Cope's gray tree frog blurts out a raucous "blah" call.

Bird migrations are winding down and breeding activity is ramping up. Even the latest migrants, like dickcissel, common nighthawk, yellow-bellied flycatcher, and cedar waxwings have all arrived. Small numbers of warblers continue to move through, as will some thrushes, flycatchers, and other lagging Neotropical migrants. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, Baltimore orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and many others are building nests, while American robins, red-winged blackbirds, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, and a host of other early migrants are already fledging young. The first sandhill colts and trumpeter swan cygnets have been sighted at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area.

The UW-Madison Astronomy Department begins its Universe in the Park series this weekend with programs at Governor Dodge State Park on Saturdaynight at Kohler-Andrae State Park Sunday night. There is a presentation on astronomy and then if the sky is clear, a telescope is set up to provide visitors with the opportunity to view whatever astronomical objects are available. The series goes on throughout the summer at different parks around the state.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report

A preliminary tally indicates hunters registered 243,739 deer during Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season, up 7.7 percent from 2011. The preliminary tally showed hunters harvested 114, 822 bucks and 128,917 antlerless deer. This compared to 2011 preliminary harvest figures of 102,837 bucks and 123,423 antlerless, for a 12 percent and 4 percent increase respectively.
There are additional opportunities to hunt deer in Wisconsin after the close of the nine-day season. The muzzleloader season is currently open through Dec. 5. The late archery season is also underway and continues until Jan. 6, 2013. There is also a statewide antlerless hunt Dec. 6-9, and a holiday hunt in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) zones of south central Wisconsin, which starts Dec. 24 and runs until Jan. 6, 2013. As a reminder, all hunters, except waterfowl hunters, are required to wear blaze orange through Dec. 9, and waterfowl hunters are encouraged to wear blaze orange when travelling to and from blinds.
Due to the past week of cold weather, a large number of diving ducks – scaup, bufflehead, golden eye, red head and canvasback have moved into the lower areas of Mississippi River pool 11 and along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Many deer hunters also reported seeing lots of pheasants and turkeys, and with the relatively mild weather, hunting opportunities have been very good for both. The last of the pheasant releases will be taking place on state properties over the next week or two.
Skim ice has formed on many ponds and lakes in the north, with some areas reporting an inch or more of ice, but conservation wardens are reporting that there is no safe ice for ice fishing at this time, and with warm weather in the forecast for the weekend, what ice is there could get thinner or melt completely.
Some anglers continue to fish along Lake Michigan, with some success reported for brown trout and perch at Milwaukee, but action generally slow. Some walleyes were being caught on the Wisconsin River and Lake Wisconsin and a few anglers reported catching sauger near lock and dam 11 on the Mississippi River.
A Thanksgiving snowstorm dumped up to 12 inches of snow in areas of Ashland and Bayfield counties, but it was a light snow that compressed. Snow depths as of Thursday ranged from an inch or two to 6 to 8 inches across the northern portion of the state, with the heaviest amounts along the Lake Superior snowbelt. Snowmobilers are reminded that trails are not open until county snowmobile coordinators open them, and using trails before they are open is trespass and could result in the loss of important trail easements.
There continues to be an influx of winter finches from boreal Canada. Evening grosbeaks and Bohemian waxwings are visiting feeders and fruit trees, all the way south to the Illinois state line. Common redpolls as well as both white-winged and red crossbills also are being seeing statewide. Pine grosbeaks have invaded the Northwoods in large numbers and have trickled as far south as La Crosse and Milwaukee

Wisconsin Outdoor Report

Emergency burning restrictions for 11 counties in southern Wisconsin will begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 29. All portions of Columbia, Crawford, Green Lake, Marquette, Richland, and Sauk, and portions of Adams, Dane, Iowa, Grant and Juneau counties that are outside incorporated cities and villages are under these restrictions, which prohibit burning any combustible material outdoors until further notice. This includes: all fireworks (restricted and non-restricted); burn piles or barrels, (all DNR burn permits suspended); campfires with the exception of developed camping areas within a fire ring; outdoor disposal of ashes or charcoal briquettes; and smoking a cigar, cigarette, or pipe, except within an enclosed vehicle or building.

State wildlife fire officials are especially concerned with the use of fireworks with the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. Fireworks are prohibited on all state properties, including park and forest campgrounds. Many communities within the emergency burn restriction area are cancelling or postponing fireworks displays, but this is a decision made by the municipality. Check with local authorities as to the status of planned fireworks display.

While the southern half of the state is very dry, with minimal rain during the month of June, northern Wisconsin has continued to receive rain last weekend that is keeping the north lush and water levels on lakes and rivers high. Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay is stained dark with stream run off. Pools 4 through 6 on the Mississippi River are approximately 4 to 5 feet above normal at this time due to heavy rain falls to the north. The Lower Wisconsin River has increased flow due to heavy rains to the north and sandbars have been very limited, but they are expected to return for the upcoming July Fourth week.

Some nice lake trout have been caught in Lake Superior and anglers have not had to go out in the great depths to find them. Musky activity has continued to improve on northern inland lakes and anglers have been reporting consistent action along weed edges, drop-offs, and in the light density weed beds, with buck-tail and top-water baits the most productive lures. Panfish action has been fairly consistent, with anglers making some decent catches of crappie, bluegill and rock bass. Increased water levels and dark-stained stained water has really thrown off bass action and typical early summer patterns were not producing fish. In the south, surface water temperatures over 80 degrees and low water levels on lakes and rivers has slowed fishing. Algae blooms on Lake Winnebago slowed the walleye bite considerably in the past week.

Anglers have still been catching smallmouth bass throughout Door County waters. There is an elite professional bass tournament taking place on the southern bay this week. Walleye action slowed on Green Bay, with better action along the Door peninsula. Along Lake Michigan, salmon and trout fishing was not as good as the previous week but action was still steady with some boats catching limits. Chinook and coho salmon continue to make up most of the bag but anglers fishing shallower for brown and rainbow trout were also having some success.

White-tailed bucks are in bachelor groups now and showing off some significant velvet antler development. There were many more reports this week of young loons, so boaters should take care and provide a safe swimming zone when you see loons.

Strawberries are past peak in the north, but still being found, while blueberries are already ripening. Black raspberries are ripe in the south. Gooseberries are turning black-purple. Oxeye daisies, hawkweed and buttercups are gracing roadsides.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report Summary for October 6, 2011

“Blue bird weather” this week made for some fantastic conditions to get out and enjoy fall colors (exit DNR) that are at or near peak across much of the state, as well as for anglers getting out and enjoying some late season fishing. However, the warm sunny days with temperatures in the 70s and 80s were not the ideal conditions for waterfowl, archery and late season bear hunters.

The transition from colder temperatures last week to the warm-up this week resulted in some very strong winds last week, with gusts reported at 50 to 60 miles per hour creating 10 to 20 foot season on the Great Lakes. The hardest hit area was Door County, where many trees were blown down, knocking out power to much of the Door Peninsula and closing all five state parks located in the county. The parks have all reopened and their campgrounds are booked pretty solid for the peak fall colors being reported from central Wisconsin this week. Much of northern Wisconsin is still reporting peak colors as well, though the strong winds did bring down leaves, with some northern areas already reporting 50 percent leaf drop.

With the colder temperatures last week, some northern lake had begun fall turnover, which had pretty much shut down bass fishing. Musky fishing continues to be the highlight with quite a bit of success being reported, with action picking up on live baits. Some very good crappie action was also being reported. Bass fishing continued to be good on the Mississippi River pools along rip rap shorelines, main channel rock structure and backwater sloughs. A few walleyes and sauger have been caught along wing dams and rip rap shoreline but peak fall walleye fishing is yet a week or two away.

Rains last week raised water levels on Lake Michigan tributaries and kicked the fall salmon runs into high gear, with chinook being reported in good numbers on most tributaries. Lake Michigan spawning facilities are open and reporting good early success. There will be an open House this Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Root River Steelhead Facility in Racine with a wide variety of demonstrations and activities.

Waterfowl hunters are reporting the warm weather this week appears to be keeping more ducks and geese in the area. Hunters continue to report good numbers of wood ducks, along with mallards and some green-winged teal. Geese number continue to build up at the major marshes such as Horicon, Collins and Theresa, but are still not at peak.
The bear season closes Oct. 11 and bear hunters are reporting bears making fewer visits to bait piles, but some very large bears have been shot in the last few weeks, including some approaching 600 pounds in the north central part of the state.

Archery hunters say the sudden warm-up significantly slowed deer movement, which had been picking up during the previous cool weather. There were increasing reports of bucks making scrapes and some reports of bucks beginning to spar. There is a two-day youth deer hunt (pdf) open statewide this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8-9, so all hunters – except waterfowl hunters -- are reminded they are required to wear blaze orange clothing on these days, and recreational safety specialists urge all people enjoying the outdoors and waterfowl hunters walking to and from blinds to wear blaze orange clothing this weekend.

With this warm weather a number of areas have reported that snakes have been on the move heading to their hibernacula where they will over winter in mass. Butler’s gartersnakes, common gartersnakes, red-belly snakes, brown snakes and milk snakes have all been seen, in many cases sunning themselves on warm asphalt of roads, so please take care to avoid running over these important predators of rodents.