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 6/10/2016

Musky fishing picking up on northern lakes and Green Bay; recent rains have raised water levels on Wisconsin and other rivers

Recent rains have added to high water levels across the state. The Wisconsin River is short on sandbars for the moment, but levels are dropping any may be near more normal levels by the weekend. That water will be welcome refreshment for those outdoors, as temperatures are expected to enter the mid-80s to high 90s. Mountain bike and all-terrain vehicle trails are wet and muddy some may be closed so call ahead to check on trail conditions.

Erratic weather and strong winds throughout the past week had kept fishing pressure sporadic throughout much of the state. However, angling success for species from panfish to trout, musky to northern pike, has been improving. The mayfly hatch on some northern lakes has put-off the walleye bite some, but musky anglers have been out in pretty good numbers and nearly all have been seeing fish, with good number also being boated. Bass action has been generally good on northern lakes, with some very nice catches of largemouth being made in the last week. Panfish action has been very good in between the rain storms, with bluegill, pumpkinseed and crappie providing some excellent. The bluegill nesting period is still occurring on many waters and some very nice fish have been found near the spawning beds.

On Green Bay, catch rates are on the rise along the east shore with anglers toward the end of the week into the weekend finding good numbers of hungry walleyes and the occasional yellow perch. Musky action was also good on the lower bay with multiple anglers catching 50-inch muskies. Walleye action also continued to be good along the west shore off Oconto and south to the Suamico River. Smallmouth bass anglers brave enough to battle the wind and waves along windy Door County shorelines did very well this past week with reports of 40-50 fish days.

Lake Michigan trout and salmon fishing is picking up with trollers reporting strong success for coho, rainbow and brown trout. Fishing pressure along the Milwaukee shoreline increased this week with a nice stretch of calm stable weather. Nice catches of coho salmon continue to be landed along with a few brown trout in the 5 to 6 pound range.

Greater numbers of does are dropping fawns and turkey broods are starting to band together and move about. Deer will be browsing for forbs or flowers in open areas, which provide the protein in their diet for antler and milk production. Velvet antler growth is now becoming quite visible on bucks. This is also the time of the "molt migration," during which geese begin heading north for the summer, where they will spend time until returning in early fall.

Spiderwort, wood phlox, columbine and Canada mayflower are in bloom. Yellow lady's slipper orchids are in bloom in Door County. Dragonflies, including the 12-spotted skimmer, common whitetail and dot white-face are being seen. Yellow swallowtail butterflies are numerous right now and a few monarchs have been observed. Crickets have responded to the temperature change and have been chirping songs of the coming summer.

Related articles

• Michigan Fishing Report 5/20/2016
• Some Lake Michigan king salmon caught but West Michigan weather stays harsh
• Fish caught three times in one week - by same angler

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 Outdooes Folks - Put your deer observations to use with Operation Deer Watch

MADISON -- In an ongoing effort to include public input in deer management, and to effectively monitor and evaluate Wisconsin's deer herd, the Department of Natural Resources is continuing its annual citizen-science survey, Operation Deer Watch.

The data from the public provides insight to the reproductive status of Wisconsin's deer herd for 2015. The number of bucks, does and fawns seen are indicators of annual deer herd production.

"This is a fun and useful opportunity for the public to be the daily eyes and ears for the deer herd in their area," said Brian Dhuey, DNR surveys coordinator. "Every year, citizens provide thousands of observations which the department uses directly to help monitor the herd."

To get involved, record all bucks, does and fawns seen during the day from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30. Daily observations can be tracked using an online tally sheet available at dnr.wi.gov, keyword "deer watch."

According to Dhuey, an additional 14,000 deer hunters were selected at random this year and sent a letter inviting them to participate in Operation Deer Watch. Dhuey encourages anyone to take part of the survey even if they were not one of the hunters selected to participate.

For more information, videos and results of previous year's surveys, search the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for keywords "deer watch."

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Dhuey, DNR surveys coordinator, 608-221-6342 or Jes Rees, DNR research scientist, 608-221-6349

Related articles

• New CWD report gives hunters food for thought (jsonline.com)
• Michigan confirms second case of chronic wasting disease in deer (wndu.com)

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

The fall hunt: friends, family, food and fun

Make yourself a deal this fall. Invite a friend who often asks you about your hunting adventures, but has never hunted.

Fall hunting is about friends, family, food and a lot of fun. You already know you enjoy hunting because you get connected with nature. We’ve all had spectacular moments we sometimes take for granted.

Moments like the shower of blazing yellow aspen leaves covering you during a grouse hunt, or catching the sight of ducks swinging into the decoys on a churlish gray morning. And, listening to the sometimes embellished stories at deer camp!

We all know that the connections we have with people and nature are our primary motivators. You can make these even more special by showing a friend – or an acquaintance -- about hunting.

You’ll be amazed how much you know – and how much you enjoy sharing that knowledge with someone else. It’s a two-way gift.

Get started through the mentored hunting program. Anyone interested can try hunting without taking hunter education classes. The mentored hunting opportunity is available to anyone who has not completed hunter education, regardless of age. An adult can hunt under the authority of a mentored hunting license for as many seasons as they can find a willing mentor. An active hunter introducing and mentoring a friend into hunting is like bringing another family into the tradition.

I’ll lay odds that all of us know someone in our neighborhood, or through our church or trap range who wants to learn how to hunt. Well, our challenge is find that person who says, “I’d go hunting if someone would take and teach me.”

It will require commitment. We may have to provide time for instruction, a gun, a spot, and we have to sit with the new hunter instead of hunting by ourselves. No more room at deer camp? Take a friend pheasant hunting -- or turkey hunting next spring.

Or, maybe you are interested in hunting but have not yet been initiated? The mentored hunting license is perfect for you. Ask a friend or family member to take you hunting with a mentored hunting license. You both get to experience nature in the company of family and friends and you can add to the great traditions that keep us going each fall.

So introduce a friend to hunting, or ask some one to take you hunting this fall. The next generation is our legacy. If we don’t do it, who will?

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.

Wisconsin: Antlerless gun deer hunt in CWD zone October 13-16

MADISON – In a return to a more traditional statewide deer season structure, only deer management units in the chronic wasting disease management zone (CWD-MZ) will have a four-day October antlerless deer only gun hunt in 2011.

The Oct 13-16 antlerless deer only gun hunt will take place in the following CWD deer management units: 54B-CWD, 70-CWD, 70A-CWD, 70B-CWD, 70E-CWD, 70G-CWD, 71-CWD, 73B-CWD, 73E-CWD, 75A-CWD, 75C-CWD, 75D-CWD, 76-CWD, 76A-CWD, 76M-CWD, 77A-CWD, 77B-CWD, and 77C-CWD.

State park CWD management zone units 70C-CWD, 70D-CWD, 70F-CWD, 75B-CWD require special access permits and have different hunting hours. Hunters should contact individual parks for permits, maps and instructions. Additional information on state park CWD management zone hunting seasons can be found on pg. 46 of the 2011 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations.

For complete rules and regulations involving this hunt consult the 2011 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations which is available in hard copy from license sales agents or online.

“Hunters in the CWD management zone and elsewhere are likely noticing billboards, television and print adds with a new slogan,” said Tami Ryan, of the DNR’s wildlife health unit.

“‘Hunt, Harvest, Help’ is something all hunters can participate in but it is especially relevant to the CWD zone. ‘Hunting’ is the fun part; it’s the family and friends and time in nature that brought many of us to this pastime as youngsters. ‘Harvest’ is for yourself and your family and friends but also for others; consider providing additional deer to the needy through the venison donation program. Finally, there is ‘Help’. Helping others by providing high quality food is one way but hunting also is the most effective, efficient and best wildlife management activity available. Consider your role as a hunter and what you can do to help contain CWD and prevent its spread to new areas.”

Wisconsin Outdoor Report - Week of 9/1/2011

Pleasant late-summer weather has provided for good recreational conditions in the last week. With the exception of a light rainfall across most of the state earlier this week, most of the state enjoyed dry, sunny weather, which is forecast to continue through the Labor Day weekend, with the possibility of some showers late this week.

Water levels on most rivers and streams are near normal across most of the state, although after nearly two weeks with minimal rainfall, some trout streams are now running low. Northern flowages are at their normal summer levels. The Mississippi has returned to normal summer levels, and the lower Wisconsin River is slightly low, with abundant sandbars available for the holiday weekend.

Fishing activity has been good in the north, with bass and musky the highlight. Nearly all musky anglers are reporting sightings, follows and strikes. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass have also provided good action, and success on largemouth has been especially good. Walleye success has remained fair and panfish activity has been sporadic. Fishing on many southern lakes has been slow due to the recent warm weather, but should improve as water temperatures begin to drop.

On Green Bay, some very good perch fishing continues to be reported on both the west and east shores, though many of the perch have been on the small size. Some good walleye action was reported of Oconto this week, but walleye fishing was generally slower along Door County. Anglers have begun fishing the lower Fox River for musky with some success.

Lake Michigan trollers have begun working areas closer to harbors in search of older chinook salmon that are beginning to stage for fall runs, but many also continued to have success out in deeper water, with mixed bags of mostly chinook and coho salmon, along with some rainbow and lake trout reported. Pier fishing had picked up at Manitowoc and Two Rivers late last week, but slowed with a west wind bringing in cooler water over the weekend. Shore fishing at most southeastern ports has been slow.

September 1 marks the opening of the first fall hunting seasons with early Canada goose and morning dove seasons opening. The early goose season targets locally breeding giant Canada goose populations, whose population state wildlife officials say was up 12 percent this spring with more than 176,000 geese counted during spring waterfowl surveys. The early season now accounts for one-third of the total annual goose harvest in Wisconsin. Hunters scouting for the dove season reported dove numbers were also good.

Bucks are now losing velvet; a buck with polished antlers was seen this week. Nighthawks have been seen migrating in evenings across much of the state. Larger groups of monarchs are being seen along with freshly emerged black swallowtail butterflies and late season dragonflies including the common green darner. Some maples and sumacs have begun changing color.

Wild rice is beginning to ripen on many northern waters, but is a week or so behind average due to the cool weather back in late spring. Aerial surveys conducted by the DNR and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission found wild rice beds to be only fair to poor in many locations, and officials have already closed some regulated wild rice lakes to ricing this season. Wild rice gatherers should check the wild rice page of DNR website for the latest updates.