Green Bay (Wis.)/Lake Michigan Fishing Report – August 14, 2023
Fishing activity picked up here as the weather improved this week.
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August 14, 2023
Wisconsin DNR concludes investigation into illegal killing of huge buck in La Crosse County from 2021
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that the investigation into a 2021 illegal deer harvest has ended with a three-year revocation of the hunter’s hunting and fishing privileges.
In November 2021, an anonymous tip of a buck illegally shot with a rifle during archery season came through the DNR’s Violation Hotline. The harvested buck had an estimated green score rack measurement of 218 inches, and had been showcased in several local hunting contests.
Does your hunting dog need ‘mouth work?’ There are multiple methods
Get a group of game-dog enthusiasts together and you’ll end up with some pretty strong opinions when it comes to mouth work – force fetch, as it’s sometimes called.
Many hunters who are lucky to have natural bird-holding dogs might say they’ve never needed that work, while others will be adamant that it’s a vital piece of training. To take matters further, the debate can become convoluted when the actual process of mouth work is debated.
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Trees on Iowa’s landscape: when to cut and when to grow
Want to get a controversy started? Let’s talk about cutting trees on Iowa’s public lands. You are going to get a whirlwind discussion for and against.
Why is it such an emotional topic? We see people planting trees in their yards and shelterbelts around farmsteads. While at the same time, we see landowners razing old farmsteads and leveling the trees that have stood there for generations.
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Regional ruffed grouse forecast: What can hunters expect in 2023?
While grouse drumming reports are up slightly in the primary grouse-hunting states, this doesn’t always mean better hunting. High spring temperatures with dry conditions favoring good nesting success and chick survival are more important indicators. Fortunately, that’s what the leading grouse-producing states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan experienced this spring. Also, although winter conditions in these states were severe, snow depth and access to aspen buds gave grouse the kind of protection and food source they need in the winter.
The bottom line is hunting should be at least as good as in past years, especially in the western Great Lakes states with abundant public land.
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An Alaskan moose-hunting saga: The hunt begins
Given Minnesota’s low moose numbers, I’ll probably never have the chance to hunt these kings of the forest around home. That’s OK, though. I experienced enough moose hunting to last me a lifetime during a fateful hunt many years ago.
When the recession of 2008 hit, I found myself out of a job. The following summer, a buddy and I road-tripped to Alaska. It was a seat-of-your-pants expedition. We didn’t know if we were going just to be tourists for a couple of weeks or what the plan was. We didn’t care.
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Beat a buck’s nose: A look at new-age scent control options
When I first got serious about bowhunting, it didn’t take me long to figure out I smelled pretty bad to deer. Bucks would hit my walk-in trail and do an about-face. Does would wander into my scent stream and spend long minutes blowing and snorting to announce the presence of an intruder. Even a downwind fawn could bust me.
How things have changed since I bought my first bow tag.
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Minnesota Reader Stories: Not just a blue-wing, but a symbol of conservation
In 2021, my son, Pete Kvale, and I harvested a banded male blue-winged teal at the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area in northwestern Minnesota.
The condition of the band on this beautiful male teal was deteriorated and thin, with only two of the nine numbers clearly visible. After acid-etching the numbers, the number 1095 87238 was revealed. I reported the band to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bird-banding office in Laurel, Md., and received an email that stated the teal was at least 10 years old.
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Oak Duke: Bass are why I love weed
Oh come on folks.
After reading that headline you might be tempted to think that I mean the smokeable kind of weed.
Nope, water weeds. The kind that means bass! Bass love weed, for shelter, food, oxygen, and shade.
Shelter is obvious. In many ponds and lakes, weed is like a magnet, attracting bass to relative security. Critters of all sorts hang in the weeds too…and are there for bass to munch upon.
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