Wisconsin Mixed Bag: Leftover turkey tags on sale March 18

Madison — Bonus spring turkey tag sales in Wisconsin begin at 10 a.m. Monday, March 18, beginning with Zone 1 that day. Each zone has a designated sales date beginning at 10 a.m. Sales continue for five consecutive days, with customers able to buy one tag per day. Sales of leftover tags for zones 5 and 7 are set for Friday, March 22. There are no leftover tags for Zone 6 this year.

Any remaining tags for all zones go on sale Saturday, March 23, starting at 10 a.m., on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost is $10 for residents and $15 for nonresidents. Hunters must buy a spring turkey license and stamp at the time of bonus tag purchase, or before. Sales continue until tags sell out or the season ends.

Evers Signs Bill Increasing Nonresident Bowhunting License Fees

Madison (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers recently signed a Republican-authored bill that raises the cost of bow and crossbow deer hunting licenses for nonresidents by an additional $35 to $200. The DNR estimates the increase will generate an additional $543,200 annually for the state’s fish and wildlife account.

New buyers of nonresident archer licenses fees increased $17, from $82.75 to $99.75. This change brings the cost of archer and crossbow licenses in alignment with the cost of a firearm license.

The DNR has projected that dwindling license sale revenue will leave the account with a nearly $16 million deficit heading into the next state budget. The Senate and Assembly both passed the bill unanimously earlier this month.

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New DNR Fishing Regulation Guide is Online

Madison — The DNR’s 2024-25 Guide To Wisconsin’s Fishing Regulations is now available online and includes changes to walleye/sauger bag limits on inland waters.

Several new regulations and changes to bag limits have been implemented this year, including:

• Statewide daily bag limit of three walleyes/saugers per day on all inland waters;

• Walleye bag limits for the Great Lakes and border waters with Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan will not change, as will limits on any water with a bag limit lower than three;

• The daily bag limit remains five fish, but a person must fish two different lakes or rivers with a three-fish daily bag;

• A daily bag limit of 10 panfish in Lake Mendota;

• The muskie size limit is now 50 inches on the Wisconsin River from the Lake DuBay Dam upstream to the first dam in Merrill;

• An urban fishing pond will be built in the village of Suamico;

• New bag and size limits are in place for waters in Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Iowa, Iron, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marquette, Oconto, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas, Walworth, Waukesha and Waushara counties.

All residents and nonresidents 16 and older must buy a fishing license ($20 for residents; $31 for married couples).

New DNR Registration Rule in Place Starting April 1 for Small Fishing Tournaments

Madison — A new DNR rule kicks in April 1 for free registration of small fishing tournaments that are statewide or regional in nature, seasonal without specific fishing dates or that have fewer than 20 boats or 100 participants.

The DNR regulates fishing tournaments where money or prizes are awarded through a paid permit system to protect fish populations from overharvest and to avoid crowding or conflicts among users. This new registration requirement will help the DNR gather data on the number and types of all fishing tournaments.

Tournament organizers may submit their registrations using online or paper forms that ask for organizer event information, including waterbodies to be fished, dates, species and expected number of boats or participants. Only one registration is required per calendar year for tournaments that recur as part of a series. Registrations must be submitted 72 hours before the tournament.

Horicon Marsh Visitor Center Temporarily Closed for Boiler Repair

Horicon, Wis. – The DNR has temporarily closed the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center at N7725 Hwy. 28 in Dodge County due to a boiler malfunction.

On March 6, a service technician discovered a crack in the heat exchanger, causing carbon dioxide to leak from the boiler. While not at hazardous levels, the boiler was shut down for repair. Until the boiler is replaced, the building is not being heated and is too cold to conduct operations. Updates on reopening will be posted to the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center property page.

Art Contest for 2025 Turkey, Pheasant, Waterfowl State Stamps Now Open

Madison — The DNR is now accepting artwork entries for the 2025 turkey, pheasant, and waterfowl stamp contests. Sales of these three stamps bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for species management throughout the state, including habitat management, restoration, education and research projects. Hunters must buy stamps to harvest these game birds.

Rules and entry information are available on the DNR’s stamp contest web page. Entries must be received or postmarked by
Aug. 1. Judging will take place on Aug. 24, at the Waterfowl Hunters Expo in Oshkosh. The winners of the 2024 contests were: Jim Tostrud, of Kenosha, turkey; Robert Wilkens, of New Holstein, pheasant; and Ryan Rickaby, of Suamico, waterfowl.