With archery buck kill declines ranging from 16% to 31% below last year as of Nov. 6, Wisconsin hunters in 12 of the state’s 19 Northern Forest Zone counties will likely see that trend continue when the gun deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 18.
In four of the remaining seven Northern Forest Zone counties, the archery buck kill dropped 5% to 10% during the same time.
Wisconsin’s Northern Forest Zone deer kill is well off ’22 Read More »
Jeff Bontekoe, with his wife Kelly handling the paper work and a few others doing the prepping, has processed many moose, elk, bear, caribou, and deer over the years.
Lots of deer. Bontekoe thinks he’s close to 10,000 deer carcasses in his 33 years as a butcher, so his advice is worth listening to when it comes to what a hunter should keep in mind after a successful hunt.
Are you handling your deer properly? Great venison recipes start with field dressing Read More »
It was Yogi Berra who coined the phrase, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” That was my thought when I heard the rain on the bedroom window in the dark before the opening of the northern duck season in Wisconsin.
Although it seems like just yesterday, last year’s opener started the same way, making me wonder if rolling over and going back to sleep made more sense than rolling out of bed like I had last year. But there’s another old saying about not being able to teach old dogs new tricks, so again I rolled out instead of rolling over. After all, it was opening day.
Rainy Wisconsin duck opener pays off with trio of drake wood ducks Read More »
A common theme ran through the staff of upland biologists with Upper Midwest state agencies, as well as those who work for Pheasants Forever, when it comes to the 2023 pheasant outlook. How was the long, snowy winter going to impact the pheasant survival? Some might be surprised these tough birds handled it just fine and the warm, relatively dry spring was ideal for nesting and brood survival.
This means pheasant hunters can expect a 2023 season as good or better than last fall. Here’s a look at the primary pheasant states on both sides of the Mississippi River.
2023 Pheasant Forecast: What can hunters expect in the Upper Midwest? Read More »
A recent Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) press release sent shudders through northwest Wisconsin with news that a farmed deer positive for CWD was found on a Washburn County deer farm.
While DATCP didn’t name the deer farm with the infected deer, DNR Wildlife Biologist Nancy Christel, of Spooner, confirmed the deer is from a farm once called Thun-Deer Trophy Whitetails, a 150-acre hunting ranch with about 300 deer in southeast Washburn County near Birchwood. An online search indicates the property may have changed ownership and name in the last few years and is now an LLC registered in Minnesota.
The Wisconsin DNR’S Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), the brainchild of Texan Dr. James Kroll, received rave reviews from landowners as its 10th anniversary rolled past.
Those positive comments from enrollees could be linked to a DNR web page statement: “Landowners who enroll in DMAP receive a wealth of resources to improve habitat for deer and other wildlife on their properties.”
Now, 10 years later, some deer hunters are looking at who is paying for that “wealth of resources.”
What does Wisconsin’s Deer Management Assistance Program look like after 10 years? Read More »
Anyone could tell by talking to Wausau, Wis., resident Tim Witzeling that he takes pride and enjoyment from the 400 acres he owns in northern Lincoln County.
“We’ve had the property for almost 20 years and hunt deer and bear there,” he said. “We’ve always had wolves out there – bears, too – but we’re not seeing bears on trail cameras or baits this year like we have in the past,” Witzeling said. “We’re running three baits about a mile apart in kind of a triangle shape this year. We have a few bears coming in, but we usually have a lot more activity.”
Most of the animals Witzeling is seeing on his cameras are wolves. He’s convinced the number of wolves this year are the reason he can’t keep bears on the baits.
Wisconsin hunters have more wolves, less bears crawling all over bait sites this year Read More »
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.
Regional ruffed grouse forecast: What can hunters expect in 2023? Read More »
Sometime around midsummer our minds begin to think about fall and the pursuits we’ll partake in. If your interests go beyond deer and upland game hunting, this might mean examining your stable of waders and deciding if it’s time to invest in a new pair.
Here’s how to narrow down what you need in a good pair of waders Read More »
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