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Dean Bortz

Dean Bortz: Holmen trio fill tags on Zone D bears in Wisconsin’s Rusk County

Featured, Features, Hunting, National Hunting, Wisconsin /

A wife, her husband, and a friend’s 10-year-old daughter all went to a Rusk County, Wis., bear camp, and each came home with a bear.

That might be news enough, but Becky Miesen, of Holmen, shot a bear on opening day of the bear season that carried a live weight of 540 pounds while hunting near the town of Bruce in Zone D. Whew. Turns out, about 10 minutes earlier, Emma Duerkop, 10, shot her first bear while sitting with her dad, Cory, who quickly called his wife, Tina, to share their daughter’s news.

Dean Bortz: Holmen trio fill tags on Zone D bears in Wisconsin’s Rusk County Read More »

State Roundup: More details needed in what led to killing of nine wolves in Wisconsin’s Price County

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, Opinion, Wisconsin /

Federal and state wildlife managers aren’t doing themselves, citizens, or even wolves any favors by not offering us details on what happened in Wisconsin’s Price County town of Flambeau that ended with nine dead wolves.
I am not suggesting that the state or the feds release the location or names of the aggravated homeowners or their property. Or even the names of the USDA-Wildlife Services field hands who did the trapping. We all remember what happened recently at Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds when animal rights wackos stormed the farm, stole dogs, and damaged property.

State Roundup: More details needed in what led to killing of nine wolves in Wisconsin’s Price County Read More »

Dean Bortz: Zone A bear hunt in Wisconsin becomes family affair

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, Wisconsin /

I drew just my second bear tag for this fall, again for Zone A in northwestern Wisconsin.
For most of probably 30 years I’ve only pursued bears with friends who have trailing hounds, so I’ve been around plenty of bears. You’d think with that background, I’d be able to tell a smaller bear from a bigger bear. Nope.

Dean Bortz: Zone A bear hunt in Wisconsin becomes family affair Read More »

State Roundup: September wolf kills to report on from Wisconsin

Featured, Opinion, Wisconsin /

Wolves killed four calves, injured another calf, and killed four hunting dogs in Wisconsin between Sept. 1 and 22. Those are the losses that have been verified by USDA-Wildlife Services (WS) through Sept. 22.
The DNR tracks verified kills on the agency’s website. There could have been other livestock and dog losses or livestock harassments that occurred during that timeframe but could not be verified by WS technicians to the point where those incidents could be added to the list.

State Roundup: September wolf kills to report on from Wisconsin Read More »

Dean Bortz: Wisconsin wildlife biologists see positive signs for fall deer hunts

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, Wisconsin /

Don’t look now, but Wisconsin’s 2026 archery deer season is upon us (it started Sept. 12), and that means the rifle season isn’t all that far away any longer.
There are a few things deer hunters of all stripes might want to keep in mind for this year. All of this is per the Department of Natural Resources. The antlerless-only holiday hunt will run Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, 2027, in 48 counties. Then 42 of those counties are extending the archery season through Jan. 31, 2027. Check each farmland zone county for the number of antlerless “tags” that will be issued with each license.

Dean Bortz: Wisconsin wildlife biologists see positive signs for fall deer hunts Read More »

State Roundup: Good luck to Wisconsin hunters embarking on another fall season

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Opinion, Wisconsin /

Well, what do you know, mid-September is here, and along with it we see the first signs of fall in Wisconsin in the form of some bright leaf colors starting to show up north, along with the falling of leaves (already?) and even some acorns. Water temperatures have started to drop ever so slightly as daylight hours shorten and nighttime lows drop into the 50s.
The familiar morning fogs generated by the cooling lakes reminds us that the autumn hunting and trapping seasons will soon be upon us, if they aren’t already.

State Roundup: Good luck to Wisconsin hunters embarking on another fall season Read More »

Facing hatchery closures, Wisconsin’s Lake Superior anglers work to rescue trout stocking

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, National Fishing, National News, News, Wisconsin /

More than 120,000 brown trout eventually destined for Lake Superior will soon settle into their new over-winter home at Wisconsin’s St. Croix Falls State Fish Hatchery, thanks to the efforts – and wallets – of local fishermen.
A somewhat – maybe – mild kerfuffle developed this summer at the Les Voigt State Fish Hatchery in Bayfield as the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) clarified the extent of its fisheries, wildlife, and state parks budget deficit. The DNR’s long list of stocking and program cuts and hatchery closures included the brown trout raised every year at the Bayfield hatchery for stocking in Lake Superior.

Facing hatchery closures, Wisconsin’s Lake Superior anglers work to rescue trout stocking Read More »

Wisconsin Roundup: Remembering Don Bluhm; and more on wolf incidents

Featured, Hunting, Opinion, Wisconsin /

I’m going to miss Don Bluhm, one of our writers who passed away Aug. 13 at age 90. I consider myself very lucky to have known Bluhm.
When his stories arrived, I would sit down and just read them before picking up my electronic “editing pen” and going through the copy. The only thing better was listening to his stories over a cup of coffee in a Woodruff cafe during his visits.

Wisconsin Roundup: Remembering Don Bluhm; and more on wolf incidents Read More »

Dean Bortz: Which way will Wisconsin DNR lean on wolf loss payments?

Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, Opinion, Wisconsin /

Anyone in Wisconsin who hunts with a dog, who owns dogs and lives in “wolf country,” or who raise any kind of livestock within sniffing range of a wolf pack just might want to pay attention because the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) expects to call a virtual meeting/hearing sometime in December – date yet to be determined – on the language and bullet points that will be included in a permanent rule on pet and livestock damage payments when wolves kill dogs, cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, goats, sheep, chickens, and even cats (one cat that I know of – in Marathon County this year).

Dean Bortz: Which way will Wisconsin DNR lean on wolf loss payments? Read More »

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