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Sunday, November 3rd, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Sunday, November 3rd, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Dean Bortz

Multiple hunting tactics are key to bear hunting in the Great Lakes region

When it comes to hunting bears successfully in the Great Lakes states, it would make sense for bear hunters to play the bulk of their chips in their home state – if it has a season – and then get ready to travel, even if that means hunting the late season in another state.
Alas, bear hunters who live in Illinois and Ohio have no option other than travel, since neither state offers a season. The good news? They don’t have to travel too far, since Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania do have bear seasons and also offer tags to nonresidents, mostly through a draw system that can require preference points to earn a tag. Since that process varies by state, hunters will have to do some homework first.

Multiple hunting tactics are key to bear hunting in the Great Lakes region Read More »

Dean Bortz: Wildlife biologists offer fall deer forecast for Wisconsin

Each year Wisconsin DNR wildlife biologists in charge of the agency’s four deer hunting districts – the north, northeast, west-central and southern – take a look ahead and try to offer deer hunters some idea of what they might expect to see in the field during the archery, rifle, and muzzleloader seasons.
This year, Derek Johnson handled that task for northern Wisconsin hunters, while Bryan Woodbury did the same in the northeastern counties and Mark Rasmussen surveyed the west-central area of the state. Eric Canania took a look across the southern counties. Let’s check in with Johnson first.

Dean Bortz: Wildlife biologists offer fall deer forecast for Wisconsin Read More »

State Roundup: Audit of Wisconsin DNR budget on tap

Wisconsin sportsmen will see an audit of the DNR budget after all. Sen. Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond) was successful in seeking such action on Thursday, Aug. 29, when the Joint Legislative Audit Committee directed the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau to conduct a comprehensive audit of the DNR Fish and Wildlife Account.
“This audit is a huge step towards figuring out where sportsmen’s and sportswomen’s license dollars go,” Stafsholt said in a press release.

State Roundup: Audit of Wisconsin DNR budget on tap Read More »

Wisconsin State Roundup: Audit needed on DNR spending before a license fee increase is approved

Veteran reporter Tim Eisele, in this issue, dips a toe into the swirling mess that is the DNR’s budget situation. Despite the depth of Eisele’s reporting, we’re just barely scratching the surface of the DNR’s actual budget situation.
At the same time, Jeff Brown, our copy editor, attended the Aug. 13 meeting at the Arcadia Sportsmen’s Club on the DNR’s abrupt decision to discontinue the long-running co-op trout rearing program.

Wisconsin State Roundup: Audit needed on DNR spending before a license fee increase is approved Read More »

Dean Bortz: Better bear hunting success expected in Wisconsin over ’23 season

No doubt bear hunters are hoping for a poor acorn crop this fall. The super abundant 2023 acorn crop has shouldered much of the blame for a light bear harvest last season in Wisconsin, with the final harvest numbers coming in at 3,005 bears, well below the DNR’s harvest goal of 4,575 bears.
The 2024 bear season opens Wednesday, Sept. 4 and closes Tuesday, Oct. 8, with bait-sitters going first this year in the zones where baiters and hound hunters swap early and late openers.

Dean Bortz: Better bear hunting success expected in Wisconsin over ’23 season Read More »

Dean Bortz: Wisconsin elk hunters provide big boost to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

One thing I looked forward to during our recent swing through western Montana, Idaho, and northeastern Oregon was making a stop at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) headquarters in Missoula, Mont., to renew my membership and do some shopping.
I offered to drop Stephanie Lewis off at an antique store while I went to the RMEF HQ, but she declared an interest in seeing where the elk foundation conducts its business, too. She has a hunting and fishing background, also, so that didn’t really surprise me.

Dean Bortz: Wisconsin elk hunters provide big boost to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Read More »

Wisconsin State Roundup: Time for DNR to fix the mess of discontinued co-op trout rearing program

If the Wisconsin DNR’s office of communism (communications) wanted to do something useful instead of blocking reporters’ access to DNR personnel and censuring responses of field staff to forced written questions from reporters, department personnel could instead try to help their agency wiggle out of this mess that has become the recently discontinued co-op trout rearing program.

Wisconsin State Roundup: Time for DNR to fix the mess of discontinued co-op trout rearing program Read More »

Dean Bortz: An Avett brother in Missoula antique store?

Considering that I drew Montana deer and elk tags for this fall, I’d like to have been able to call our recent soiree to Montana, Oregon, and Idaho a scouting trip, but if I had to be honest – and I guess I do – that would be stretching it a bit.
Oh, I did some scouting, but those discoveries aren’t going to get me very much closer to tagging a bull during the Montana archery season in September, or putting the scope’s crosshairs on a Missouri Breaks buck in early November. I did learn a few things, though, that I’d be more willing to share than the coordinates of my favorite elk hunting spots.

Dean Bortz: An Avett brother in Missoula antique store? Read More »

Wisconsin State Roundup: Still no resolution to suspended trout rearing program

Local sportsmen’s club volunteers who have raised trout in cooperation with the DNR for more than 55 years continue to try to make sense of the agency’s decision to suspend the popular co-op rearing program.
Since we ran the initial story earlier this month, members of the Independence Elk Rod and Gun Club have contacted local legislatures in an effort to get some sort of response from the agency. Rep. Treig Pronschinske, R-Mondovi, picked up the ball last week, but had no resolution for the club as of press time for this issue.

Wisconsin State Roundup: Still no resolution to suspended trout rearing program Read More »

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