Wednesday, June 10th, 2026

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Wednesday, June 10th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Patrick Durkin

Migrating bluejays disrupt even the best-planned turkey hunt

The DNR questions a random sampling of turkey hunters each summer to learn important stuff like how often they hunted that spring, and whether they shot a yearling “jake” or mature “tom.”
Toward the survey’s end, the DNR asks them to rate the quality of their hunt, based on a five-option scale of “very low” to “very high.” Next it asks which factors most influenced their “quality” rating. Those factors could include weather, shot opportunities, turkey sightings, gobbles heard, gobblers shot, time spent with friends and family, and conflicts with other hunters or morel thieves.
What about getting harassed by noisy, foul-mouthed bluejays?

Migrating bluejays disrupt even the best-planned turkey hunt Read More »

Wake boats, deer hunting top spring hearing votes in Wisconsin

A tsunami of opposition to wake boats swept through Wisconsin’s statewide conservation hearings in mid-April, with 62% of voters favoring restrictions on these popular wave-generating boats.

“Wakeboats” – which have ballast tanks in the stern to take on water, the weight of which helps generate surfing-size waves when towing wakeboarders – have generated divisive debates, especially near shore and on small lakes. In response, wakeboat foes presented six advisory questions for the spring hearings, which attracted 11,556 online voters April 10-13.

Wake boats, deer hunting top spring hearing votes in Wisconsin Read More »

Wisconsin deer herd faces mounting challenges

Few Wisconsin hunters noticed they had one less opportunity to share their thoughts on deer hunting and deer management this spring.
That’s probably not surprising, given how few hunters participated the past eight years in the County Deer Advisory Council meetings. The DNR launched this citizen-input process in 2014 to fuel Wisconsin’s new age of ballot-box deer management.

Wisconsin deer herd faces mounting challenges Read More »

Menasha man renews sturgeon patrol to guard against poaching on Wisconsin waters

Fish pirates have largely vanished from the Fox and Wolf rivers in recent decades, but spawning sturgeon from the Winnebago system’s big lakes in east-central Wisconsin still need some watchdogs during their vulnerable journeys of reproduction.
And Don Mielke, 67, is there to help. Mielke, a rural Menasha resident, was disappointed when COVID-19 precautions forced the DNR to cancel its volunteer Sturgeon Guard patrols in 2020 and 2021. After a two-year absence – and faced with dwindling volunteers, few complaints, and the frustrating logistics of feeding all the guardians – the DNR suspended Sturgeon Guard indefinitely a year ago.

Menasha man renews sturgeon patrol to guard against poaching on Wisconsin waters Read More »

Wisconsin’s bobcats faring well, license sales up

Wisconsin’s bobcat population has grown steadily this century, expanding its range and numbers while triggering explosive interest among hunters and trappers.
In response, the DNR issued 3,645 bobcat tags in 2022, the highest total in more than 30 years, and 22 times more than the 165 tags the agency issued in 2012.

Wisconsin’s bobcats faring well, license sales up Read More »

Wisconsin ice fishing in 1959 had its charms, challenges

Duane Harpster, 75, a Rhinelander boy who settled long ago in Boulder Junction, Wis. spent his 30-year career as a game warden patrolling the region’s waters and forests. He retired over 20 years ago to devote more time to hunting, fishing, and correcting folks’ opinions. He’s good at all three.

Wisconsin ice fishing in 1959 had its charms, challenges Read More »

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