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Patrick Durkin

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin wildlife rehabilitator tends, patches or dispatches nature’s critically wounded

Featured, Home Page News, Nature Page & Night Sky, Wisconsin /

You name the critter and Mark Naniot has probably uncorked a can, jar, cup or bottle from its head during his nearly 40-year career as owner/director of the Wild Instincts rehabilitation center in Rhinelander, Wis.
Whether it’s a skunk lapping peanut butter, a squirrel licking yogurt, a bear chomping pickles, or a raccoon vacuuming corn kernels, Naniot has spared it from an agonizing death after it went headfirst for a litterbug’s leftovers.

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin wildlife rehabilitator tends, patches or dispatches nature’s critically wounded Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Alaska delivers rich haul of cold, salmon, halibut

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

You know you’re meeting catch-and-eat fishermen when their airline baggage includes a bundle of flattened cardboard shipping containers for the return home, and their ratings for local hotels includes whether guests can use their freezers.
Those thoughts crossed my mind while getting to know Jamie “Fitz” Fitzgerald and Andy “Pooder” Radzialowski as we claimed our luggage July 11 at Ketchikan’s airport in the Alaskan Panhandle. Fitz and Pooder are regulars at a fish shack on nearby Prince of Wales Island.

Patrick Durkin: Alaska delivers rich haul of cold, salmon, halibut Read More »

Want to hunt bruins by bow? Here’s what to know

Featured, Featured, Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

If you’ve bowhunted deer for years and want to try for bears, you’re just a tweak or two away from getting your bow and arrows ready for the challenge.
Likewise, if you’ve already gun-hunted bears and want to increase the challenge with a recurve, compound bow or crossbow, the archery rig you choose will work just fine on whitetails, too. Either way, bear populations are strong across the Great Lakes states and nearby Canadian provinces.

Want to hunt bruins by bow? Here’s what to know Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Unpacking what Wisconsin grouse, pheasant numbers look like by region

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

Even the most casual upland bird hunters in Wisconsin figure out where to focus their efforts when reviewing DNR surveys on springtime pheasant and ruffed grouse populations.
For grouse, generally speaking, just draw a jagged line from Green Bay to St. Croix Falls and hunt north of it. For pheasants, start by finding Eau Claire County on your map.

Patrick Durkin: Unpacking what Wisconsin grouse, pheasant numbers look like by region Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Youth-only hunts often trigger petty opposition

1 Comment / Discussions, Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, Opinion, Wisconsin /

Even though Wisconsin’s hunter numbers have tumbled the past quarter-century, some adults get all pouty about the state’s two-day youth-only hunts for deer, waterfowl, and turkeys, especially when kids enjoy a little success.
During this spring’s youth turkey hunt, kids 15 and younger shot a record 3,981 jakes and gobblers. That’s three more than they shot in 2024, and the fifth time the past 15 springs they shot more than 3,000 birds. Therefore, a few readers emailed complaints, basically saying: “It’s not fair.

Patrick Durkin: Youth-only hunts often trigger petty opposition Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin turkey hunters notch fifth-best season

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

If one of my grandchildren pursues a career in wildlife management, I hope they sign on as Wisconsin’s chief turkey biologist. They would likely enjoy little stress and enduring job satisfaction, given the happiness turkeys inspire among hunters.
This spring, for example, Wisconsin hunters registered 50,287 turkeys, the fifth-best total since our 1983 inaugural season. That kill was only 447 shy of 2024’s total of 50,734, and only 2,593 (5%) below the record 52,880 shot in 2008.

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin turkey hunters notch fifth-best season Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Fishing’s rituals, routines build friendships

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

I only like to go fishing when I’m alone or with somebody. But I’d rather fish alone than go with just anybody.
After all, few situations are more boring or annoying than being confined to a fishing boat with someone if your only shared interest is fishing. That’s especially true on big water when far from shore with little action and few boats or other sights to distract you when the action slows.

Patrick Durkin: Fishing’s rituals, routines build friendships Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin’s spring hearings voters OK April trout opener

Leave a Comment / Discussions, Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, National Fishing, National News, News, Wisconsin /

Wisconsin could move its traditional trout opener from early May to early April next year, based on a landslide 63-37 percentage vote during mid-April’s annual conservation hearings.
The inland trout opener was one of many fishing-related changes the outdoor community supported during the statewide hearings, a joint effort by the DNR and the citizen-based Conservation Congress. Voters also backed a five-trout bag limit as the basic statewide trout regulation by a 60-40 margin. 

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin’s spring hearings voters OK April trout opener Read More »

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin native Gretchen James helped form world-class archers

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

Wautoma’s Carole Clark was a four-time All-America archer at Arizona State University (1977-80), but the Sun Devil Hall of Famer might not have realized her Olympics-level talent if she hadn’t goofed off in ninth-grade gym class.
Fortunately for Clark, her gym teacher at Camelback High School in Phoenix sentenced her to detention. When the then Carole Cheuvront, age 14, showed up after school, her gym teacher suggested she spend detention learning to shoot archery. That teacher was Gretchen L. James, a Dodgeville, Wis., native who died Feb. 17 at age 96.

Patrick Durkin: Wisconsin native Gretchen James helped form world-class archers Read More »

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