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Steve Heiting

Northern Wisconsin’s deer herd: Hunters say Douglas, Bayfield counties once offered ‘fantastic’ deer hunting

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

If you ask Mike Edwards about how good the deer hunting in Douglas County, Wis., was years ago, he says it was “fantastic.” To the east, in Bayfield County, Jim Johannes says hunting there was “pretty good.”
Neil Messerschmidt, who also hunts in Bayfield County, fondly recalls the day of bowhunting which was “the most excellent deer hunting I could ever imagine,” when he saw 13 different bucks in a single day before killing a 10-pointer. Deer numbers today in those same counties are much less than they used to be.

Northern Wisconsin’s deer herd: Hunters say Douglas, Bayfield counties once offered ‘fantastic’ deer hunting Read More »

DNR deer program specialist Jeff Pritzl dives deep into the northern Wisconsin deer situation

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

An avid deer hunter himself, Jeff Pritzl has been the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deer program specialist for the past three years. To launch this series in which Wisconsin Outdoor News examines the deer situation in 10 northern Wisconsin counties, WON will start with an interview with the guy who sits atop the state’s deer hierarchy.

DNR deer program specialist Jeff Pritzl dives deep into the northern Wisconsin deer situation Read More »

Wisconsin Outdoor News launches series investigating deer herd issues in northern counties

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

Deer hunting and Wisconsin have long been interconnected.
For years, especially in the north, the closure of schools and businesses for the November gun deer hunting season was more fact than legend. Fans attending Green Bay Packers games at Lambeau Field in November traditionally wear their blaze orange hunting clothing to stay warm. Buffalo County in the southwestern part of the state is the top-producing county for trophy bucks than any other in the nation. Even the state’s professional basketball team is known as the “Bucks.”
While deer hunting in Wisconsin is rosy on the surface, there is trouble brewing in the northern tier of counties.

Wisconsin Outdoor News launches series investigating deer herd issues in northern counties Read More »

Muskies now the fish of 10 casts? Live sonar changes how anglers fish for these popular predators

Featured, Featured, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Fishing, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

The muskie is known in angling lore as the “fish of 10,000 casts.” Almost always tough to catch, a muskie is usually more willing to follow a lure to boatside than strike it, leaving those who fish for them frustrated yet tantalized, and wanting more. Anything – be it a new lure or technique – that lessens the downtime between catches is welcomed by muskie fishermen.
Enter forward-facing sonar (FFS), also known as “live sonar,” a relatively new technology that allows anglers to not only find fish in real time, but to watch their lure and how fish react to it.

Muskies now the fish of 10 casts? Live sonar changes how anglers fish for these popular predators Read More »

Buying live sonar? Here’s what to know about rigging it on your boat

Featured, Featured, Features, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Fishing, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Chances are good that you have heard of forward-facing (or “live”) sonar.
Perhaps you may have already bought the relatively new fish-finding technology. Maybe you’re trying to determine if it’s for you. Live sonar is a big consideration for many, and once you’ve decided to add it to your fishing boat, you’ll face another big question: how you want it rigged.

Buying live sonar? Here’s what to know about rigging it on your boat Read More »

Steve Heiting: A ‘no-frills’ turkey vest that has stood the test of time

Featured, Features, Hunting, National Hunting, Wisconsin /

The shotgun scope filled with gobblers. Four of them had charged from the woods to confront the jake decoy. Now they were swatting it with their wings. When one bird separated from the pack, the crosshairs settled on its neck. He collapsed in a feathered heap after I pulled the trigger.

Steve Heiting: A ‘no-frills’ turkey vest that has stood the test of time Read More »

Heading west to hunt mule deer? Following these steps can help fill tags

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Few things are as much fun as an out-of-state hunting trip. Not only will there be a strong sense of adventure, but there will be months of increasing anticipation.
In many cases you will learn something new on your hunt that you may be able to apply back home or on future hunts. For many of us, this trip will be to the Great Plains of the western states to pursue mule deer.

Heading west to hunt mule deer? Following these steps can help fill tags Read More »

Learning from experience: Here are nine things not to do while deer hunting

Featured, Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Because I’ve made so many mistakes over 40 years of hunting deer, I like to think that I’ve become sort of an expert at avoiding them. At least until my next one.

Learning from experience: Here are nine things not to do while deer hunting Read More »

Three cures to help you catch muskies after summer cold fronts

Featured, Features, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Fishing, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Easing the boat into the narrow bay, I could sense our fishing success was about to change.
Through five hours of fishing under cloudless skies we had raised only a single, lazy muskie, but now the conditions finally felt right. We had chosen the bay because it faced eastward and was, thus, protected from the stiff northwest breeze that followed the passing of a cold front. All day the thick weeds that lined the back of the bay had been warmed by the sun, and cabbage tops protruded above the surface.

Three cures to help you catch muskies after summer cold fronts Read More »

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