Wisconsin’s conservation hero, Herb Behnke, passes away at age 88
Behnke was Wisconsin’s longest serving Natural Resources Board member
Wisconsin – Tim Eisele
Todd Schaller to become Wisconsin's new chief conservation warden Dec. 17
Schaller to work with retiring Randy Stark through gun deer season
Legislators should work together on behalf of Wisconsin hunting, fishing and trapping mentoring programs
Two key members of Sporting Heritage Council block efforts to move forward
Fall a good time for landowners to do habitat work and control invasives
Landowners can control honeysuckle and buckthorn by pulling plants, cutting stalks and treating the stumps.
Wisconsin’s Oct. 22 NRB deer ‘science’ meeting could put state-employed scientists at odds with DNR, Gov. Scott Walker
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board is asking DNR, UW and other scientists for their concerns on proposed DNR deer management changes from the Deer Trustee Report
A closer look at Wisconsin’s $500,000 Sporting Heritage grant fiasco
Grant was structured to keep most Wisconsin hunting, fishing and trapping groups from applying
What if Wisconsin's Sporting Heritage grant had not been rescinded by Gov. Walker?
Analysis of United Sportsmen of Wisconsin Foundation budget for first two years of grant shows that nearly 90 percent of grant would have been spent on salary, building rent and other expenses
Making natural resource decisions in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board and Senate committee tackle deer hunting with crossbows and future of Badger Ammunition Plant
Wisconsin crossbow bill clears Senate committee, deer hunting could begin in 2014
The Senate Natural Resources Committee approved a Substitute Amendment to Assembly Bill 194 on Aug. 22
Controlling the Invasive Wild Parsnip
Wild parsnips are an invasive plant that tends to crowd out native plants.
Should Wisconsin DNR's top administrators buy conservation patron license?
The DNR puts out a yearly news release encouraging outdoorsmen to buy a conservation patron’s license.
Governor Walker reappoints Preston Cole to Natural Resources Board
Cole is serving as NRB chairman and has been an effective and forceful chair since taking over that role in January.
Working on the land for wildlife
For those of us who enjoy working on the land, March is a great time to be out in the woods.
Cool Hand Luke makes appearance at Feb. 27 NRB meeting on MaKenzie Environmental Education Center
The 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke” is known for the saying, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”
Gov. Scott Walker releases proposed budget for 2013-2015
Gov. Scott Walker has released his proposed 2013-2015 state budget that he says shows his belief “in moderation of state spending.”
What is a public meeting?
The answer to that question is when it is called by a member of a public organization but is not attended by a quorum of the entire group.
New leader for the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board
The process of government may be slow and frustrating to some people, but it is also fascinating.
Increase in license fees?
It’s interesting how cabinet agencies toe the line for the governor who appointed each secretary, even though some agency constituencies may have different ideas. At the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fish and Wildlife Funding Forum held Nov. 13 in Madison, DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp heard from several sporting organizations that they think it is time for the DNR to…
Wisconsin's state turkey, pheasant and waterfowl stamp winners announced
New stamps for turkey, pheasant and waterfowl hunters were selected on Aug. 25 and will be issued to hunters during the 2013 hunting seasons. Winning the wild turkey contest, with a painting of an early morning gobbler ready to depart from a tree branch was Craig Fairbert, of Ladysmith. Fairbert is no stranger to winning wildlife stamp contests as he…
Deer hunters in northern Wisconsin will now be able to shoot coyotes during the firearm deer season this fall.
Thanks to persistent efforts of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, in particular Ralph Fritsch, past president and current Wildlife Committee chair, the Natural Resources Board voted unanimously Aug. 8 to open the coyote hunting season during the gun deer season in wolf management zone one. The season had been closed because wolves were added to the Wisconsin and Federal Endangered Species…
60 days and six ducks
Wisconsin’s duck hunters will get a 60 day hunting season this fall, with a six-duck daily bag limit. The daily bag limit is similar to last year, except that the scaup limit has been raised to four birds. The daily bag limit is six ducks, including: no more than four mallards of which only one can be a hen; three…
New 'Friends' group supports federal duck stamp
Ducks have a new friend in town. It is the Friends of the Duck Stamp. This friends group is an independent, non-profit group devoted to the promotion, preservation, sale and better understanding of the Federal Migratory Bird and Conservation Stamp, better known as the Duck Stamp. Paul Baicich, group president, said that the “friends” is unlike any other refuge friends…
Trail cameras on public land
Trail cameras can now be placed on lands owned by the DNR that are open to hunting. The DNR published a notice in the official state newspaper June 1, beginning the new policy adopted by the Natural Resources Board on May 23. Normally it is illegal for people to place personal property on state lands and leave it overnight, but…
Recall election for Wisconsin governor
I intereviewed Tom Barrett ahead of the Tuesday, June 5 recall election. I also attempted to interview Gov. Scott Walker, but I did not receive any response to my phone calls and e-mails to him. I have followed the recall process and, as a journalist, I have covered the DNR and natural resource issues in the state for many years….
To quote the infamous Yogi Berra, it was “like Deja-Vu all over again.”
The last time that Larry Keith, of Eau Claire, and I hunted turkeys together was three years ago. It was a good day for both of us. We were hunting Crawford County, about a mile east of the Mississippi River, in the beautiful Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin. Larry set up his camouflage tent blind on the west edge of…
Students prepare for the future with help from scholarships
Stevens Point—They are bright and talented, good reason that those of us who hunt and fish should take comfort in knowing that future natural resources should be well-managed. They are students majoring in natural resources at the UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources. In March, students who were receiving scholarships attended the annual scholarship awards program at the Sentry Theater…
