By Dave Carlson Contributing Writer Cazenovia, Wis. — “That was corn two years ago,” said Eric Knauf, as he scrolled through his camera’s photo files displaying a field packed with blazing wildflowers and waving grasses. “Give nature a nudge in the right direction … look what can happen. It’s incredible.” The “nudge” is a relatively small (71⁄2 acres) patch of…
Woodruff, Wis. — The July 5 shooting of a cow moose in Vilas County by a Lac du Flambeau tribal member raised the awareness – and some questions –among citizens of the state’s small, but apparently stable, moose population. Certainly the loss of that animal didn’t do anything to bolster state moose numbers, but the spirits of residents in western…
Pheasants Forever’s Clancy Memorial Golf Tournament is Monday, Sept. 19
By Les Winkeler Contributing Writer Springfield — Cue the theme to “Jaws,” but the alligator gar is not as fearsome as it looks. The alligator gar is believed to have been extinct in Illinois since about 1966. Small numbers of the fish, which regularly reaches six feet in length and weighs more than 125 pounds, have been stocked in Illinois…
St. Paul — At least 10 people have died from boating-related accidents this year, ahead of last year’s pace, which ended at a 10-year high. There were eight such fatalities as August began last year. “It generally continues a theme,” said Stan Linnell, the Minnesota DNR’s boat and water safety manager. “Capsizing and falling overboard from a small boat are…
University Park, Pa. — Selective browsing by white-tailed deer likely is promoting the spread of some invasive plant species in northeastern U.S. forests, as deer avoid eating vegetation they find unpalatable. That’s the conclusion of researchers who conducted a study of deer dietary choices at the Penn State Deer Research Center, during which captive deer were simultaneously offered a selection…
By Ad Crable Contributing Writer Lancaster, Pa. — In Lancaster County, three central Pennsylvania sportsmen’s groups have offered healing to veterans through fly-fishing, paddling and fishing from kayaks. Donald Hershey has yet to catch his first trout on a fly-rod. Doesn’t matter. “It’s just being outdoors and around nature and getting away from life for awhile,” says the 71-year-old from…
By Tim Bunton Contributing Writer Champaign, Ill. — A team of scientists continues to show that controlling invasive Asian carp can be as simple as mixing up a batch of soda water. Well, it’s not quite as simple as that. But adding carbon dioxide gas to water seems to control the movement and behavior of invasive carp in the Great…
Lake City, Minn. — The situation the occurred last summer, when about 50 large lake sturgeon and paddlefish turned up dead on Lake Pepin because of what was believed to be misplaced commercial fishing nets, shouldn’t happen again, officials say. Commercial fishing with gill nets temporarily was shut down then, reopened, and again temporarily and indefinitely closed this year, and…
Spooner, Wis. — Wolves. Just that single word brings out a long list of emotions no matter on which side of the issue you fall. To just categorize Wisconsin residents as wolf haters or wolf lovers, though, is too simplistic. Most people agree there’s a place for timber wolves in outdoor Wisconsin, but the animal has to be managed by…
Albany — A new conservation plan for the bald eagle in New York state hopes to maintain 200 breeding pairs of the bird throughout the state, as well as protect the wintering population. The final plan was announced by state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos recently and emphasizes limiting human disturbance of existing nests. The bald eagle,…
By Gretchen Steele Contributing Writer Baldwin, Ill. — Bowfishers from five states braved tough bowfishing conditions during the second annual Kaskaskia River Rough Fish Round Up held at the Kaskaskia State Fish and Wildlife Area. The tournament was hosted by DNR and was a sanctioned Bowfishing Association of America points tournament. The $1,800 first-place prize money drew both experienced tournament…
Larry Roberts, 45, is an electrician from the Pine City area. He appeared on the second season of History Channel’s survival show, “Alone.” He lasted 64 days with limited survival items on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, outlasted by only one other contestant.
Two Wisconsin men fined, hunting rights suspended
By Deborah Weisberg Southwest Correspondent Pittsburgh — It took nearly a year of rehabilitation – including surgery by an out-of-state veterinarian – but a bald eagle with a broken wing has been successfully returned to the wild, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The juvenile raptor was discovered on Aug. 7, 2015, by two maintenance workers at FirstEnergy Corp. in…
Port Clinton, Ohio – Fishing was excellent at the 37th Governor’s Fish Ohio Day on July 12. But, it was the walleyes tossed back and not the “keepers” that excited the 100 anglers and their captains. Fish Ohio Day is sponsored annually by Lake Erie Shores and Islands, the Ohio DNR, and Lake Erie Charter Boat Association to bolster North…
Lansing – New research on efforts by anglers to prevent the spread of invasive species in the Great Lakes shows most are aware and concerned about the problem, but not all are taking the proper precautions. The Journal of Great Lakes Research published a recent study by Cornell University researchers in June that gleaned attitudes about aquatic invasives from…
By Jeff Dankert LaSalle News-Tribune LaSalle, Ill. — Sometimes you reel in a fish that makes you say, “What the?” John Gillio, of Oglesby, did that while fly fishing the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal near Lock 14 in La Salle on June 20. Gillio caught and released three common carp like no others he had ever seen. They looked…
Springfield — The creature certainly gets around, but Illinois has always been significant to the monarch butterfly. And vice-versa. In fact, the state designated the monarch as the official state insect in 1975 – the result of lobbying by Illinois schoolchildren More than 40 years later DNR and other state agencies are scheduled to meet in Springfield this summer to…
By Anthony Candia Contributing Writer New Athens, Ill. — Although it seemed out of place given the ongoing state budget issues, the General Assembly’s unanimous vote in May to pass a resolution lauding the alligator gar did have purpose. The resolution was put together by the Illinois Environmental Club, the Sierra Club and the Environmental Law and Policy Center –…
Delta Waterfowl forecasts a reduced fall
duck flight
Fort Collins, Colo. — Representatives from the presidential campaigns of Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump took questions about guns, public lands, and other natural resource issues recently at the Hilton Fort Collins hotel. Two avid outdoorsmen, Donald Trump Jr., speaking on behalf of his father’s campaign, and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., representing the campaign of Hillary Clinton, separately…
By John Hageman Contributing Writer Sandusky, Ohio — Each spring and summer, those living or visiting the Lake Erie shoreline deal with a large number of annoying “bugs.” All are eaten by fish, birds, and other animals while available in their nymph, larval, and/or adult life stages. When aquatic insects leave the lake, it is often erroneously called a “hatch,”…
What better place for an alligator to sun itself than a paved bicycle path. But in Minnesota?
Perry Peterson, a one-time Minnesota resident, had grown somewhat weary of dealing with the doubters. Two years ago, while fishing Monument Bay on the Ontario side of Lake of the Woods, Peterson first saw it – an “albino” muskie.
Staff and AP Report Washington (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected challenges to assault weapons bans in Connecticut and New York, in the aftermath of the shooting attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that left 50 people dead. The justices last month left in place a lower court ruling that upheld laws that were passed in response…
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