NORTHERN REGION
NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Windy conditions have blown most of the leaves down. There is still some nice colors though. The extended forecast is calling for snow for the next couple of days.
Pattison State Park - The fall colors have peaked, but this is an ideal time to walk the trails and see the wildlife that otherwise hides in the vegetation. The waterfalls have improved water flow due to the recent rains. The public water supply has been turned off for the season. Water is available from a faucet at the park office. The dump station and shower building are closed for the season. The office is open on an irregular basis, as staff is available. Reservations are no longer being taken to camp. All sites remain open year around, and site #34 is kept plowed during the winter months.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Colder temperatures are forecast for the week along with possible accumulations of snow. .Rivers are flowing below normal. Anglers are having fair success as water temperatures cool and turnover occurs. Leaves are quickly falling and the trees are bare in many areas. Deer are active around field edges and oak trees as they find less browse due to the declining vegetation. Geese have been using the favorable north wind for migration travel. Songbirds are very active around bird feeders as fall progresses and it’s relaxing to watch their activity. Grouse hunters are reporting good success with many reporting flushing many birds. Anglers have taken advantage of the nice weather to be on the water and reports have been fair to good. Sturgeon season closes Oct. 15 on inland waters. Bear season closes on Oct. 10. Trapping season opens Oct. 14 north of Hwy. 64 for bobcat, raccoon, fox, fisher, mink, muskrat and coyote. Deer shining is prohibited between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. from Sept. 15 through Dec. 31. Local laws may be more restrictive so anyone intending to shine deer should check local ordinances also. Please respect private lands and agricultural animals when shining.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - With the windy and unsettled weather of the last week, only the serious musky and walleye anglers have been out trying their luck. Water temperatures have dropped into the low 50s and most of the shallow weeds have begun to die back. Musky have been drawing most of the attention and success has been fair. Artificials have still been producing fairly well, with bucktails and bulldogs baits being the most productive. Quite a few anglers have started dragging around large suckers and have had so-so action. Some large musky have been seen but most of the catches have been of fish in the 28- to 38-inch size. Walleye success has been steadily improving with the cooler weather and action has become pretty consistent. Some decent catches of fish in the 14- to 16-inch size have been reported, with jig and minnows combinations producing the best action. Smallmouth and largemouth bass have pretty much retreated to deeper water and most bass anglers have wrapped up their gear for the season. Panfish action has been erratic and few reports of success have been heard.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Area Conservation Wardens and guides report that lakes are continuing to quickly cool due to cold nights. As a result lake turnover is occurring across the area. During this time the walleyes tend to stay at the bottom in anywhere from 15 to 40 feet of water. Once the lake has turned over, the walleye will move back into the shallower waters along the weed edges, rock bars and submerged wood. Musky action is reported to have picked up due to the turn over effects. Suckers are now the bait of choice for the musky; however, jerk type baits are also still working well. Smallmouth bass were being caught in the deep wood. Fall colors are past peak with leaf drop occurring. Most local waterfowl have dispersed and moved southward. Approaching cold weather should bring some migrants into the larger bodies of water. Grouse hunters are reporting some encouraging news with much higher numbers than the last few years. Bow hunters are reporting good success all around the area.
NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - Summer like weather over the weekend had trout and salmon anglers out in full force. Anglers were having success on the Menominee River below the dam while casting small shallow diving crank baits, silver spoons, and spawn sacs. The artificial baits were working better on the Wisconsin side of the river while the spawn sacs were more effective drifted down the faster current on the Michigan side. Most fish caught were chinook salmon, while a few steelhead were also picked up. Chinooks and some steelhead were spotted near the channel in between Stephenson Island and the Marinette County Library but the shallow water made fish spooky and difficult to catch. The salmon bite was still going on the Little River but heavy pressure has slowed the bite down considerably. Anglers having success did so on the usual spawn sacs fished on the bottom from the Hwy. BB bridge down to the mouth of the river. Some anglers were able to pick up a few salmon while wading out from the mouth of the river in 2 to 3 feet of water while casting spoons and shallow diving crank baits. Fishing on the Peshtigo River started to pick up as trout and salmon moved their way up river near the dam. Anglers were catching good numbers of small brown trout, some steelhead, and chinook salmon from the dam downstream to the municipal boat ramp. Most fish were hitting small spinners, spawn sacs, and fly fishers were catching the majority of fish. The most effective times were early mornings from sunrise to around 9 a.m. and sunset to one to two hours into the night.
Oconto County - Fishing on the Oconto River finally started to pick up over the weekend. Chinook salmon and a few steelhead were hitting throughout the river with many fish near the Stiles dam. Fly fishers were having the most success while wading from the dam downstream to Little River. Anglers casting small silver spoons and drifting spawn sacs near the Iron bridge, railroad bridge, and Hwy. 141 bridge were also catching fish with good numbers of small to medium rainbow trout. Small minnows and night crawlers were also catching rainbows in good numbers off of the Iron bridge and up near the dam but fish were running on the small side. Chinooks were also being picked up by anglers casting spoons and crank baits at the end of the breakwater pier and off of the harbor ramp shore. Most fish were caught in the early mornings and late evenings. Salmon were also making their way into the backwater near the Oconto County Park II boat landing. Anglers were having a difficult time getting fish to hit but some fish were caught by casting and slowly retrieving shallow diving stick baits and while soaking floating spawn sacs off of the bottom. Fishing on the Pensaukee River was slow but a few anglers were having success while fishing for smallmouth bass from the boat landing downstream to the mouth while casting tube jigs along shoreline structure.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Manitowoc County - Salmon fishing in Two Rivers harbor and off the piers was slow this past week. Anglers fishing chinook salmon in the East Twin River, however, had an excellent week. Many anglers had success near the Mishicot dam and the Hillcrest Road crossing using spawn sacs and spinner baits. The West Twin River is also having a excellent run of chinook salmon. Anglers were successful throughout the day using spawn sacs. Boaters that launched near the Shoto dam also had a good week of chinook salmon fishing. In Manitowoc, fishing inside the harbor for chinook salmon was fair this past week with a few large fish taken. Anglers had the most action fishing the north side of the harbor and just off the north pier. The Manitowoc River is having a good nice run of chinook salmon. Anglers fishing near Cato Falls Park had a fair week for salmon. Fishing at the Mill Road public river access (Hwy. R) was good this past week for salmon anglers using spinner baits and fly fishing. Salmon fishing on the Branch River has been good. Anglers fishing near the junction of the Branch River and Manitowoc River have also had a couple of great days catching smallmouth bass.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County – There was lots of sun this week, which along with warm and seasonal temperatures made for a very nice week. Mother Nature demonstrated her awesome power last week when a severe thunderstorm rolled through Door County during the early evening hours on Tuesday, bringing with it a most spectacular lighting display. The intensity of the lightning dwarfed any fireworks display that humans could cook up. Fall colors were spectacular this week. Big chinook salmon and brown trout continue to cruse the waters of all the Door County harbors and many anglers are taking advantage of the great fishing. Anglers trolling the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal are reporting nice catches of salmon and northern pike. Anglers out on the big lake are still reporting nice catches of salmon and trout while fishing 40 to 50 feet down on 60 to 80 feet of water. Again this week the northern pike action was good in Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon with some nice fish in the 35 to 40 inch range being reported. Perch action was good to excellent in Sturgeon Bay with limit catches of nice perch coming in. Perch success has also been reported on Green Bay from South of Little Sturgeon Bay all the way to Dyckesville. Minnows seem to be the best bait for perch. Walleye action was fair to good for anglers trolling the reefs north and south of Sturgeon Bay.
Peninsula State Park - Expect tree colors to peak in the next week. Color is at approximately 60 percent early this week, with many trees, particularly maples, drying out due to drought-like conditions earlier in the summer. Sister Bay's Fall Festival is scheduled for this weekend…the last really busy weekend in Northern Door County. All campgrounds are open. Many non-electrical campsites await campers during the week. There are few electrical campsites available without reservations between May and October. All hiking and biking trails are in great shape. Another section of the Eagle Trail has been renovated. Sections of the Sunset Bike trail will be graded and re-surfaced this fall. Water levels in Green Bay are still very low, but have come up in recent weeks. Gentians and other wildflowers abound on exposed lake bottoms. Peninsula State Park golf course is open though October.
Strawberry Creek Spawning Facility – On Thursday Oct. 5, the facility set a single day record for harvest of chinook salmon from the Strawberry Creek weir. Fisheries staff with other DNR staff and volunteers harvested more than 2,400 salmon in a single day. The 4 to 5 inch rainfall that occurred Oct. 3 no doubt contributed to the large number of chinook in the pond. The heavy rainfall that triggered the heavy fish run was not anticipated. It was important to harvest that many fish in a single day because the next Strawberry Creek harvest wasn't scheduled until Monday and the facility had to make room for the fish anticipated to be running over the weekend. Crews collected more than 700,000 fertilized eggs that went to the DNR Bayfield Hatchery. They also harvested more than 3,000 pounds of surplus eggs that went to a bait contractor, sent approximately 5,000 pounds of small salmon to a food pantry in Green Bay, and harvested approximately 30,000 pounds of salmon that were sent to the fertilizer plant. As of Friday morning, the flow in Strawberry Creek had dropped dramatically. On Monday Oct. 9 crews at Strawberry Creek harvested approximately 800 chinook salmon and sent another 400,000 fertilized eggs to the Wild Rose hatchery. Sue Marcquenski, DNR fish pathologist, was there and completed the annual health survey on our stock of chinook salmon. Surplus eggs and eggs unsuitable for hatchery production went to a bait dealer. The next salmon harvest is planned for Thursday Oct. 12 at Strawberry and looking at the weather forecast it promises to be a very cold day.
Kewaunee County
Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility - On Tuesday Oct. 10 crews at the facility processed more than 1,200 fish. Coho have begun to make their fall run so crews are having to sort through all of the fish to pick out the coho. Approximately 1,100 of the fish were chinook that were sent to Paul's Pantry or the fertilizer plant and the remainder were a mixture of coho, rainbow (steelhead) and browns. The adult coho are not ready to spawn yet and they were sorted back to one of the holding ponds for spawning at a later date. The steelhead and browns were passed upstream. The open house at the Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility on Saturday Oct. 7 was very successful. The weather couldn't have been better and there were more than 2,500 visitors.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Lakeshore Area Wildlife Report - Fall has arrived in the Oshkosh area. Hunters are getting ready for the opening of Pheasant season this Saturday at noon. Bow hunters are able to see further as leaves are dropping in the woodlots. Turkey hunters are seeing flocks of hens with their broods and groups of toms and jakes. It's a great time to be outside. The Packers aren't playing this weekend, so get out there and explore. Fall colors are everywhere, from the reds of the staghorn sumacs to the purples of the New England Asters and wild grapes. Enjoy the autumn days. Winter will be here soon enough.
Upper Fox-Wolf fisheries Report - Good Lake Winnebago perch action was reported on minnows and crawlers. Areas of good activity have been the north side around Stevens reef and south of Garlic Island along with Roe Point just south of Oshkosh. The Fox River has still been producing some nice catches of the white bass. The morning appears to more productive than the evening using minnows from land but pretty much any artificial bait has been good from a boat. There have been some catfish being caught on cut-pieces-of raw shrimp. In addition, perch have been biting from land and from boats. On Lake Butte des Morts, there have been some white bass and walleye action from the 41 bridge. Some bluegills are being hooked in the channels. White bass are being hooked off of the Winneconne bridge on Lake Winneconne. In addition, anglers are catching bluegills in the channels.
SOUTHEAST REGION
With cooling of lake surface waters promoting lake turnover, or the loss of summer temperature stratification, anglers have turned to cool water species like musky and northern pike. Action has been good. Anglers tend to fish with large baits this time of year, as these large predators are actively putting on body fat to make it through the winter. Although most fishing for pike and muskies during turnover usually occurs in less than 25 feet of water; fish can be found anywhere there are baitfish; even as deep as just a foot or two. Fisheries crews have been busy stocking hundreds of thousands of young trout and salmon in Lake Michigan; along with operating our spawning weirs. This is the time of year when tens of thousands of miles are driven and hundreds of man-hours are spent trucking fish from DNR hatcheries all across Wisconsin. Most of these young chinook or coho salmon, or brown or rainbow (Steelhead) trout are 6 to 7 inches long and will be the tackle busters of two and three years from now. Since crews are also heavily involved in spawning adults to get next year’s young hatchery trout and salmon at this same time, fall ends up being a very busy time of year for DNR fisheries staff.
Sheboygan County - – In Sheboygan action in the harbor and off the piers has been slow, but Sheboygan River anglers have been catching good numbers of chinooks throughout the river. Water levels have dropped back down, and chinooks can be seen all the way upstream to the Kohler dam. Drifting spawn has been productive, as well as fishing yarn and other small flies.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore anglers have been catching good numbers of chinooks and a few browns and coho in the harbor and near the power plant. Spawn has produced the most fish, but some have also been hitting green crank baits. Water levels are low again on Sauk Creek, but chinooks can still be found in the deeper holes.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee, flows are average on the Milwaukee River, and good numbers of chinooks and a few steelhead have been taken in Estabrook Park. The gates on the dam at Estabrook Park are scheduled to be opened on Monday, Oct. 16; however, some fish have already made it upstream. Water levels dropped again on both Oak Creek and the Menomonee River. Oak Creek anglers have reported chinooks on spawn sacs and wooly buggers. On the Menomonee chinooks have been found between Miller Park and the concrete channel near 45th Street and State Street. Shore anglers in Milwaukee have been catching good numbers of chinooks in McKinley Marina. Milwaukee trollers have been catching chinooks and browns around the gaps and inside the harbor. Smaller chinooks have also been found north of the harbor in 105 feet of water. Purple spoons and blue & silver J-plugs have been producing.
Racine County - In Racine a few chinooks and coho have been caught by early morning shore anglers fishing with glow-in-the-dark spoons off the south pierOn the Root River, water levels have been dropping since late last week, but flows remain above average for this time of year. Good numbers of chinooks can be found throughout the upstream portions river from the Steelhead Facility to the Horlick dam. Drifting orange or green yarn eggs has been effective, in addition to large black flies. Action has also been good downstream of the weir in Lincoln Park. Bright egg imitations have been productive. Angling pressure has been lighter in Island and Washington Parks, but fish can still be found in those areas as well. . More than 650 fish were processed at the Root River Steelhead Facility on Monday. Throughout the season, DNR crews have passed upstream 5,325 chinooks, 198 coho, 136 steelhead, and 50 browns. An additional 339 Skamania strain steelhead have been transferred to the Kettle Moraine Springs Hatchery for later spawning. Fish will be processed again on Thursday, Oct. 12.
Kenosha County - In the Kenosha harbor shore anglers have been catching chinooks and rainbows on spawn near the Best Western. Water levels are low again on the Pike River, and fishing has been slow.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Most anglers are chasing northern pike and musky. Anglers using spinner baits or suckers in 10 to 24 feet of water were doing best. Walleye fishing has slowed a bit, although some nice ones were still being caught on minnow imitation lures in 8 to 18 feet of water. Panfish anglers were finding fish suspended to 20 to 30 feet of water, but it has been tough to get them to bite. Some bluegills were being caught on night crawler pieces and anglers using minnows were catching some crappies.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Panfish action has been fairly good for the few anglers that have been out lately. Perch especially have been active and providing some pretty good action. Lake turnover is expected to occur over the next week with the incoming cold weather. The cold air chills the upper layer of water, causing it to become heavier than the underlying layer. The heavier top layer then sinks to the bottom of the lakes, causing the entire water body to flip or "turn-over.” Algae blooms commonly occur at those times, an indication that the nutrient rich waters on the bottom of the lake during summer, have come to the surface where the sunlight helps the algae to reproduce or "bloom." Fishing action changes with the turn-over. The fish are not limited to the upper layer of water and can move about freely. Some anglers are highly successful during this time, others struggle to find the fish in a pattern. Generally, musky and northern pike action really turns on during this time of year.
Kohler-Andrae State Park - All hiking and nature trails are open. The park water system (showers, flush toilets, and trailer dump station) is scheduled for shut down Oct. 16. Asters are blooming along roadways. There will be a Halloween Candlelight Hike on Oct. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. Hike the candle lit trail and learn about winged wonders of Kohler-Andrae. Gather around the campfire for songs and stories with Chris Lilek. Join the Plymouth Stargazers for a night sky observation. Enter the pumpkin carving contest (small supply available or bring your own) and make a nature craft.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Dane County
Lake Kegonsa State Park – The park is starting to get great fall colors. Unfortunately, due to high winds, some leaves are already on the ground. All trails are open to hiking and in good condition. Some campsites are open through Oct. 31. The rest are closed for the season. The campground shower building is scheduled to be closed Monday, Oct. 30; however, cold temperatures may force an earlier closure. There will be a Candlelight Hike on Oct. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. The 1.2-mile White Oak Nature Trail will be lit with hundreds of glowing luminaries and jack-o-lanterns. There will be a bonfire and grills available for cooking, and drinks and baked goods will be sold by the Lake Kegonsa State Park Friends Group. Sorry, no pets are allowed on the White Oak Nature Trail. There is no fee for this event, but a valid park admission sticker is required. This event is weather permitting. For more information call the park office at (608) 873-9695.
Jefferson County - Water levels on the upper Rock and Crawfish rivers are in excellent condition due to recent rains. Waterfowl hunters have had no problem navigating around with outboard motors and will have no problems this coming weekend opener as well. Anglers were catching some legal size fish on the Rock River below the Hustisford Dam on minnows and twistertails. A large number of undersized walleye and bullheads were biting as well. Below the lower dam in Watertown a few walleye have also been caught on minnows but success is slow overall. A few 2- to 5-pound catfish were biting on the Crawfish River north of Hubbleton. Stinkbait and chubs were working the best. Most of the trees are past their peak color with many having lost a lot of leaves already. This is helping squirrel hunters find their quarry. A couple bald eagles have been seen around Watertown following the duck and goose migration. Approximately 100 sandhill cranes have been feeding in the new public hunting grounds west of Lake Mills off Hwy. S on their migration south.
WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - Fall color has peaked and is in decline. Water is turned off and all flush toilet buildings are closed for the season. Pit toilets are open near the beach, the boat launch parking lot, and near site 63 in the campground. Water for trailers or portable containers will be available at the service building just down the hill from the park office. The dump station will remain open to unload tanks only until freeze up. The campground road will be closed to vehicles when snow falls. All exhibits for “Into and Out of Nature” are installed. Various artists have their works displayed along trails that are easy to walk. The exhibit is in partnership with the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson. A companion exhibit is on view in the galleries for the run which ends Oct. 29th. Pick up a map at the park office or at the Phipps showing the artwork locations. The Phipps Center is having an event at the park Sunday, Oct. 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event will include tours of the exhibits and the chance for young visitors to make their own artwork. The tour and activities are free, but regular vehicle admission rates apply. Call the Phipps Center for details (715) 386-2305. Dry land cross country ski training started Oct. 4. A small group spent 90 minutes on hilly trails pole walking level trail areas and hill bounding on the up hills. The group meets at the Nature Center Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. A park sticker is required on your vehicle. A small fee is charged for those that are not members of the Willow River OWLs. Participants (age 13 and older) need good trail shoes, clothing appropriate for the weather, and ski poles. The Willow River Nordic skiers will be having work days on Saturday Oct. 14 and 21 8 a.m. to noon. For more information on the Willow River Nordic ski training, call (715) 386-5931.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
A 3,350-acre Voluntary Waterfowl Avoidance Area will once again be in effect on Lake Onalaska (Navigation Pool 7) of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge during the 2006 fall migration. Dates of the program are Oct. 15 through mid-November. The Avoidance Area, marked with white buoys, covers a portion of the lake used by large numbers of migrating waterfowl, particularly canvasbacks. All boaters using Lake Onalaska for fishing, hunting, sailing, or other activities are asked to detour around the area marked with buoys to prevent unnecessary disturbance to waterfowl while they rest and feed. Waterfowl are sensitive to human activity occurring near their resting and feeding areas. Even relatively distant boating activity may be enough to cause the birds to flush and burn-up valuable energy reserves. In early November 2005, the number of waterfowl using the area peaked at nearly 93,000 birds, including about 49,000 canvasbacks. Lake Onalaska has traditionally been one of the major stopping points for migrating waterfowl along the Upper Mississippi River. Large numbers of waterfowl are expected to again concentrate on the lake in the upcoming weeks because of the abundant food supply available.
Crawford County - Mainly warm, clear and dry weather dominated this week’s weather once again. The Mississippi River continues to be very low. The river stage was at 6.5 feet early this week. Last week the river hovered in the 6.6 to 6.7 foot range. The low water creates navigation problems. Waterfowl hunters found traveling into back water areas very difficult during the first part of the duck season. Anglers were also finding wing dams and closures that are dangerously in reach of lower units. The Wisconsin River is also low as is the Kickapoo River. Due to the low water the sand bars on the Wisconsin River and Mississippi River are in pretty good shape. Recreational boating is now pretty much limited to fishing and hunting. Bluegill action continued to be pretty good. Anglers continued to find bluegills on the East and Main Channel near Prairie du Chien and in deeper slow moving sloughs. Bluegill action at Cold Spring was good again this week, but not every day. Crappie fishing has been spotty but some have been found along weed beds and in the downed tree tops. Perch action was spotty this week. Walleye fishing is starting to improve a little now that the water is cooling down. Some walleye action was reported on the wing dams using night crawlers or minnows or casting or trolling crank baits. Anglers found some active fish on wing dams and rocky shoreline drop offs in the lower portions of Pool 10 and up in Pool 9. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass action continued to be very good. Bass anglers were finding active fish all over the Prairie du Chien area in Pool 10. In Pool 9 bass have been taken from Lynxville to Lansing in similar habitats, Catfish, both channel and flathead were biting on the river also. The duck season closed last Friday and will re-open on Oct. 14. Most duck hunters found low water conditions a bit of a problem. Duck hunting on the Lower Wisconsin River was very good. Many hunters report bag limits of wood ducks, a few teal and mallards. Widgeon and shoveler made up the remaining part of their bag limits. Most hunters in the Wisconsin River area report a very strong population of wood ducks. Hunting in the Prairie du Chien area varied. The Lower Bottoms (Wisconsin River Delta) produced very well. Lots of teal and wood ducks along with a few mallards were in hunter’s bags. The Ambro complex produced teal, wood ducks and some mallards. Travel in these areas was a bit difficult due to low water. Hunter up in Pool 9 report varied success. In the Ferryville-Lansing area success was spotty even though there were a lot of ducks. Hunters who were able to access certain backwater or shallow water areas did very well. The Exterior Canada goose season is now open only on the east side of the BNSF railroad tracks. The Mississippi River sub-zone is closed to goose hunting. Exterior goose hunters need to possess a permit and report their kills by calling in. Archery deer hunters report pretty good activity. The heavy brush, leaf, and standing crops cover is starting to decrease. Falling leaves and harvested crops make deer sighting better. Signs of fall are starting to show up strong now. Area farmers are starting to harvest corn and soybeans. Red-winged black birds and other species continue to flock together in anticipation of migration. More raptors are being sighted soaring over head. Most of the grasses are starting to brown up. Many tree species are starting to change color. A few tree species like black walnut, sumac, and elm are starting to drop their leaves. Hickory and maple trees are brilliant yellow and red. Mast production was pretty good this year. A casual glance at the bluffs one will notice some beautiful colors. Cardinal flowers are still in full bloom in the river bottoms. Stinging nettle is starting to finally die back; however, a substantial amount of the plants are still green. White pelicans can still be seen around the Prairie du Chien area soaring over head or resting at the mouth of the Wisconsin River. Pool 9 near Lynxville and Ferryville has good numbers of pelicans. A variety of waterfowl species are starting to show up in the area. There appears to be a very good hatch of ground nesting game birds like the pheasant and turkey. Many sightings of large broods of pheasant and especially turkey have been reported in the county.
