Deer hunters had mild weather statewide for Wisconsin’s nine day gun deer season that closed last Sunday. Hunters registered a total of 336,211 deer during the season, according to a preliminary call-in survey of stubs from the more than 600 registrations stations across Wisconsin. The preliminary total from the 2005 season was 312,519 deer, with a final total of 325,630 after all registration stubs had been processed.
Hunters shot 206,562 antlerless deer compared to 129,649 bucks, which was an 18 percent increase in antlerless deer harvest and a 6 percent decline in buck harvest compared to 2005. There was a total of 644,764 gun deer licenses sold to resident and nonresident hunters for the season.
Opening weekend was the safest in history with only three self-inflicted injuries reported. Unfortunately one person was killed on the second Saturday of the season during a deer drive in Clark County and six other firearm incidents occurred during the season. Half of the firearms accidents happened during deer drives hunters walking through woods or fields to flush out deer.
Deer hunting is continuing across Wisconsin with a muzzleloader season going on now through Dec 6, an either sex gun deer season through Dec 10 in the chronic wasting disease management zones, and a statewide four day antlerless gun deer hunt that begins next Thursday. The late archery season also opened on Nov 27 and runs through Jan 7.
The open-water fishing season has mostly come to an end in Wisconsin, though some hardy anglers have still been fishing. Musky season closes today, Thursday, Nov. 30. Few musky anglers have been reported out in the north, but some fairly heavy musky fishing activity was reported in southeastern part of the state this week, with the warm weather keeping muskies quite active.
Along Lake Michigan, harbor fishing off the piers and from shore has been slow, but anglers at the Milwaukee lakefront have been catching a few brown trout. Water levels are good on the Milwaukee River, and some steelhead were being found in the deeper holes. On the Root River, flows are about average and decent numbers of brown trout and a few coho and steelhead were still being found in portions of the river.
Walleye fishing has been very good on the Wolf River. The Mississippi River was steady all week around the 6.6 or 6.7 mark at Prairie du Chien. Lots of walleye anglers were out because of the moderate weather and they found some active fish on wing dams and rocky shoreline drop offs.
Some northern lakes had skim ice late last week, but that melted with the milder weather. Colder temperatures that arrived this week should add some ice cover to the lakes -- but any safe ice for fishing is still at least a couple weeks away.
With the warm temperatures last week, bird migrations were in a bit of a holding pattern. There are still thousands of tundra swans and other waterfowl species being seen along the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge. Redpolls (both common and hoary), red crossbills, pine grosbeaks and other winter finches are starting to appear across the northern portion of the state. Great-horned and eastern screech owls are becoming more vocal as they defend territories against dispering juvenile males and the first snowy owl of the year was recently reported from Oconto Falls.
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
A new report is put on the line each week.
Statewide birding observations
With the warm temperatures and steady weather last week, bird migrations had entered a bit of a holding pattern across the state. There were still thousands of tundra swans and other waterfowl species being seen along the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge. The highest numbers seem to be in Pool 8 near Stoddard or Pool 9 near Ferryville. Other places to view large numbers of swans and waterfowl include Goose Pond Sanctuary near Arlington and the west shore of Green Bay in Oconto and Brown counties. Redpolls (both common and hoary), red crossbills, pine grosbeaks and other winter finches are starting to appear across the northern portion of the state. So far the rough-legged hawk and northern shrike migration has been very slow. Great-horned and eastern screech owls are becoming more vocal as they defend territories against dispering juvenile males and the first snowy owl of the year was recently reported from Oconto Falls. Rare birds sighted this past week include a slaty-backed Gull in Superior, black-legged Kittiwakes in Washburn and along the Lake Michigan shoreline near Milwaukee, a mew gull in Milwaukee, and pacific loons in Madison, Ashland, and Milwaukee. An adult male American three-toed woodpecker was found in Douglas County and rufous hummingbirds were still coming to feeders in Kenosha and New Glarus as of Tuesday.
In the coming week an impending cold snap should bring an influx of late migrating waterfowl making the large waterbodies across the state good places to focus birding effort. There are still many common loons staging on large inland lakes as well as Lake Michigan. Birders along Lake Michigan should see large numbers of migrating red-breasted mergansers, horned grebes, scaup, scoters, long-tailed ducks and should be on the lookout for purple sandpipers along algae mats along the shore. Birders in northern Wisconsin should be watching for gray jays, red crossbills and Townsend's solitaries as the state is experiencing a bit of an irruption this year. Birders are encouraged to report their sightings from across the state on eBird <
www.eBird.org> (exit DNR) in order to better document bird populations in Wisconsin. In addition, birders can use eBird to get up to speed on recent and historic bird sightings from Wisconsin and other places in North America and keep track of their personal sightings from anywhere in North America.
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NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Deer hunters had mild weather for the Wisconsin nine day gun deer season. Temperatures and winds were better than expected making the wait for the big buck much more tolerable. The one thing that would have made life easier on the hunters would have been some snow for tracking. Bucks are still reported to be actively chasing does. Deer registration stations are reporting that there is a lot of interest in the December herd control hunt (Dec. 7-10). Snow and tolerable temperatures will most likely be the deciding factors whether hunters head back to their stands. As of Nov. 30, there were only patches of light snow. National Weather Service- Brule Cooperator Station reported precipitation for October 2006 of 0.83 inches. The historical average is 2.24 inches, so the station is down 1.41 for October and 10.54 inches from the 75 year yearly average. Temperatures were above average for November. The Brule weather station recorded 40 degrees for the average high temperature and 26 degrees for the average low temperature. Historically 38 degrees has been the average high temperature and 21 degrees has been the average low temperature. The extended forecast calls for chances of snow every day with lower temperatures. High temperatures are expected to be in the 20s and the low temperatures are expected to be in single digits to low teens. The Bois Brule River is flowing at 117 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of Nov. 30. The 60 year average is 147 cfs.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The open-water fishing season has basically ended in the Northwoods. Musky season ends on Thursday, Nov. 30 -- but very few anglers have been out trying their luck. Many of the medium size lakes (up to 1,000 acres in size) saw some skim ice late last week, but that has since melted with the milder weather. A few of the smaller lakes still have a thin layer of ice -- but thickness is only in the 1/4 to 1/2-inch range. Colder temperatures later this week should add some ice cover to the lakes -- but any safe ice for fishing is still a couple weeks away.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Area Conservation Wardens reported that hunting pressure in the area during the nine-day gun deer season varied from pockets of average to low. The deer gun season opened with sparse snow cover throughout the area, which quickly disappeared with the warm weather. The temperatures during the season averaged in the mid 40s making for very comfortable hunting experiences. Warm temperatures allowed hunters to sit still for longer periods of time resulting in deer sitting pretty tight. Numerous hunters reported not seeing any movement of deer throughout the season. Early on the deer were still in rut with many of hunters stating the bucks were following the does. Early reports are that buck harvest numbers are down a bit compared to last year with an increase in antlerless deer taken. A reminder to archery hunters that hunters orange is required while the muzzle loader and late deer season is open. Any ice on area lakes has dissipated with the recent warm rains. Colder weather is predicted later this week which will in turn start forming some ice fishing opportunities.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County
Whitefish Dunes State Park - The cross-country ski trail grooming equipment is out of storage. The snowmobile has been serviced and is ready to go. Trails have been brushed and the winter maps are up at each trail intersection. With the help of volunteers, several yards of wood chips have been strategically placed in areas to optimize the grooming effort. So…as the snow makes its appearance our grooming volunteers will packing and setting track as the white stuff piles up. As in past years the beach is open to hiking throughout the winter and the black trail can be hiked or snowshoed.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Upper Fox-Wolf basin fisheries report - The only real fishing activity has been on the Wolf River. Fishing for walleye here has been very, very good on the section of river around Fremont and up to Wieland's Landing. Anglers were getting limits of fish in an average of 30 minutes. Bait-of-choice appeared to be spinners, large shiners, and gold hooks.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
While most outdoor interest has centered around the recent deer hunting season there are still some fishing opportunities available.
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan action in the harbor and off the piers has been slow. On the Sheboygan River water levels are about average. Some browns and steelhead have been caught on yarn flies or spawn.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore fishing has been slow. The discharge at the power plant has been turned off, and in that area only a few browns have been caught on spawn.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee, water levels are good on the Milwaukee River, and some steelhead can be found in the deeper holes in Kletzsch Park and around Hubbard Park. Anglers at the Milwaukee lakefront have been catching a few browns by the Summerfest grounds, as well as along the shoreline at Bender Park. Milwaukee trollers have been finding good numbers of browns in the harbor, and when the weather cooperates, both chinooks and browns have been taken in 50 to 70 feet of water.
Racine County - In Racine, the Root River Steelhead Facility was shut down on Monday, November 13. A total of 12,378 fish were processed over the fall season, including 10,318 chinooks, 1,400 coho, 536 steelhead, and 124 browns. Most of the stop logs have been removed from the river, and fish can move freely past the facility. On the Root River, flows are about average. There are decent numbers of brown trout and a few coho and steelhead in portions of the river. Look for browns in the shallow, gravelly areas and the steelhead in deeper pools. Most anglers have been fishing below the weir in Lincoln Park, although Colonial Park is holding good numbers of fish as well. Small black flies and egg patterns have been effective for browns, and drifting a spawn sac under a bobber has produced steelhead.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha, most action has been in the small boat harbor, where browns and a few steelhead have been taken on spawn. Anglers have been catching most of the fish under the bridge near the Best Western.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Fishing action was fairly heavy for musky the past week but, that season is quickly coming to a close. However, musky anglers have been catching big northern pike and walleye on musky lures, indicating that action for big predators is still good before ice-up. Cisco should start spawning on rocky shoals at Big Cedar Lake in Washington County and Big Elkhart Lake in Sheboygan County over the next week or so. The cisco will draw big walleye and northerns onto the shoals.
Waukesha County - Musky anglers are reminded that the 2006 musky fishing season ends on Thursday, November 30. Many diehard musky hunters find the best fishing to be these late season days. Warm weather has kept muskies active on Pewaukee, Okauchee and Oconomowoc Lakes. Trolling over deep edges of weed beds with a large sucker or a bulldawg have been producing the best action. Walleye fishing has picked up, especially after dark. Pine Lake, Nagawicka, or Fowler have been good places to try.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Sauk County
Mirror Lake State Park - Bike trails are closed until May 2007. Ski trails are closed due to lack of snow. Campgrounds are closed except approximately about 20 sites with electric for the winter months. Reservations for the handicap cabin will be accepted postmarked Jan. 10, 2007. Deer Hunting is presently going on in portions of the park. A map indicating the hunting area is available at the office. Gun hunting is open until Dec. 10 and archery hunting is open until Jan. 7.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - The park received rain Tuesday, with snow in the forecast for later in the week. Hikers should expect to find wet, mud, puddles (and solitude!) in the coming days, then less standing water by the weekend. The ground is still warm enough so most snow won’t stay. Trumpeter Swans have been on the lake. A report of around a dozen swans came in. The gun hunting season for deer has ended in the park. The park does not participate in the antlerless only gun hunt Dec. 7-10. Archery hunting season for deer is open. Overall, the 9 day gun hunting season at the park had fairly light participation. A 10-point buck came by the office area late in the day on Saturday. Other visitors have reported seeing dozens of deer in the park area closed to hunting. The next full moon hike and bird lecture will be Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Nature Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The bird lecture will feature blue jays and dark eyed juncos. The hike follows the lecture. The event is free. A park admission sticker on your vehicle is required. The family campground is closed to vehicles. This also includes the dump station. Tent campers may carry in their gear to the family campground. The campsites on the parking lot (73-78) will remain open all winter for motor homes and trailers. Campers with water tanks may load water at the service building just down the hill from the office.
Pierce County
Kinnickinnic State Park - The gun hunting season for deer has ended in the park. The park does not participate in the antlerless only gun hunt Dec. 7-10. Archery hunting season for deer is open.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
With snow just around the corner many people are putting out bird feeders and preparing for the winter bird feeding season. Remember that bird feeders should be disinfected periodically throughout the winter with a 10 percent bleach solution to prevent the spread of disease. Black oil sunflower seeds are a good all around bird food. To attract a wide variety of birds it is important to use several types of feeders. Juncos and morning doves like to feed on the ground while blue jays like elevated open platforms. Chickidee's and finches prefer standard tube feeders. Don't forget the beef suet or suet cakes for woodpeckers and nuthatches.
Mississippi River - Record numbers of tundra swans were reported on the Mississippi last week; more than 52,000 were counted. While that is likely to be the peak for this year, many swans are still present. The largest numbers are near La Crosse. Good numbers of ducks are still present, although peak numbers for most popular species have passed.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River was steady all week. The river stage held around the 6.6 or 6.7 foot mark most of the week, which is still pretty low. Waterfowl hunters are still finding that navigating in back water areas can be difficult. Anglers are also finding wing dams and closures that are dangerously in reach of lower units. The Wisconsin River is very low right now. The Kickapoo River is about normal for this time of year. The large masses of floating celery grass (aka eel grass) which caused problems a few weeks ago are starting to decrease. Bluegill action has been spotty and few anglers have been out even though the weather has been warm. Anglers found some action around the wing dams on the East and Main Channel near Prairie du Chien and up in Pool 9 was spotty. Crappie and perch fishing has also been spotty. Walleye fishing wasn’t bad this week. Lots of anglers were out because of the moderate weather. 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. The areas around the Lansing Dike (Big Slough and the Winneshiek Slough), the East Channel outside of Prairie du Chien and at the Lynxville produced some fish. Sauger were being taken for a while, but that too has slowed. Largemouth and smallmouth bass action this week was fair, but there didn’t seem to be many out fishing. The regular gun deer season ended last weekend in most of Crawford County. Most hunters reported deer sightings were down from last year; however, deer registrations are up from last year. Most felt the warm and dry weather contributed to lack of deer sightings. Some very large bucks were taken throughout the county. Visibility in the woods was poor due to lack of snow and warm temperatures which created a hazy sky. There was a fair amount of standing corn in the area. The muzzleloader season will through Dec. 6. Duck hunting this past week was kind of tough to do the warm and calm weather. The Lower Wisconsin River produced a few wood ducks, mallards, and teal, but action there has been day to day. Hunting in the Prairie du Chien was slower that other areas this week. The Lower Bottoms (Wisconsin River Delta) has had some good day and produced a few, mallards, pintail, widgeon, gadwall, and wood ducks. Hunters up in Pool 9 reported only fair success this week. Some hunters did very well with mallards and divers while others had poor success. In the Ferryville-Lansing area success was pretty good with mallards, some pintails, gadwall, and widgeon, bufflehead, canvasback, scaup, golden eye and even a few redheads being taken. In the main body of Pool 9 a fair number of divers are present but not like there should be this time of year. Canvasback, scaup, ring, and bufflehead are present in pretty good numbers. Some hunters are doing fairly well on diver ducks in the Ferryville area. Hunters who were able to access certain backwater or shallow water areas did very well on mallards. A fair number of ducks are using Pool 9; however, the large concentration of canvasbacks haven’t arrived or have already slid south. Most hunters believe this coming week’s cold snap will push more ducks to the pool. Canada goose hunters reported a fair amount of geese in the area. Most hunters report that there seems to be some migrant birds in the area. A large number of swans remain on Pool 9 in the Lynxville/Ferryville area.
Eau Claire DNR Service Center area
Brunet Island State Park - A reminder to park users that the Nordic ski trail area of the park, north and east of the main office, is still open to muzzleloader and archery hunting, Zone 23A permit required. Hikers using these trails are strongly cautioned to wear a blaze orange cap, vest, or coat. The muzzleloader season will run through Dec. 6, and the archery season will run through Jan. 7. The main island is not open to hunting. The South Campground is open year round with electric sites, hand water pump, and pit toilets available. The campground showers and dump station are closed for the season.
Wisconsin Rapids DNR Service Center area
Buckhorn State Park - Muzzleloader deer hunting is allowed in Wildlife Area B only. The late bow season is allowed in the park and both wildlife areas. Small game, waterfowl and trapping are allowed in wildlife areas A and B. Pick up hunting rules and maps at the park office. Deer may be registered at the park office when it is open. Campsites 8, 9, 16 and group camp area sites (A1-A8, B1-B3) are open for camping and are non-reservable. All other campsites are closed. Water is available at the park office and in the group camp. 2007 annual park stickers are available starting Friday, Dec. 1.
Roche-A-Cri State Park – Muzzleloader deer hunting is allowed East of Highway 13 only. Campsites and facilities are closed for the season, but the winter parking lot on the southern border of the park remains open to provide day use access. The 2007 photo contest has started - remember your camera to take fall and winter pictures for the contest! 2007 annual park stickers are available starting Friday, December 1.
Last Revised: Thursday November 30 2006
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