NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Winter has made an appearance in the area. As of Thursday Nov. 17 snow depth ranged from 1 to 10 inches. Ponds are starting to keep the skim of ice through the day with the cooler weather. Drivers are cautioned that there was freezing rain before the snow arrived, the roads are very slippery. The forecast calls for snow Friday night and Saturday. The temperatures are expected to warm up into the 40s over the weekend. With the nine day gun deer season coming up this Saturday the hunters are very grateful for the snow, which will make tracking deer much easier. The opening weekend should coincide with the tail end of the rut. This combined with the good hunting weather should prove to be a good opener. People are reminded to wear blaze orange when out in the woods whether they are hunting or not. The After-hours ski trail will be rolled Thursday Nov 17. The 9th annual Hunter's Expo in Poplar, Nov. 16 turned out to be a great success. Around 1,200 people stopped by to check out the numerous wildlife mounts and hunting/fishing booths and exhibits. ATV owners are reminded that ATVs are only permitted on designated trails and roads in the Brule River State Forest. They are not permitted on the logging roads. Maps of designated ATV and Snowmobile trails in Douglas County can be obtained by contacting the Superior-Douglas County Visitors Center at 1-800 942- 5313
www.visitsuperior.com Fishing on the Bois Brule River is now closed for the season.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Cold temperatures have moved into the Park Falls area along with a few inches of snow. If the snow remains, hunters will find tracking deer a bit easier. Single digit temperatures are forecast for overnight lows in midweek so ice should begin forming on area lakes. Whitetail bucks are still actively pursuing does and deer are visible moving through most of the day be alert and cautious when driving. Archery hunters have been having good success with some large bucks being harvested in the area. Song birds are very active around feeders and with the cold nights they will appreciate plenty of high energy food. Gun deer season opens on Nov. 19. Numerous bonus tags are still available in many deer management units for harvest of antlerless deer. Be sure to pack licenses and tags when preparing for hunting trips.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Water temperatures are around 40 degrees on most lakes in the Northwoods and some skim ice has been observed on the edges of ponds and small lakes. Many anglers are eagerly awaiting first ice for some good early walleye action, but safe ice is still several weeks away yet. The cold temperatures haven't hampered some of the diehard musky anglers, as many of them have continued to try their luck on local lakes and flowages. Nearly all were using large suckers for bait, though a few were still throwing artificial baits as well. Success could be termed fair, with most of the fish coming on the live suckers being dragged around. There have been no reports of any exceptionally large musky and most of the catches have been fish in the 32 to 40 inch size.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Smaller lakes, bays and ponds continue their trend toward ice up; however, unseasonably warm temperatures this past week slowed this process considerably. Anglers have only another couple of weeks left to get out onto the larger lakes and enjoy the final days of fall fishing in our area. Open water fishing activity continues to remain constant with muskies aggressively feeding prior to ice up. Buck activity continued in full force with numerous reports of rut at its peak. For those deer hunters who will be hunting during the nine-day gun/deer season, a change in the law last year allows people to purchase licenses after the season has opened. As hunting seasons continue, those outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking and walking the woods in the fall should remember to wear blaze orange for safety. Please consider the areas where hiking/walking is planned so as not to place yourself at risk. Waterfowl reports improved this past week with greater numbers of migrating birds now in the area. This week predicted colder temperatures will more than likely move these birds along so take advantage while they are here.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - A cold snap in the area has the deer moving as we begin the week before deer season. Recent high winds and rain have knocked down most of the leaves with a few oak still holding. The opening weekend gun deer season forecast is for cool and possibly wet weather. Some salmon still remain in the waters below the Hattie St. Bridge Dam on the Menominee River. Inland fishing has slowed considerably. Hunters be sure to sight in your guns prior to hunt. There is good tracking snow in northern Marinette County, which should remain into the weekend.
Oconto County - As of midweek there was a little ground snow cover. Snowmobile enthusiasts are keeping their fingers crossed for more of the white stuff. Snow flurries are expected into the weekend for the county. A Snowmobile Safety Course is being offered at the Barn in Lena on Dec. 3 and 4. In order to register for the class please contact the instructor at (920) 419-2327.
Shawano County - Scattered snow showers will be leading into the whitetail deer hunt this weekend. Please use caution when traveling during the dusk or dawn hours as deer movement increases and slick roadways become the norm. The Shawano High School has a Snowmobile Safety Course beginning on Dec. 3 and ending Dec. 10, call to pre-register with the instructor at (715) 526-8722. Gresham School also will have a course beginning Dec. 3, contact that instructor at (715) 787-4466.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County
Peninsula State Park - Park staff are preparing for the 2005 black powder deer hunt in Peninsula State Park. Approximately 2,700 acres will be open to hunters with a permit for unit 80 C during the hunt Nov. 19-27. An additional 100 acres will be available for hunting. Most roads in the hunting area will be closed to traffic. Limited opportunities for non-hunters will be provided with access to some hiking trails, as well as the lighthouse, Eagle Tower and Nicolet Beach. There have been numerous sightings of bucks, in rut. All visitors should stop by Park Headquarters to obtain a map which indicates where hunting will be taking place. All hiking and biking trails are dry and in excellent condition. Fall foliage is past its peak. Only minimal color remains. Tennison Bay campground remains open year-round, though flush toilets and showers are closed. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse remains accessible to the public, though guided tours will not be provided until next spring.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
About 2 inches of rain fell during the past week, resulting in some of the area's dry wetland basins to have some water in them but far below normal. Little success for waterfowl hunters was reported due to the dry conditions in Fond du Lac County. Goose hunters were having better success with most of the corn fields harvested but not yet tilled. They are having good success following geese flying out from the urban areas to feed. Archery hunters were having good success due to the cooler weather along with the rutting season in progress. Many archery hunters were having success "grunting" and "rattling" bucks to their stands. The DNR continues to encourage deer hunters to harvest antlerless deer to begin to lower the area's very high deer population. Deer hunters are being asked to contribute an adult deer head for the CWD sampling effort during opening weekend of the nine-day gun deer season. CWD sampling crews will be at specific locations from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. opening weekend to collect deer heads. Please call the Oshkosh Service Center or check the DNR website for locations. The fall turkey season has closed with hunters having good success due to the good turkey brood production we experienced in the area this past summer. Local fall pheasant stocking on area wildlife properties has ended; pheasant hunters must change their hunting tactics to pursue wild pheasants. Pheasant hunters will have best success hunting early morning and late afternoon in harvested agriculture fields or weedy fields adjacent to cattail/shrub-carr areas. The pheasant season goes to the end of December. The best wild pheasant populations are on private lands. Hunters must get permission before entering. Landowners who will be burning their prairie planting next spring should be mowing their firebreaks now. Have a safe and enjoyable gun deer season!
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Bow hunters report they are enjoying seeing whitetails in full rut. Please beware of deer while out driving. Does are being chased by bucks all day long. Some very nice bucks have been taken; some of which will make the record books. Remember, all deer hunting is closed this Friday, Nov. 18, the day before gun deer hunting. Gun deer hunters will probably catch the tail end of the rut too. Hikers and other non-hunters should wear at least some blaze orange when out enjoying the woods. There has definitely been a major duck migration through the region. Now is the time to take a day off and finish out the season duck hunting! Pheasants are still being stocked on public hunting grounds. Pheasant hunting pressure is way down compared to earlier in the season. Due to recent heavy winds, fall color is just about gone. Tributary streams are getting good runs of large Seeforellen brown trout. Because they are very silver in color, many anglers think these fish are late-run cohos. These fish are large---up to 20 pounds; so they tend to stay in deeper pools and congregate in the estuary areas. Look for them early in the morning in the shallows, before disturbance causes them to drift back to the safety of the estuary.
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan shore fishing in the harbor has been fairly slow. Water levels are low on the Sheboygan River, but anglers have been taking a few chinooks and coho on dark colored flies.
Kohler-Andrae State Park - Strong winds and rains have removed most leaves from the trees. Pinecones can be found littering the ground. A number of trees fell because of the strong winds this past weekend. A large flock of turkeys is frequently seen in the area. All hiking and nature trails are open. Some areas may be leaf covered and slippery. Camping is available in the northern campground. Group sites A & B, pull through sites 39-48 and sites 1-38 can be used as weather permits. The trailer dump station, showers, and flush toilet facilities are closed for the season. The vault toilets are open and drinking water can be obtained from the hand pump near site #3 or the well house at the entrance to the campground.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore anglers fishing the harbor and near the power plant have been catching a few browns and coho. Spawn sacs and spoons have been the most productive.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee anglers on the Milwaukee River have been taking a few chinooks and coho at Estabrook and Kletzsch Parks. Water levels are down on both the Menomonee River and Oak Creek, and fishing has been relatively slow. On good weather days, some trollers have been venturing out on the lake. They have been taking small chinooks around the gaps and north of the harbor in 50 feet of water.
Racine County - In Racine the Root River Steelhead Facility was shut down on Monday, November 7. Water levels on the Root are below average for this time of year. Upstream of the weir, chinooks and coho have been holding in Colonial and Quarry Parks, along with the Horlick dam area. Some brown trout and steelhead have moved in as well. Anglers using either spawn or brown wooley buggers have been catching fish consistently. Downstream of the weir most salmon, browns, and steelhead have been taken in the fast moving water in Lincoln Park. Both spawn and a wide variety of flies have been effective baits.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha both browns and coho have been taken on flies and spawn in the Pike River near Highway A. Shore anglers have also been catching a few brown trout on tube jigs in the harbor behind the Holiday Inn.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Windy conditions this past week made angling somewhat difficult. Those who braved the elements found some of the shallow lakes have turned over while deeper lakes have water temps in the low 50s. Delavan anglers were getting some nice northern pike on suckers. Bass were being taken on live and crank baits. Some Geneva Lake anglers have been getting limits of perch on minnows in fairly shallow water. Night anglers were getting walleyes. Potters lake anglers were reporting a mixed bag of small northern, bass, crappies and perch. Actions has been fairly slow on Powers Lake with the exception of some medium size northern pike.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - With less than two weeks to go before the musky season is done for the year, action has apparently been somewhat slow at Elkhart Lake and Random Lake. Some anglers have caught fish on quick strike sucker rigs when conditions were suitable to be on the water. Otherwise, there has been almost no action on area lakes and rivers. Anglers are waiting for ice fishing to begin. Most people consider first ice as the best time to ice fish. However, it is also the most dangerous time of year to fish and a person can not last long in cold water. Be careful out there! Deer were VERY ACTIVE last week with many bow hunters having success on deer, and a lot of vehicle-deer collisions reported. Deer should be very active this week as well, but so far the weather has been poor for hunting with wind and rain. Water levels at Theresa Marsh are back up to normal fall levels for waterfowl hunting. Boat access into the marsh for waterfowl hunting is good (motorized boats are NOT permitted on Theresa Marsh). Duck hunters have reported mixed success. The two waterfowl refuges on Theresa Marsh will be open to gun deer hunting during the regular nine-day and muzzleloader season. The two refuges are also open to small game hunting and trapping beginning Dec. 1. The refuges are closed to waterfowl hunting year-round.
Waukesha County - Fishing has slowed down recently with the cold front moving in. Some musky action has been reported on Pewaukee and Oconomowoc lakes, best bits have been coming from 13-22 feet of water using crank and jerk baits. Crappie action has been excellent on Beaver and North lakes in 7-21 feet of water over weed beds with small fatheads. Walleye action has been slow but some action has been reported on Pine, Oconomowoc and Okauchee lakes.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit - Fall color is past peak. With all the wind last weekend and earlier this week, most of the leaves are now off the trees. The hiking trails are presently open. Some nice deer are being registered. Also customers are coming in and reporting deer sightings. The mountain bike trails were closed this week due to rain. For updated trail conditions please call the Trails number at (262) 594-6202. These areas are also open to hunting and with the deer season opening on Saturday it is recommended that hikers wear the bright colored clothing so hunters can see you. The Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest is a CWD Herd Reduction Zone which means that from deer season opening on Nov. 19 will continue thru Jan. 3, 2006. With the Gun Season open all hunters must wear blaze orange. At least 50 percent above the waist must be blaze orange. A hat if worn must also be at least 50 percent blaze orange. Hirkers are recommended to follow suite. Lapham Peak is closed to hunting, and has nice hiking trails. Lapham Peak is located on Hwy C just South of the City of Delafield and Hwy I-94, and North of Hwy 18. Ottawa Lake Campground remains open year round. Backpack shelters along the Ice Age Trail are open. Other campgrounds are closed for the season.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Dodgeville DNR Service Center area
Grant County
Wyalusing State Park - The park did receive some snow, but not enough for cross-country skiing. Due to the recent rain and snow mix, trails may be snow covered and slippery. Due to the recent weather (high winds, rain, snow, and cold weather) there have not been any anglers in the park. It is too cold for most anglers to be out in boats, but not cold enough for the river to ice over for ice fishing. Mississippi River level at Prairie du Chien is 7.8, up .3 from yesterday. The bird-feeding tree survived the high winds of last weekend and has not received any damage by raccoons. Regular visitors to the feeding tree include: tufted titmice, chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, white-breasted nuthatches, juncos, goldfinches, purple finches, red-bellied woodpeckers, and downy woodpeckers. One rooster pheasant has found the seed beneath the feeding tree. Cardinals and blue jays are still not using the "tree", but they are in the area, feeding on the ground. A large flock of cedar waxwings and one flicker were sighted near the visitor center earlier this week. Wyalusing State Park will once again be open for deer hunting during the nine-day gun deer season which starts on Saturday, Nov. 19 and continues through Sunday, Nov. 27. Only hunters with a valid Unit 73A permit are allowed to hunt in the park. Hikers and campers are encouraged to wear blaze orange clothing while hiking in the park. A limited supply of orange vests will be available at the office. Campsites in the Wisconsin Ridge Campground are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Campers should use sites 101 through 112, and sites 135 through 155. Pit toilets are available near site 145, and a winterized faucet is located to the right of the shower/flush building in the center of the campground. Other campgrounds, showers, water faucets, and dumping station are closed for the season.
Lafayette County
Yellowstone Lake State Park - Fall colors has past. Several species of migratory birds can still be seen as they pass through. Deer are active due to the rut and hunters movements. Fishing has been good. Panfish and walleye have been biting on minnows. Bass, northern, and musky have been slow. All trails are open and in excellent condition. Campsites 1 through 36 are open through the winter. Water is shut off for the season. Water is available at the Park Office during open hours. The trailer dumping station, shower and flush/shower buildings are closed for the season. Pit toilets are open for camper use. Yellowstone Rifle Range is open and being used heavily by hunters sighting in their weapons for the upcoming deer season. Hours are sunrise to sunset everyday except Tuesdays when the range is closed for maintenance or law enforcement training. Backstops are furnished. You must supply your own targets and thumbtacks or tape to hold the target onto the backstop. Areas in the park will be open to gun deer hunting starting Nov. 19 until Dec. 11. From Nov. 19 to Jan. 3, areas of the park are open to archery hunting. The facilities are open to the public. We strongly suggest you wear blaze orange if you are in the park during hunting hours.
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area - The most recent Canada goose count on the marsh was 115,000, down from 210,000 at fall peak in late October and early November. Ducks are still present in good numbers, but low water levels have been more attractive to dabbling ducks than divers. With an apparent end to the prolonged mild fall weather, it is expected that there will be changes to these populations as local birds move out and the last of the northern ducks push south.
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Jefferson County - Fishing activity has slowed down significantly on the Rock River at the mouth to Lake Koshkonong. A few walleye are being caught but success is slow overall. The fish being caught were biting on a jig and a minnow. A very mild fall season has dominated the hunting forecast for the past few weeks as we are fast approaching the middle of November. Duck hunters continue to report slow action on many bodies of water due to low water conditions and the above average temperatures. Some luck has been had on early morning hunts before the temperature has a chance to slow things down. Pheasant hunters have been heading out to their favorite hunting spot on many state properties in the area as of late. With more and more state properties being stocked with birds, hunters are getting the opportunity to take home their daily bag of pheasants. Archery hunters were beginning to sit longer hours every day, which indicates the rut is on. Several archery hunters have stated that the rut has started and that mature whitetail bucks are now being spotted chasing does during daylight hours. Car killed deer numbers are increasing with the rut in full swing so motorists are urged to slow down and stay alert. Large flocks of sandhill cranes have shown up feeding in the harvested bean fields in Jefferson County. Several flocks of 50 to 75 have been observed over the past weekend. With colder temperatures in the long term forecast, gun deer hunters may get to enjoy a more traditional gun season. Firearms season opens on Nov. 19 for DMU 76A. Hunters are reminded that this firearms season is an either sex season and that no buck authorization sticker is required to harvest an antlered deer. The firearms season will run from Nov. 19 through Jan. 3. Hunters are advised to read the 2005 Wisconsin deer hunting regulations or contact their local DNR service center with any questions.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - Snowfall amounted to about one inch but it is expected to melt. Most leaves are down. Some of the best hiking conditions of the year exist right now. Ski trail preparation will continue as volunteers have time. Hikers may encounter people with park vehicles on trails on weekends. The park will be open for deer hunting during the nine-day gun season and the December archery season in parts of the park beginning Saturday, Nov. 19. The 2005 deer hunting map is available at the park office. The park rangers have the maps in their vehicles also. Daily or annual stickers are required on vehicles in addition to a deer hunting license in order to hunt deer on park property. Open hunting areas are posted as such. Trails bordering or within open hunting areas will be posted with information including a map showing the open hunting zone. Water is shut off and flush toilet buildings are closed for the season. Pit toilets are open near the beach playground, at the boat launch, and in the campground near site # 63. Campers may load water tanks at the service building just down the hill from the office. Tanks may be unloaded but not rinsed at the dump station on the campground entrance road.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Deer rutting behavior has peaked, but bucks remain very active. Less chasing is occurring as bucks are tending receptive does. During a does' 24 hour estrus period, bucks bed and feed with does until they become receptive. After breeding the buck will remain with the doe and drive away other interested bucks. This may last for more then 24 hours. Gun deer hunters should observe many deer, both bucks and does, exhibiting breeding behaviors. Favorable weather conditions have resulted in excellent raccoon hunting. Many raccoon hunters have reported successful harvests.
Mississippi River - Tundra swans, which used to be whistling swans, are arriving in sizable numbers. Peak numbers have not been reached, but should be soon. Sizable numbers of other waterfowl are also present. Deer hunters in areas where waterfowl hunters may be hunting, should be especially careful and observant, since waterfowl hunters are NOT required to wear blaze orange clothing and may be VERY difficult to see.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River has dropped down to 7.3 feet. Both the Wisconsin River and the Kickapoo River are low but recent rain might cause a slight rise. Barge traffic is beginning to slow somewhat. Recreational boating traffic has slowed quite a bit now. Weekend boat traffic consists of anglers and duck hunters for the most part. Mississippi River water temperature is down around 48 degrees. Walleye and sauger was pretty good last week. Most anglers are using blue or purple or while lead head jigs with some type of plastic or skirt. Minnows were the best live bait. Most walleye anglers are catching fishing on the wing dams or in deeper sloughs and cuts off the main channel. There has been some sauger action on Rotten Slough just off the main channel. The Roseau Slough, the Black Slough, wing dams around the Prairie du Chien and Lynxville/Ferryville have produced walleye at times. The islands along the main channel outside Lynxville, north and south of Cold Spring, and all the way up to Lansing have been producing some nice walleye and sauger, but not every day. Walleye and sauger action at the Lynxville dam was pretty good below the float. Bluegill action has started to pick up again. Gremore Lake and Cold Spring have been the hottest spots for bluegills. Most anglers were using wax worms or spikes. Perch action has been spotty. Crappie action started to pick up now that the water level has dropped. There had been some good catches on minnows in the snags in many of the backwater sloughs. Striper (white bass) action was pretty slow this week. Both channel and flathead catfish were still biting, but not as good as before. Sheepshead are becoming less active. Bass anglers found action to be just about the same as walleye fishing. Some good days followed by some slow days. The Spring Lake area, Garnet Lake, the backwater sloughs have produced bass. Some largemouth bass have been taken along woody shorelines and weeds in the back sloughs. Most bass anglers were using plastics, jig and pig, top water spoons, or spinner baits. Bass anglers fishing on Pool 9 have found bass along the weed edges along the small channels. Smallmouth bass have been active along the Main Channels especially along rocky shorelines and wing dams. Northern pike action was spotty this week. Thousands of canvasback ducks have moved into Pool 9. Most of them stay either in the closed area on the Iowa side near Lynxville or in the middle of the pool. Hunter using the boat landings at Cold Spring, Lynxville and Ferryville are heading out to the islands in those areas. Many canvasback duck hunters were able to take their bird on this last weekend of that season. In the Prairie du Chien area duck hunting success was spotty. Most were still finding a few woodducks, some mallards and a variety of other puddle ducks. The White Pelicans are on Pool 9 are starting to disappear. A substantial number of migrating waterfowl have showed up in Pool 9 over a week ago. Aerial surveys of Pool 9 show there are around 200,000 canvasbacks along with thousands of other ducks. Coot and ruddy ducks are very common, however many bluebills, buffleheads, redheads, mallards, widgeon, and gadwalls are also on the pool. Most of the whitetail bucks are in rut. Rubs and scrapes are common. Vehicle-deer crashes are on the upswing so use caution when driving on area highways, especially early in the morning and after sunset. Archery deer hunters were finding a lot more scrapes along the field edges and in the woods. Most of the bucks were becoming more active. Deer numbers look very good and reports of archery hunters filling bonus tags on does. This past week some very nice bucks have been taken by archery hunters. Most of the leaves have fallen which should make deer hunting even better. Most of Crawford County lies in Deer Management Unit 74B. All deer hunters are reminded that 74B in NOT a T-Zone this year, therefore the free T-Zone tags that come with both gun and archery deer licenses CAN NOT be used in 74B. Archers have taken a few very nice bucks so far. Cooler evening and morning temperatures have knocked back mosquitoes, hornets, and house flies. Ticks however are still active. Peak fall colors have passed. Most farmers are about done harvesting soybeans and most are nearly done harvesting corn.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Monroe County - Monroe County has been quiet with hunters gearing up for the deer season. A layer of icy snow now covers the ground and will make entering the woods on the opening weekend of the gun-deer season a little noisy. Most ducks and geese appear to have migrated through the area and windy and wet conditions this past week have made hunters stay inside. Hunters should have much success in the county as deer sightings and large buck reports have been high.
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