Preliminary reports indicated hunters registered more than 312,500 deer by the close of Wisconsins nine-day gun deer season, compared to a preliminary report of 303,000 in 2004. Hunters reported that deer were still in rut in many areas, and much of the state had at least some snow cover for a good part of the season.
The harvest of bucks, or antlered deer, increased by more than 12 percent from last year, which wildlife biologists are attributing to the fact that the Earn-A-Buck rule in place last year in many portions of the state allowed more bucks to remain on the land to this season. The antlerless harvest dropped by just under 3 percent.
Deer hunters will have another opportunity to harvest antlerless deer and help reduce deer numbers in overpopulated areas during the antlerless deer hunt Dec. 8 to 11 in Zone T units south of Highway 8. This will be hunters last chance to pre-qualify for a buck harvest authorization for the 2006 season in units that are on the watch list for Earn-a-Buck next year. In addition, the muzzleloader gun deer season runs through Wednesday Dec. 7 and the late archery season runs through Jan. 3.
Hunting license sales were just under 642,000 through the end of the nine-day hunt compared almost 650,000 last year. Three hunters died and 11 others suffered injuries as a result of hunting accidents during the nine-day gun deer hunt.
There has been very little fishing activity reported statewide. There was virtually no fishing pressure on northern lakes during the gun deer season. With the colder temperature, the open water fishing season has pretty much come to an end in the north, with the exception of a few late season musky anglers continuing to work some lakes. Musky season closes Nov. 30.
The rain that fell in southeastern Wisconsin last week helped recharge groundwater and raise lake levels. Waukesha Countys Big Muskego Lake came up 3 inches; however, that shallow lake remains over 6 inches below normal water level for this time of year. The few open water anglers that ventured out on southern waters caught some yellow perch and some very god bluegill action was reported. Water levels were also up on all southeast Wisconsin tributaries and anglers have been taking a few browns and steelhead and some coho salmon have been caught as well. Fishing was above average the past two weeks on the Rock River. Anglers reported that both white bass and crappie were hitting early in the mornings. The Mississippi River water level fluctuated a bit in the last week. The river stage early this week was 7.9 feet at Prairie du Chien. Ice has started to form on most of the back waters. Sauger and walleye anglers reported good fishing, with nice sized catches of mainly sauger caught
Its time for an annual thin-ice warning. There have been three fatalities reported already this year from people falling through thin ice. DNR offices around the state report that as of this week there was no safe ice, and that rains and warm weather last weekend weakened what ice there is. Anyone who must venture out on early ice should wear floatation gear and carry tools for pulling themselves out should they break through. Stay away from stream mouths and stream outlets; as well as any areas near springs. Tell someone where you are going and when you will return. All things considered, its best to wait until colder weather to enjoy ice fishing, skating or walking on frozen lakes.
DNR nongame biologists received some reports of unusual amphibian and reptile observations late this fall. On the morning of Monday Nov. 28 staff at Horicon Marsh reported finding two hatchling painted turtles crossing the parking lot. Nest emergence in late November is very rare, especially considering there was frost in the ground just two days earlier. Turtles generally emerge between mid August and mid September. In addition to late emerging turtles, there have also been usually late reports of snakes having not moved into hibernacula by November. Biologists suspect these sightings are all related to the usually late warm conditions and they are interested in hearing from people around the state who have observed similar unusual sightings.
NORTHERN REGION
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Fair weather and snow for most of the deer season made for excellent hunting conditions in the Park Falls area. Harvest numbers reflect a successful hunt. There are many happy hunters and a few who are somewhat disappointed. However, the camaraderie and atmosphere of the deer camp are always enjoyed. Lakes are developing ice and forecast single digit lows will continue ice formation on area lakes. Ice fishing will be just around the corner. The muzzleloader season runs from November 28 through December 7 and the bow season is open from November 28 until January 3rd. Snowmobile trails will open soon and snowmobile enthusiasts will begin a new season. The deadline for spring turkey permit applications is Dec. 10.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Most of the lakes in the Upper Chippewa Basin have a thin covering of ice. However, ice thickness is very thin and all lakes have less than 2 inches of ice. In addition, the rain and warm weather of early in the week softened up the ice and made it extremely hazardous. The ice is not yet considered safe for any kind of travel and all people are urged to stay off of any lakes or ponds. Cold weather later in the week may firm up the ice and add some thickness, and then ice anglers may start to appear when 4 inches of solid ice are available.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Area Conservation Wardens report that hunting pressure during the nine-day gun deer season was moderate. Very desirable weather greeted hunters opening weekend. Snow covered the ground across the Woodruff area and warm temperatures made sitting in the woods pleasant. The deer were still in the latter stages of the rut. As in most years, there were various levels of success rates. Initial reports indicate the deer harvest was up a few percentage points over last year in both antlered and antlerless deer. Warm temperatures have also kept the ice from forming on area lakes so a few late season musky hunters were taking advantage of the open water opportunities. Most success was reported with suckers as bait. The musky season closes Nov. 30. The waterfowl season came to a close in the northern zone Nov. 22.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
After a week of near perfect deer hunting weather temperatures warmed on Sunday and rain came most of the day making for poor visibility with fog for the last day of the regular gun deer season. With the rain and warm temps ice that had formed is gone on area lakes also. Fresh snow is now falling again making for good deer tracking for muzzleloader hunting. There is limited fishing activity below the Hatie St. dam on the Menominee river for a few remaining brown trout and some whitefish have also been spotted.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County
Peninsula State Park - Peninsula's black powder deer season is over. A total of 27 deer including 12 bucks were taken. Approximately 2,700 acres were open to hunters with a permit for unit 80c. A total of 104 hunters registered to take part in the hunt. All hiking and biking trails are in good condition. The sledding hill and all cross country ski trails are ready for the season. Park crews are busy painting buildings, re-building campsites and readying trails for the winter season. Eagle Tower was given a fresh coat of stain. Several minor projects are under way on the golf course. Tennison Bay campground remains open year-round, though flush toilets and showers are closed.
Whitefish Dunes State Park - With a light covering of snow, the trails are still open for hikers. An increase of south and east winds have brought large mats of Clodofera on to the beach. The migrating Canada geese have been taking advantage of these mats and have been feeding off of them. White-tailed deer have been seen grouping up for the winter and there are large deer rubs in the parking lot. A chewed antler was found along the trail along with porcupine tracks leading to and from it. The gray fox searched the beach and caught a mouse in the dune grass as seen by one visitor. Dogs are allowed on the entire beach till April 1.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
After delivering bitter cold temperatures and an early ice cover to our lakes, Mother Nature did a reverse switch and sent much needed rain with warm temperatures across the region. Much of the rain that fell soaked into the ground to help recharge both groundwater and lake levels. For example, rains brought the level of Waukesha Counties Big Muskego Lake up 3 inches; however, that shallow lake remains 6 inches below normal water level for this time of year. Much more rain is needed to restore lake and groundwater levels to normal. Weekend snow cover was used by both deer and pheasant hunters to locate their quarry. Pheasant hunters reported some of the best late-season hunting in recent years. This was due, in large part, to DNR stocking levels returning to near-normal numbers. Deer hunters appreciated pheasant hunters out moving deer around. Deer hunting pressure on public lands was very heavy and most hunters said they at least saw deer. At dawn on Saturday, some parking lots in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest contained over a dozen cars belonging to deer hunters. Deer hunting opportunities continue to in the region, with hunting in CWD zones for both bucks and antlerless deer continuing through Jan. 3, 2006. Also, from Dec. 8-11, Zone T units will offer an antlerless-only deer hunt. For more information, consult your deer hunting regulations or call your nearest DNR Service Center. Phone numbers for our service centers are: Waukesha, (262) 574-2100; Plymouth (920) 892-8756; Sturtevant, (262) 884-2300 (closed on Mondays) and Milwaukee at (414) 263-8500. Spring 2006 turkey hunting applications are due Dec. 10. Its time for an annual thin-ice warning. Remember, no amount of good fishing or other recreational opportunities is worth risking ones life by falling through thin ice. Anyone who must venture out on early ice should wear floatation gear. Float coats are the best; but even a life jacket or personal floatation device helps. Tell some one where you are going and when you will return and follow that plan. Stay away from stream mouths and stream outlets; as well as any areas near springs. All things considered, its best to wait for colder weather to enjoy ice fishing, skating or walking on our frozen lakes.
After some rain this weekend, water levels are up on all Southeast Wisconsin tributaries.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee anglers on the Milwaukee River have been taking a few browns and steelhead at Estabrook Park, and some coho have been caught at Kletzsch Park as well. Anglers working Oak Creek have been taking fair numbers of browns and coho from the dam down to the mouth.
Racine County - In Racine water levels on the Root River are above average for this time of year, and there is much fishable water. Water temperatures are in the mid-30s, but slower moving areas of the river are starting to freeze over. Upstream of the Steelhead Facility, browns, steelhead, and coho have been holding in Quarry Park and below the Horlick dam. Tube jigs tipped with wax worms as well as a variety of flies have been producing. Good numbers of brown trout have been taken on brown flies in Colonial Park. Downstream of the facility a fair number of nice browns and a few steelhead have been taken on spawn under a bobber in Lincoln Park. Most of the Washington Park golf course area was frozen over this past weekend.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha shore anglers have been catching brown trout and a few steelhead on tube jigs and wax worms in the harbor.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Thin ice lasted 2 to 3 days on the shallower lakes. Ice is now gone because of recent warm weather. The few open water anglers that ventured out caught some yellow perch in 8 to 10 feet of water using minnows and slip bobbers on Geneva Lake. Smallmouth bass were hitting trolled baits in 20 to 40 feet of water. Anglers on Delavan Lake were catching northern pike in 7 to 12 feet of water along the weed edges.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Ice is beginning to form on area lakes. However, conditions are expected to be dangerous for some time yet. Three persons died in Sheboygan County over the past week after going through thin ice. Even seemingly "safe" ice can have dangerous spots that are the result of unseen springs or areas that were disturbed by roosting geese.
Waukesha County - Some musky action has been reported on Pewaukee and Oconomowoc lakes, best bits have been coming from suckers fished in 10-20 feet of water. A reminder that the Musky season closes on November 30th. Anglers have been reporting success trolling crankbaits for suspended fish. Bluegill action has been excellent on Beaver and Nagawicka, best action is coming from 11-18 feet of water over weedbeds with small ice jigs and waxworms. Walleye action has been slow but some nice fish have been reported on Pine, Oconomowoc and Okauchee lakes.
Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit - All trails including - hiking, mountain bike and equestrian trails are open and in good condition. Remember that conditions can change rapidly. If it rains the trails could be closed. For updated trail conditions please call the Trails number at (262) 594-6202. These areas are also open to hunting small game, archery, and gun deer. The Southern Unit Kettle Moraine State Forest is in Deer management zone 77C CWD, HRZ. Therefore gun deer season is open till Jan. 3, 2006. It is recommended that all trail users, hikers and mountain bikers wear the bright colored clothing so hunters can see you. Light snow has been falling, but no accumulation. Should we get the accumulation we will be grooming the trails for cross country skiing. Depending on the type of snow from 4 - 6 inches is needed for grooming. Lapham Peak is closed to hunting, and it 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. Reservations are accepted for the backpack shelters year around. Pinewoods Group Camp, Pinewoods Family campground, Hickory Woods Group campground and Whitewater Lake campground are closed for the season.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Dodgeville DNR Service Center area
Grant County - Drastic changes in weather this past week, definitely influenced outdoor recreation activities. The snow made excellent early morning deer hunting conditions for visibility and tracking of deer. Warmer afternoon temperatures made for better walleye and sauger fishing conditions. Sauger and walleye anglers reported good fishing conditions, with nice sized catches of mainly sauger caught below Lock and Dam #10 at Guttenberg. Anglers reported catching a few sauger near Ackerman cut, with little activity on the local wing dams upstream from Cassville near the power plant. Bluegill anglers reported good success on "hand sized" and better bluegills while fishing the skiff of ice conditions at the River of Lakes resort Docks near Bagley. A large bluegill was the exception. No reports of any crappies taken in the area.
Wyalusing State Park - Trails are in good hiking condition. The warm weather of this week has melted the snow and ice of last week. There have not been many anglers out due to deer hunting. Mississippi River level at Prairie du Chien is 7.8 feet. 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. Crows also feed on the seed scattered below the "tree". There have been many red-headed woodpeckers in the Wisconsin Ridge Campground. They are feeding on the acorns. Campsites in the Wisconsin Ridge Campground are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Pit toilets are available and a winterized faucet is located to the right of the shower/flush building in the center of the campground.
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Columbia County - Columbia county experienced a very successful gun deer season. Many hunters harvested many mature antlered deer. Waterfowl is scarce but there are some geese still in the area. Fishermen are experiencing success with Sauger and Walleye on the Wisconsin River. Many wildlife species included Wild Turkey can be observed in fields in Columbia County.
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area Horicon Marsh is currently hosting about 50,000 Canada geese. The majority of the birds began heading toward their wintering grounds in southern Illinois in early-November, following a fall peak of 215,000, and by Nov. 17 biologists counted only 110,000 remaining. The recent storms and cold weather reduced that flock and it is expected that the remaining birds will stay here until snow cover reaches about 6 to 8 inches in depth when they will be forced south due to lack of access to food. Duck numbers are also decreasing as cold weather has moved in. The remaining ducks are on the last open water and will be forced out as these areas freeze over. Winter birds are beginning to move into the Horicon area with sightings of rough-legged hawks becoming more common. Red-tailed hawks and northern harriers (marsh hawks) are here in good numbers indicating an available supply of rodents which have also attracted the first short-eared owls to the area. Winter finches are yet to show up in numbers and snow buntings and lapland longspurs are yet to arrive to the open farmland. The Horicon Marsh Christmas Bird Count will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17. Anyone interested in participating should contact Bill Volkert, DNR naturalist at (920) 387-7877.
DNR nongame biologists received some reports of unusual amphibian and reptile observations late this fall. On the morning of Monday Nov. 28 staff at Horicon Marsh reported finding two hatchling painted turtles crossing the parking lot. DNR herpetologist Bob Hay says nest emergence in late November is generally unheard of and he is not sure what would trigger such a premature emergence. There was frost in the ground just two days earlier. Turtles generally have two periods of emergence. The usual emergence is between mid August and mid September. If conditions are not favorable during that period, either because of weather conditions or because the eggs were deposited late, the eggs will overwinter and the turtles will emerge with warm spring rains. In addition to late emerging turtles, there have also been usually late reports of snakes having not moved into hibernacula by November. Hay suspects these sightings are all related to the usually late warm conditions. Biologists are interested in hearing from people around the state who have observed similar unusual sightings. People may report sightings to Bob Hay with the DNR Bureau of Endangered Resources at (608) 267-0849.
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Jefferson County - A warm start to the traditional 9 day gun deer season was seen throughout Jefferson and Dodge counties this past week. Several hunters said they enjoyed the warm temperatures, which allowed them to sit in their stands longer while other hunters enjoyed the snow that fell during the Thanksgiving weekend. Hunting success seemed to be higher than average with numerous reports of deer harvested throughout the week. Large group deer drives took place during the Thanksgiving weekend with several youth hunters enjoying their first deer season. The ability to follow deer tracks and trails in the snow made the first hunting experience for many youth hunters an unforgettable experience. Fishing was above average for the past two weeks in both the Jefferson and Fort Atkinson areas. Anglers reported that both white bass and crappie seemed to be hitting early in the mornings on plastic body jigs and bobbers by the Highway 106 bypass and the Jefferson wastewater treatment plant. Several anglers that were contacted had their limits in only a few hours of fishing. Northern pike and walleye were also being caught along the Rock River on live bait. Many locations are beginning to freeze over due to recent colder temperatures.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - Snowfall was in progress as this report was submitted Tuesday, Nov. 29. Deer hunting is open for archery in parts of the park. The gun hunting season in the park is over for 2005. 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. Participation in the archery season is always very light. Ski trail preparation will continue as volunteers have time. Hikers may encounter people with park vehicles on trails on weekends. The immediate focus is on brushing work with bow saws and clippers (provided.) Some signs have gone up. Volunteers should call the office to find out when they can help (715) 386-9289. All volunteers need to fill out a new Volunteer Agreement form, even if one has been done in the past. 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. 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. All campsites are first come, first served until late April 2006. The campground road is closed to vehicle traffic. Tent campers may hike in with camping equipment. The parking lot by the beach is open all year for wheeled campers.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
People who are feeding birds should remember that bird feeders may 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. Chickadees and finches prefer standard tube feeders. Don't forget about suet for the woodpeckers and nuthatches.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River water level fluctuated a bit this week. The river stage on Monday was 7.9 feet. Both the Wisconsin River and the Kickapoo River rose a little due to run off from rain and snow this week. Ice started to form on most of the back waters earlier this week. Even Pool 9 had vast areas of ice covering it. The main channel is still open. Most of the boat landings are either iced in or ice barriers are close by. Late in the week warmer temperatures and rain arrived. This will most likely melt the ice and cause the rivers to rise. Barge traffic is beginning to slow some what on the Mississippi River. Recreational boating traffic is now down to only a couple die-hard duck hunters. Users of the Mississippi River are urged to wear a life preserver as the water temperature is down around 44 degrees. Most of the fishing in the area is in a state of limbo. Iced in boat landing along with backwater ice is causing a lot of anglers wait until the ice is safe enough to venture out on. There has been some fishing activity in the lower bottoms outside of Prairie du Chien. The Campion boat landing is ice free and some have launched there to go fishing. The boat landing at Gordons bay is also ice free. There was some walleye activity at the Lynxville dam this week. Minnows have been the best live bait. Bluegill and other panfish action was pretty good; however, few were out because of the ice conditions. Most are waiting for the ice to thicken. The Cold Spring area has some good days last week. Most anglers are now using wax worms or spikes. Bass fishing and northern pike action was spotty and few anglers have been out. Early reports from the regular gun deer season indicate the deer harvest looks very good and many very large bucks were killed. Snowfall later in the week really helped hunters. There was a fair amount of standing corn in the area and many hunters report the deer are taking refuge in larger stands of corn. Duck hunters that could make it out are finding some very good action. By late in the week the ice cover on Pool 9 made access very difficult. The boat landings at Cold Spring, Lynxville and Ferryville were pretty much closed off by ice. There were some good days last week as duck hunters were able to find some good flocks of mallards, gadwalls, widgeon, scaup, and buffleheads. Late in the week warm weather, rain, and wind arrived. This type of weather might open up the boat landings and move some ice off the pool. Last week a large flock of Tundra Swans moved into Pool 9. Late in the week many moved out due to ice up conditions. A substantial number of waterfowl have left the area because of the ice. There are still a lot of duck on the pool however. Thousands of canvasbacks and mallards plus many other diving ducks are still here. There still is some great waterfowl viewing in the Ferryville area. Vehicle-deer crashes are still common so use caution when driving on area highways, especially early in the morning and after sunset.
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