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Archery deer season opens Sept. 13

MADISON - Bow hunters will get the first opportunity to harvest Wisconsin’s premier big game animal this year when the archery season for deer starts on Sept. 13. With a projection of between 1.5 and 1.7 million deer in the state, odds are good that the bow hunters will harvest game.

“In all areas of the state with the exception of a number of units in the north deer are plentiful, said Jason Fleener, a Department of Natural Resource wildlife biologist. Last year’s winter was “severe” in some units in the north central part of the state. Historically this has resulted in a reduction of about 20 percent in fawn-doe ratios.”

As a result, those units are being dropped from the Herd Control Unit status and the antlerless quotas for the units were reduced.

With most all other units in the state over deer population goals, bow hunters should have a better chance to see some deer.

Fleener advises bow hunters to plan their hunt according to the particular unit being hunted. In some units hunters can harvest an antlerless deer which will qualify them for an Earn-A-Buck (EAB) deer. Earn-A-Bucks units are found primarily in the southwest and southeast parts of the state.

All hunters in Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Oneida, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Vilas and Washburn counties are asked to participate in the chronic wasting disease surveillance this year. The northern region needs to collect samples from 500 deer from each county as part of its disease surveillance program.

“We need hunter cooperation to help insure a healthy deer herd in the north,” said Northern Region Wildlife Expert, Mike Zeckmeister, ‘and that is what these periodic disease checks do.”

The early archery deer season runs from Saturday Sept. 13 through Nov. 20. The late season starts on Dec. 1 and runs to Jan. 4, 2009. Archery harvest in all CWD, EAB and most Herd Control units are restricted to antlerless-only between Oct. 16-19, and in all units statewide Dec. 11 - 14, except non-quota units and most state parks. Bow hunters are reminded to wear blaze orange any time a gun deer season is in effect, including the statewide Oct. 11-12 youth gun deer hunt.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Fleener - (608) 261-7589

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2008 fall wild turkey and ruffed grouse seasons open Sept. 13

Hunter safety should be a top priority

MADISON – The 2008 fall wild turkey and ruffed grouse seasons are set to open at the start of shooting hours on Sept. 13, and state wildlife officials say hunter prospects are good for both seasons.

Wisconsin’s wild turkey population also continues to grow, and wildlife officials have increased the number of fall turkey permits to 95,700 from last year’s 94,800. Wisconsin’s grouse population also continues to climb as it is still on the upward side of this popular game bird’s 10-year population cycle.

New for the fall 2008 wild turkey hunting season is a consolidation of the previous 46-zone structure into a new seven-zone structure [PDF 256KB]. There is still the same amount of turkey hunting area and the application and permit process remains the same. The consolidation will allow turkey hunters more flexibility to move about in search of birds this fall.

Hunters also may use dogs to hunt wild turkey for the fall 2008 season. Use is restricted to a nine county area including: Crawford, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Sauk, Vernon, and Wood.

Leftover turkey permits on sale Sept. 6

Leftover fall turkey permits will go on sale beginning at noon on Saturday, September 6 over the Internet through the Online Licensing Center; by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236); and at license sales locations. DNR service centers are closed Saturdays but permits may be purchased at DNR service centers during their regular business hours (check service center link for hours of operation). Postcard notifications from the fall preference drawing have been mailed to those who were awarded a permit in the drawing. Hunters can also check their permit status on the Online Licensing Center.

Hunters are reminded that new for 2008 is the requirement of blaze orange on ground blinds on DNR lands during any Gun Deer Season. Ground blinds on DNR lands left unattended must also have the owners name and address or DNR Customer Identification Number attached near door opening. Ground blinds still may not be left out over night. Please note that these ground blind rules do not apply to ground blinds being used for hunting waterfowl or to blinds built only out of natural vegetation found on the DNR property.

Grouse and turkey hunters should also note that during any gun or muzzleloader deer season, including the Oct. 6 - 7 Youth Deer Hunt, antlerless hunts and CWD hunts (see 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations), Blaze Orange clothing is required. A hat, if worn, must be at least 50 percent blaze orange.

Turkey, grouse hunting have special safety concerns

Hunters need to keep safety in sight due to the nature of hunting these challenging game birds.

“There’s something very special about turkey and grouse hunting,” says Tim Lawhern, hunter education administrator for the state Department of Natural Resources. “And with the enthusiasm that goes with this type of hunting, we should all be mindful of making sure we return home safe and sound at the end of each hunt.”

Here are some things Lawhern says hunters need to keep in mind when going afield after ruffed grouse and fall turkey:

• In grouse hunting, two is company and three is definitely a crowd. Any hunt with more than two will become difficult to manage from a safety aspect.
• Communicate. Grouse cover is thick and sometimes it will be difficult to see a hunting partner who might only be a few yards away.
• Plan your hunt and hunt your plan. Keep it simple. Know in advance how far and in what direction you will be going and when turns will be made.
• Advise someone else of where you will be hunting and when they should expect you back. Then, if something goes wrong, at least someone will know where to start looking.
• Know your safe zone of fire. If you are on the left, your safe zone is to the left and slightly forward. The opposite is the case if you are on the right. Always advance forward in unison and don’t get ahead or behind your partner.
• In heavy cover, shoot only at birds that are at least eight feet above the ground. Don't shoot at low birds that could have a hunter or a dog behind them!
• Wear blaze orange clothing and stay in visual contact with your partner at all times. If you lose sight of your partner stop hunting, call and listen until you locate each other.
• Turkey hunters need to be sure of their target - shooting into heavy brush without positive identification can lead to tragedy
• Follow the four basic rules of firearms safety: TAB+K.


Camouflaged hunters can be hard to see.


• Treat every firearm as loaded;
• Always point the muzzle in a safe direction;
• Be certain of your target and what’s beyond it;
• Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.

Grouse and turkey hunters also need to be aware that there might be other hunters afield at the same time after other types of game. Bow hunters may be perched in tree stands and other turkey hunters may be under a tree. Most of them will be wearing full camouflage and very hard to see.

Lawhern suggests hunters also consider wearing some type of eye protection. A good pair of clear or light colored safety glasses can go a long way toward avoiding injury to eyes and sight.

“Famed conservationist Aldo Leopold once wrote, ‘There are two kinds of hunting: ordinary hunting, and ruffed grouse hunting,’” Lawhern says. “Don’t let careless hunting practices spoil this special tradition.”

Fall Wild Turkey & Ruffed Grouse Season Dates and Reminders

2008 Fall Wild Turkey Season Dates:

Sept. 13 – Nov. 20

2008 Ruffed Grouse Season Dates:

Zone (A): Sept. 13–Jan 31, 2009

Zone (B): Oct. 18 – Dec. 8

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern, hunter safety, (608 266-1317 Scott Hull, grouse and turkey seasons (608) 267-7861

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Now is time to look for gypsy moth egg masses and request aerial spraying for next spring

MADISON - Now is the time for property owners to look for gypsy moth [exit DNR] egg masses to predict the population size next year. The egg masses are tan-colored, about the size of a nickel or quarter, and feel firm. Older, soft, egg masses that appear faded are not a concern. Most will be found on tree trunks and the undersides of branches, but they can also be found on buildings, firewood, vehicles, and other outdoor objects.

State forestry officials say that if there are several egg masses per tree over a large area such as a neighborhood or woodlot, they would be best treated from the air next spring. Homeowners with gypsy moth on only individual yard trees can remove or oil the egg masses to help control next year’s population. Visit Gypsy Moth [exit DNR] for instructions.

The Department of Natural Resources offers a Suppression Spray Program to communities and landowners in the eastern half of Wisconsin that are suffering from outbreak populations of gypsy moth. The program is offered through participating county governments.

“This is a safe, effective and dependable aerial spray program to prevent defoliation,” said Mark Guthmiller, Regional Gypsy Moth Suppression Coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The deadline for counties to apply for next year’s aerial suppression program is December 5, 2008.

“County and community participation usually depend on the number of gypsy moth reports they receive from their residents, so call local contacts soon if you are interested in having your property sprayed next spring,” advises Guthmiller. Homeowners in residential areas should report their gypsy moth problem to the local contact or community government; woodlot owners should contact the county coordinator or county government directly.

A list of county coordinators and municipal contacts is available online at: Gypsy Moth [exit DNR]. Click on the red part of the red and white map and then choose your county on the next page that comes up.

This summer, two caterpillar diseases did well in the wet spring weather and there were many reports of dead caterpillars hanging from the trees. “This is a good sign and usually indicates a lesser gypsy moth problem in 2009,” said Bill McNee, another Regional Gypsy Moth Suppression Coordinator with the DNR. “However, not all communities had this mortality, and some may be spraying because their populations have actually risen.” Most notably, populations have risen in southeast Wisconsin, Waushara County, and northwest Brown County.

For more information visit Gypsy Moth [exit DNR] or call 1-800-642-MOTH (6684) for help.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Guthmiller, Regional Gypsy Moth Suppression Coordinator for the southeast and south central regions, (608) 275-3223.

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Ontario joins Wisconsin in wildfire readiness

EAU CLAIRE – The forest firefighters and dispatchers stood in a small group at the edge of the airport taxiway, all of them looking north, scanning a cloudless blue sky.

The portable radio held by Jim Barnier, a forest fire suppression specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources, squawked to life. The Canadians had spotted the runway at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport just north of Eau Claire.

This was a joint wildfire exercise, a mutual aid drill involving fire suppression aircraft from Ontario. First to appear, coming in fast at 300 feet, was an Aero Commander 500, a light, twin-engine aircraft Barnier called the “Bird Dog.”

The Bird Dog runs surveillance, checks wind direction and velocity, makes sure the air space is clear for the CL 415 Water Bomber that was following.

That frees the pilot of the CL 415, which never goes on a mission alone, to concentrate on other things -- like breath-taking, low-altitude acrobatics in a plane that looks like a giant yellow bus with chunky wings and a stubby tail that is carrying 5 tons of water in its enormous belly.

The bomber came in low and when its four drop doors opened, a giant white cloud shot out, instantly many times larger than the aircraft. The vapor cloud stretched out far behind the plane and seemed to hang weightless for a moment before it suddenly faded and the grass field below was soaked by 1,620 gallons of water.

Then, amazingly, the bomber banked in a sharp, 90-degree turn and headed toward the tree line to the west, flying at about 100 feet, and when it cleared the trees and suddenly dropped from view, down into what everyone knew was the Chippewa River valley, there was a collective gasp from the onlookers.

“These guys love rivers,” Ontario air attack officer Dennis Gilhooly would later say, by way of explanation.

Twelve seconds later it appeared again, climbing swiftly and banking sharply to the right, as agile as a sparrow, only this sparrow now weighed 47,000 pounds, having skimmed across the surface of the river at 100 mph with two cup-shaped scoops taking in water at extreme velocities.

It made another run, dropped another cloud of water and went back for more. In this manner, by taking advantage of a nearby river, the bomber crew could drop a load, refill and return to make another drop in 1 minute and 35 seconds.

This kind of performance can come in real handy if there is a wildfire racing through the crowns of a pine forest threatening life and property. But although the demonstration was exciting, and witnessing the plane’s capabilities was useful, the water drops were not the primary purpose here.

“This was not a suppression exercise,” Barnier said. “It was a process exercise.”

Wisconsin, along with Minnesota, Michigan, Ontario and Manitoba, is a member of the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact. That means, for one, it helps the states and provinces cut training costs. If each member has two or three new firefighters in need of a course, they all join together for the training.

In times of emergency, it is a mutual aid compact. When wildfires rage north of the international border, Ontario picks up the phone.

“We send crews and engines north when they need help,” Barnier said.

Wisconsin does not own fire suppression aircraft. During the fire season, the DNR leases four single-engine air tankers (SEATs) and positions them where the danger is highest. These planes must land to reload, however. Effective on small “initiating” forest fires, their value is limited in a rapidly expanding “project” fire.

Minnesota maintains two CL 215 air bombers, precursors to the 415s, and these might be available, but east-west weather patterns being what they are, Minnesota may find itself needing its planes just when Wisconsin is ringing alarms.

Or it could happen that Ontario has CL 415s stationed at Sault St. Marie, and these planes could reach Marinette County, for instance, in far less time than their Minnesota counterparts. Ontario maintains nine of the more powerful planes.

This August exercise was about working out the details of an international water bomber flight. Both nations take border security seriously and agreements had to be worked out to allow Canadian bomber crews to land in Wisconsin and refuel without a customs inspection.

And then there is the watchful eye of Homeland Security. If an unscheduled flight crosses the U.S. border, the Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC) is likely to scramble F-16s. Air traffic control at commercial airports would join the alarm.

“If we want them in the air in five minutes, they won’t have time to file a flight plan,” Barnier said of the Ontario flight crews.

Although CL 415s have radio transponders that would identify them to military pilots as “natural resource” aircraft, this is not a failsafe anyone wants to test unnecessarily. Forest fire specialists in Ontario and Wisconsin have been working out the details of permission and notification for two years.

“Like any plan, you have to test it to see if it is operationally worthy,” Barnier said. “During an emergency is not the time to see if it works.”

FOR INFORMATION: James Barnier, DNR forest fire suppression specialist, 608-253-6714

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Horicon Marsh fall naturalist programs begin Sept. 13

HORICON – People visiting Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area for the annual fall naturalist programs will participate in the programs and hikes for the last time at the Department of Natural Resources field offices located on the north end of Palmatory Street, in the City of Horicon. Beginning in 2009, the spring and fall naturalist programs and hikes will be moved to the new Horicon International Education Center being constructed where the Horicon DNR Service Center is located on Highway 28, between the cities of Horicon and Mayville.

This is the 24th year DNR Horicon Wildlife Educator Bill Volkert has been conducting naturalist programs at the Palmatory site. The fall naturalist programs begin Saturday, Sept. 13 and are conducted twice a day Saturday and Sunday through the end of October. All programs are free and open to the public, and generally run for about one hour.

Horicon Marsh, located mostly in Dodge County in southeastern Wisconsin, is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. The marsh is managed and protected as both a state wildlife area and a national wildlife refuge, and has earned the designation as both a “Wetland of International Importance” and a “Globally Important Bird Area.”

“Each fall Horicon sees the world’s largest concentrations of migrating waterfowl,” Volkert says. “Up to 200,000 Canada geese migrate through Horicon Marsh each fall.”

While geese are the main fall attraction, Volkert says, Horicon Marsh is much more than just a stopping over point for migrating waterfowl. More than 290 species of birds have been sighted at Horicon Marsh. And many other species of wildlife inhabit the area.

The weekend naturalist programs are intended to help people better understand the importance of the marsh and are held at the time of year the marsh receives the highest number of visitors. The marsh attracts an estimated half million visitors a year, with hundreds of visitors on some fall weekends.

“These programs are an effort to get visitors more familiar with Horicon Marsh, its wildlife, history and management,” Volker says.

Some of the naturalist programs are conducted as outdoor talks, while others are hikes that take visitors to the marsh for a closer look and understanding of the wildlife of the area. All hikes allow for easy walking and good access to the marsh.

Additionally, the wildlife area will accept groups on a reservation basis. Teachers, educators and group leaders are encouraged to contact the Horicon DNR Service Center at (920) 387-7860 for more information or to make arrangements for education programs.

2008 Fall Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area Naturalist Programs

• Saturday, Sept. 13 - 9 a.m. Volunteer Day – Trail Work; 1 p.m. The Birds of Horicon (Hike)
• Sunday, Sept. 14 - 9 a.m. Volunteer Day – Trail Work; 1 p.m. Horicon Marsh Habitat Hike (Hike)
• Saturday, Sept. 20 - 10 a.m. Birds and Bird Banding (Hike); 1 p.m. The Fall Migration (Hike)
• Sunday, Sept. 21 - 11 a.m. Bird-Scaping; 1 p.m. Kids Birding Basics (Hike)
• Saturday, Sept. 27 - 10 a.m. Wisconsin Mammals (Hike); 1 p.m. Managing Wisconsin’s Deer
• Sunday, Sept. 28 - 10 a.m. Tips for Managing Wood Duck; noon Make a Home (assemble a wood duck box for Horicon Management)
• Saturday, Oct. 4 - 10 a.m. Horicon’s Indian History; 1 p.m. The Effigy Mound Builders
• Sunday, Oct. 5 - 11 a.m. Invaders of Woods and Wetlands; 1 p.m. Kids Birding Basics (make a bird feeder)
• Saturday, Oct. 11 - 10 a.m. Horicon Marsh Habitat Hike (Hike); 1 p.m. Tracking the Wild – Wisconsin Mammal Tracks
• Sunday, Oct. 12 - 11 a.m. Dabblers and Divers; Wisconsin Waterfowl 1 p.m. The Geese of Horicon
• Saturday, Oct. 18 - 10 a.m. The Birds of Horicon (Hike); 1 p.m. Managing Our Wildlife (Hike)
• Sunday, Oct. 19 - 11 a.m. Fall Colors (Hike); 1 p.m. Kid’s Basic Tree ID (bring a T-shirt for leaf printing)
• Saturday, Oct. 25 - 10 a.m. Invaders of Woods and Wetlands 1 p.m. Bird-Scaping
• Sunday, Oct. 26 - 11 a.m. Wisconsin Ice Age; 1 p.m. Animal Adaptations; Preparations for Winter (Hike)

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Volkert – (920) 387-7877 or Wendy Meier at (920)-485-3029

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New visitor services add public and employee
information and safety at Natural Resources State Office Building

MADISON - Beginning on Sept. 2, 2008, the public will need to enter the Natural Resources state office building through its front entrance at 101 S. Webster St., in downtown Madison. A Visitor Services Representative will direct visitors to meetings and events and issue visitor passes to all non-DNR employees. The Visitor Desk, located across from the first floor License Sales and Information Center, is staffed weekdays from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In addition to assisting visitors, agency administrators want to assure the safety of everyone in the building, should an emergency occur. Knowing who is visiting where in the building makes it easier to evacuate everyone in case of a fire or other emergency. These security changes are in keeping with steps taken by government agencies and businesses across the country and bring the building into compliance with “Continuity of Government” operations guidelines.

Except for the main doors on South Webster Street, all other doors will be locked at all times.