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Hunters register 8,265 birds in 2009 fall wild turkey hunt

MADISON – Wisconsin wild turkey hunters registered a total of 8,265 birds during the fall 2009 wild turkey season.

Hunters registered 7,073 birds during the Sept. 12 through Nov. 19 regular season and 1,192 birds during the Nov. 30 through Dec. 31 extended season in turkey zones 1 – 5. In 2008, 10,698 birds were registered in the fall harvest.

“The Fall 2009 turkey hunt did show a decrease in harvest, which was anticipated given poor brood production in 2008,” said Scott Hull, upland game ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. “The 2008 brood production was influenced by rainy and cold conditions. We saw impacts of this reduced brood production during the 2009 spring season with a higher proportion of adult birds compared to jakes in the harvest, indicating fewer jakes in the population.”

Hunters also purchased fewer permits for the fall 2009 hunt compared to the previous year (68,796 permits issued in fall 2009 compared to 76,448 in 2008). Approximately 26,000 fall permits remained unsold by the close of the fall 2009 season. The total number of permits available for 2008 and 2009 were identical at 95,700.

“The statewide population of turkeys remains very strong,” says Hull. “And with controlled permit levels in place, we were able to offer an extended fall season for zones 1-5. The extension gave many hunters additional hunting opportunities over a longer time period.”

Permit levels are not yet set for the 2010 fall season but Hull feels hunters can expect a similar number of permits to be available. Of the 95,700 permits available for the 2009 fall season, the DNR issued 57,950 permits in the drawing and sold another 11,120 remaining permits over-the-counter after the drawing had been completed. The 8,265 registered birds compute to a success rate of 12.0 percent compared to 14.0 percent in 2008.

A pilot program allowing hunting turkey with dogs in the fall continued for a third year and was available to hunters in a 9-county area in the southwest. Specific harvest statistics are not yet available for those counties but anecdotal reports suggest that the previous two years went well. The program will go statewide next fall, allowing fall turkey hunting with dogs throughout the state.

Spring 2010 turkey season permits on sale beginning March 22

The spring 2010 turkey hunting season will run from April 14-May 23, in six 5-day time periods. In total, 225,729 permits are available for the spring 2010 turkey season. An estimated 76,636 spring turkey permits remaining after the drawing will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis starting March 22 by zone, one zone per day, with each zone having a designated sales date.

For updated information on leftover spring permit availability and other information regarding the 2009 spring turkey hunting season, please visit the Wild Turkey page of the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Hull – (608) 267-7861

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Boating safety classes beginning around state

MADISON – While Wisconsin lakes may still be locked solidly in ice, it’s not too early for people to start thinking about safe boating next summer: boating safety classes begin around the state in mid February, with courses running through summer.

“Most boating safety courses are held before the boating season begins, so people are ready to safely hit the water when nice weather arrives,” says Roy Zellmer, boating safety administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

A Wisconsin boating safety certification or out of state equivalent certification is required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1989 to operate a power boat on Wisconsin waters.

“Tragically, the vast majority of boating accidents and fatalities on Wisconsin waters every year involve operators who have never taken a boating safety course,” Zellmer says. “In 2009 none of the 16 people killed in boating accidents in Wisconsin had taken a course; in 2008, 19 of the 20 people killed had not taken a course.

The boating safety course objectives include reducing the potential for boat accidents, injuries and fatalities, reducing the potential for conflict between different types of boating activities and others on the water, and promoting safe, responsible, and ethical use of the environment and our resources.

Boating safety courses cover a wide variety of topics intended to help people stay safe on waterways, including:

• Basic information about types of boats commonly used in Wisconsin including sail boats and personal water craft.
• Safety information including preparing a boat, proper use of life jackets and other on-the-water safety tips and requirements.
• Boating laws such as minimum age requirements to operate boats, education, navigation, lighting, and boat registration.
• What to do in case of an emergency, including aquatic safety, alcohol usage, visual distress signals, fire on board, and first aid.
• Getting boats underway, including preparation, loading, boarding, cruising, docking, anchoring, knots, trailering, courtesy, and maintenance.

In addition to hands-on boating safety courses taught by volunteer instructors and state conservation wardens, Wisconsin also offers two on-line boating safety courses. Both include video and animations. One can be narrated to the student.

While the certificate is required for certain age groups, Zellmer encourages people of all ages to take the class and receive a safety education completion certificate.

“The number of recreational boaters using Wisconsin's waterways continues to grow,” he says. “As our waterways become more crowded and the types of boats using the water become more varied, it is increasingly important for all boaters to become educated on safe boating techniques and laws. Boating safety course graduates can help ensure healthy, happy, and safe voyages for years to come.”

More information about boating safety, boating safety education courses, and a searchable directory of upcoming safety education courses is available on the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Zellmer – (608) 264-8970

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Snowmobile Safety Team Patrols Bayfield Area

Two Serious Crashes Investigated

MADISON – A special snowmobile enforcement team deployed for the third time this winter assisted with two serious crashes in the Bayfield area over the weekend, according to state officials.

“Team members were put to work the minute they arrived,” said Gary Eddy, snowmobile safety administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “They immediately began assisting the area warden and sheriff’s deputies with a crash that involved seven snowmobiles. Two parties required medical attention for various injuries, broken bones and a possible serious back injury. In total, three people went to the hospital. Many of the involved parties fled the scene, but were tracked down at a local tavern.”

Pending charges include operating while intoxicated, obstructing, failing to render aid, and reckless operation.

“This is a perfect example of what can happen when a group of companions decide to mix alcohol with their snowmobile trip. Some were more concerned about fleeing the scene than securing medical attention for members of their group,” Eddy said.

The team and area wardens issued more than 100 citations with nearly 300 warnings, including 11 arrests for operating while intoxicated. The majority of the other citations were issued for illegal operation on or in the vicinity of a highway and failing to comply with regulatory signs. The team combined their efforts with local wardens, park rangers and sheriff’s deputies to patrol a very large area over Bayfield, Ashland and Sawyer counties.

The other serious snowmobile crash occurred on a Sawyer County lake where two snowmobiles collided head on. Alcohol was involved in the crash and both operators were transported to the hospital. The investigation is continuing and charges are pending.

“The team was a visible presence on the trails and lakes throughout the area. They talked to a lot of people and were able to concentrate on areas with citizen complaints. Several family groups stopped to thank the team members for being out patrolling. Word got around that there was an increased law enforcement presence in the area. There was a noticeable change in the snowmobile traffic as people started slowing down and being more careful. That’s the real goal of the team, to be visible, gain voluntary compliance and just let people have a safe and enjoyable time,” Eddy said.

One snowmobile fatality occurred in Iron County over the weekend where a snowmobiler collided with a post. Speed is listed as a contributing factor; the crash is under investigation. Wisconsin currently has 17 snowmobile fatalities, two fewer than this time last season. Michigan currently has 13 fatalities and Minnesota, 12. The team is again scheduled to patrol Northern Wisconsin this weekend.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Eddy, DNR snowmobile safety administrator - (608) 267-7455

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Hearing on runoff rules proposal added in Ashland March 8

80 percent of farmers met limits set in key provision

MADISON – A public hearing has been added in Ashland on March 8 for state proposals to revise rules aimed to reduce runoff pollution from farm fields, urban areas and construction sites.

The hearing will begin at 2 p.m., with a 1-hour presentation followed by the opportunity to provide comments, in the Multipurpose Room of the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, 29270 County Highway G.

The proposed changes are to rules that affect farmers, municipalities, and developers. Feedback from the agricultural community has been that farmers are concerned about the proposed changes, particularly about a key provision that sets up a phosphorus index, PI, that farmers must meet that limits the amount of phosphorus that can come off their fields. The index sets a maximum of 6, averaged over an 8-year period, according to Gordon Stevenson, who leads the Department of Natural Resources runoff management section.

“Eighty percent of farmers already meet this standard without making any change in their operations” Stevenson says.

“The proposed changes reflect that we have new technology that allows us to better pinpoint where problems may be, to work with those folks, and to steer the available funds to help them make the needed changes,” he says. “We’re not going to fix anything that isn’t broken.”

The DNR will be focusing on those watersheds where a lake or river has already been identified as impaired, and where there is an approved cleanup plan known as a Total Daily Maximum Load. There are now approved TMDLs in three dozen watersheds.

Within those watersheds, models developed by UW-Madison researchers can pinpoint which fields are contributing excess phosphorus, whether the farmer is applying too much, the field’s slopes make it more susceptible to runoff, or the field naturally has high phosphorus levels so that any man-made additions cause problems.

DNR will direct its efforts and the money it makes available through its Targeted Runoff Management Grant program to those sites to help share the cost of developing measures to help trim phosphorus levels.

Written comments on the proposed rules may be submitted until March 12, 2010, via U.S. mail to Carol Holden, DNR – WT/3, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921 or by e-mail to carol.holden@wisconsin.gov. Written comments will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the public hearings. More information or a copy of the proposed rules and supporting documents, including the fiscal estimate, may be found on the Runoff Management Rules Web page.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon Stevenson (608) 267-2759; Russ Rasmussen (608) 267-7651.

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February Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine available

MADISON - Researchers predict climate changes in Wisconsin, recyclers celebrate 20 years of recycling law, winter road crews share ways to keep make roads safer with less salt, and kids of all ages find a sweet treat in the February issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine.

Longtime Wisconsinites believe they’ve seen it, and new research proves them right: the state’s climate is changing. In this issue, a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies predict changes that could profoundly affect the state’s natural resources, economy and sense of place.

Then, a roundtable of some of the state’s top players in Wisconsin recycling recall how the law developed 20 years ago, discuss why recycling programs have been so successful, and speculate what recycling trends might create business opportunities in the future.

And with the cold and snow upon us, road crews are hoping new de-icers and carefully timed applications and calibrated equipment will give them a chance to keep roads clearer and safer with less salt.

A “Regional Reads” story offers suggestions to kick back and enjoy books about Wisconsin’s roots, routes and rituals, while a story on the MacKenzie Environmental Center in Poyette takes readers outdoors to get sticky and savor maple syrup making up-close.

The issue also contains three inserts: the annual reminder to Conservation Patrons to renew their licenses, a poster on ways to hone your recycling habits and a brochure highlighting how Wisconsin license and permit fees are spent.

Find it all in the February issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources. Let us deliver six colorful issues to your door all year for less than $1.50 a copy. All year long we share the hot spots at the hot times to enjoy the Wisconsin outdoors for only $8.97. Subscribe toll-free at 1-800-678-9472, online at [www.wnrmag.com] or by mail. Subscription blanks and single issues are also available from our circulation office at PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: David L. Sperling, editor, (608) 266-1510.