DNR News
May 9, 2006
The DNR News is updated every Tuesday at noon. Click on the current issue link at left to reach the most current issue.
Previous DNR News are also available on-line.
Edited by Paul Holtan
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707
(608) 267-7517
Fax: (608) 264-6293
E-mail address: paul.holtan@dnr.state.wi.us
This Week's Articles
- 2006 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season set
- Green Bay yellow perch bag limit increases May 20
- Gypsy moth spraying to begin soon
- Better tools provide better air quality information
- Learn to deer hunt applications available
2006 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season set
News structure replaces October antlerless hunt
with a December antlerless hunt
MADISON – Wisconsin deer hunting seasons will look dramatically different this fall under a trial season structure that, among other changes, eliminates an antlerless-only October gun deer hunt and replaces it with a statewide four-day antlerless-only gun hunt in the second week of December.
Under the new season structure approved by the state Natural Resources Board April 26, hunters will also receive one free antlerless tag for use in herd control (formerly called Zone T) and Earn-a-Buck Deer Management Units (DMUs) with the purchase of their deer hunting licenses and can purchase unlimited additional herd control antlerless tags for $2 each.
Other provisions of the 2006 deer season framework that will go into effect this fall include:
- the Hunter’s Choice permit program will be eliminated and antlerless tags in DMUs with a regular deer season structure will be sold over the counter until they are sold out;
- Earn-a-Buck regulations (EAB) will be in place in 21 DMUs and hunters who registered an antlerless deer in these units in 2005 will be pre-qualified for a buck this fall for EAB units;
- archers will receive an additional archery antlerless deer carcass tag valid statewide; and
- there will be an opportunity for young hunters to participate in a youth hunt Oct. 7 and 8.
Also, hunters should note that hunting seasons for the chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zones have not been set for 2006 and are still under consideration.
Additional information on deer hunting can be found on the Department of Natural Resources Web site. The 2006 Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet is expected to be available in early August.
“There has been a lot of changing information in the news regarding the 2006 deer season,” said Keith Warnke, DNR big game specialist. “After working for more than a year with stakeholder groups from all across the state we finally have a new herd control tool to try out. We believe that this season structure will be popular with hunters – it’s what they told us they wanted.”
Two major changes in herd control efforts will be implemented on a trial basis. They are: A statewide antlerless gun deer hunt Dec. 7-10 in non-CWD units and a moratorium on gun deer seasons in October in non-CWD units (except for the youth hunt). For units north of U.S. Highway 8, the December gun deer hunt will be on a one-year trial basis with legislative approval required to extend beyond this year.
The moratorium on October gun deer hunting will be implemented on a two-year trial basis with an option to reinstate October gun deer hunting after one year if deer harvests in Herd Control units drops below a 1.4 to 1 antlerless to buck ratio. Earn-a-Buck (EAB) rules will be in effect in 21 deer management units for 2006.
The October herd control hunt, referred to in past years as Zone T, was effective at reducing deer populations, Warnke says, but unpopular with hunters who felt that it interfered with the very best time for archery deer hunting and caused behavioral changes in deer that made hunting more difficult.
“Key to success of this herd control tool is that hunters must harvest adequate numbers of antlerless deer to keep populations under control.” said Warnke.
The new youth gun deer hunt Oct. 7-8 will allow young hunters ages 12 to 15 an opportunity to experience deer hunting in a closely mentored situation. Participating youth must be accompanied by an adult and must purchase a gun deer hunting license and successfully complete a hunter safety class to participate. All hunters statewide, except waterfowl hunters will be required to wear blaze orange clothing if hunting on the weekend of the two-day October youth gun deer hunt.
“Hunters will see changes in deer carcass tags this year. Tags will clearly identify what type of deer that tag is valid for and where that tag may be used,” explains Warnke. “Anything that makes regulations simpler for hunters is a positive.”
The Hunter’s Choice program has been eliminated, and has been replaced by the sale of all antlerless deer carcass tags in DMUs with a regular season structure. These tags will be sold starting Aug. 26 ($12 for residents, $20 for nonresidents). Selling antlerless deer carcass tags over the counter will remove one layer of confusion and will help clarify tagging options.
To encourage antlerless deer harvest in Herd Control (formerly Zone T) and EAB units, tags valid for those units will be available in unlimited numbers. All deer hunters will get a free Herd Control/EAB antlerless deer carcass tag with the purchase of a gun and archery license. Beginning in mid-May, additional Herd Control/EAB antlerless deer carcass tags will be available for $2 to all hunters. If purchased on-line or over the phone a standard processing fee of $3 will be applied in addition to the $2.
Archery hunters will receive an additional archery antlerless deer carcass tag that is valid statewide. The department will mail the additional archery antlerless deer carcass tag to hunters who have already purchased their archery license. State park access permits previously issued through the Hunter’s Choice drawing will be sold over the counter for a $3 fee.
This will also be the first year that hunters will be able to use their Earn-a-Buck prequalification, Warnke says. Hunters who registered an antlerless deer last fall in a unit designated as Earn-a-Buck this year will be receiving their buck harvest authorization in the mail later in the summer.
“The 70,000 hunters who took advantage of prequalification last year will hit the woods with a buck authorization in their pocket,” says Warnke. “If you have pre-qualified for Earn-a-Buck, you won’t have to pass up a buck this fall. But if there’s an opportunity to harvest an antlerless deer, hunters in EAB units are advised to take it.”
“There are a lot of changes to this year’s deer seasons,” says Warnke. “Hunters will be hearing and reading a lot more about the seasons and changes in the weeks and months ahead. I think this new herd control tool has the potential to resolve some of the conflict in deer management. It’s up to hunters to make it work. I believe that if they have a mind-set of two antlerless deer for each buck in every camp, this trial can be successful.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke - (608) 576-5243
Green Bay yellow perch bag limit increases May 20
GREEN BAY – Good news for anglers on Green Bay: starting May 20, bag limits for yellow perch increase from 10 to 15 fish per day.
The increase follows five years of restrictive bag limits to help protect dwindling stocks of yellow perch, a species whose population in Green Bay had declined sharply around the turn of the century but now seems to be rebounding.
“Based on our population surveys and what anglers and commercial fishers are catching, we’re cautiously optimistic that the yellow perch population in Green Bay has been increasing and can support modestly higher bag limits at this time,” says Matt Mangan, a Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist in Peshtigo.
“People will have an opportunity to take home five more fish. With the increased abundance and catch rates, there are good opportunities to catch those five extra fish.”
The commercial harvest is also increasing, climbing to 60,000 pounds annually from 20,000 pounds. As with the sport bag increase, however, the commercial harvest increase is incremental and will not bring harvest levels back to the pre-2001 level of 200,000 pounds.
“We feel comfortable increasing sport and commercial harvests some, but not too quickly,” Mangan says. “We want to make sure -- and anglers wanted us to be sure -- that the large number of fish hatched in recent years have survived at high rates and are capable of supporting larger harvests.”
Sport bag and harvest limits were dropped in 200l after a 90 percent decrease in yellow perch between 1988 and 2000 resulting from poor natural reproduction during those years (with the exception of 1998), according to Bill Horns, DNR Great Lakes fisheries specialist.
To help the yellow perch population recover, the biologists wanted to offer more protection to fish born in 1998, the only year-class in which sizable numbers of young fish were surviving long enough to reproduce and enter the fishery, Horns says.
That strategy is apparently working. The estimated yellow perch population in Green Bay has been increasing, driven by strong year-classes produced in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, Mangan says.
The fortunes of the 2003 year-class are particularly important. Fall 2003 trawling surveys revealed it to be the largest sampled in more than two decades of sampling, and the year-class has survived at high rates and is now being caught by anglers. In fact, 65 percent of the yellow perch sport anglers caught in 2005 were from the 2003 year-class, he says.
Anglers in 2005 caught and kept fish at a higher rate, and the commercial harvest rate has also been increasing, both signs that there is an increased abundance of yellow perch in Green Bay, Mangan says.
“The signs are all positive at this point,” Mangan said. “We want to make sure these positive trends hold and continue to show that the young fish have survived and are capable of supporting larger harvests.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Horns (608) 266-8782 or Matt Mangan (715) 582-5052
Gypsy moth spraying to begin soon
MADISON – Aerial spraying to combat the potentially defoliating effects of the gypsy moth could begin in Wisconsin within the next two weeks.
Trained pilots will treat approximately 1,500 acres in four counties as part of the 2006 Gypsy Moth Suppression Program, which is coordinated by specialists at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at the request of local officials where spraying will take place.
But only Mother Nature can say for sure when spraying will begin.
“It boils down to the weather,” said Dr. Andrea Diss-Torrance. “The gypsy moth caterpillars must be of a certain size and the tree canopy needs to be developed enough to ‘catch’ the spray.”
“Weather conditions also dictate when we can get the planes in the air,” Diss-Torrance added. “If it’s too windy, we won’t fly. If it’s raining, we won’t fly. We weigh all the factors and pick the days when it all comes together.”
The Wisconsin counties being treated this year in the DNR Suppression Program include Brown, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, and Rock. A total of 1,500 acres will be sprayed. Individual treatment sites vary in size from a 37 acre block in Fond du Lac to a 297 acre area in Manitowoc.
“Caterpillars were hatching at a good clip in Beloit right around the beginning of May,” said Mark Guthmiller, DNR suppression coordinator for southern and southeastern Wisconsin. “That means we could start spraying there as early as May 12, but the weather between now and then will determine the final plan.”
In northeastern Wisconsin, caterpillars are developing on the heels of those in Beloit according to Bill McNee, DNR gypsy moth coordinator for the northeast region.
“Eggs in Fond du Lac hatched shortly after those in Beloit and those in the Green Bay area are emerging now,” McNee said. “The sites in Manitowoc County are coming along a little slower, but that’s no surprise given the fact it’s close to the lake and cooler. All in all, we could be spraying sites in Brown and Manitowoc counties by the middle of the month. It looks like Fond du Lac will happen on May 12, along with the Beloit location.”
Because of the flexible timing of the spraying schedule, DNR offers two different ways for local residents in treatment areas to keep abreast of plans. A toll-free information line is updated daily during the spraying season, or residents may subscribe to receive e-mail notification of spraying activities.
The toll-free information number is 1-800-642-MOTH (6684). To subscribe for e-mail notification, send an e-mail to skwarm@dnr.state.wi.us and type “subscribe gypsy moth” in the subject line.
Spraying typically begins in the early morning when weather conditions are generally most favorable, but it can happen at any time of the day if the wind is light and there’s no rain in the immediate forecast.
The department uses a biological insecticide with the active ingredient Btk. Btk is the common abbreviation for a naturally-occurring soil bacteria that, when eaten by gypsy moth caterpillars, causes them to stop feeding and die. Btk is generally not harmful to people, pets or other wild species. Some people with severe allergies may wish to avoid areas to be sprayed on the day that spraying occurs.
The DNR suppression program is separate from the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture’s spraying program, called Slow the Spread. That spraying is done in the western half of the state, in places where gypsy moth populations are very small and only beginning to emerge. STS spraying takes places over several weeks and is generally in rural areas.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Andrea Diss-Torrance - (608) 264-9247; Bill McNee - (920) 662-5430; or Mark Guthmiller - (608) 275-3223
Better tools provide better air quality information
MADISON –May 15 to 19, 2006 has been proclaimed Air Quality Awareness Week nationwide to draw the public’s attention to a number of useful tools that federal, state and local officials now provide to help the public to stay informed on the air quality where they live.
The state Department of Natural Resources is teaming up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Weather Service and local agencies and organizations to deliver the clear message that people can protect their health by paying attention to local air quality. More information on Air Quality Awareness Week can be found online at: <http://www.airnow.gov/airaware.cfm> (exit DNR).
With spring and warmer weather come an increase in outdoor activities, and everyone needs to know how outdoor air quality will affect those activities.
The quality of the air varies from place to place and, like the weather, from day to day. Air quality is measured by a network of monitors that record the concentrations of the five major pollutants at more than a thousand locations across the country each day.
Those major pollutants are ground level ozone (O3), particle pollution (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect against harmful health effects. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a color-coded guide for reporting the concentrations of these pollutants in the air, and the potential associated health effects that might be a concern to people.
At this time, ozone and particle pollution are the pollutants that are of most concern in Wisconsin. The AQI reported each day for each area represents the pollutant that has the highest value. For example, ozone is likely to have the highest value on a hot summer day, while PM might be highest on an overcast, calm winter day. To find out the Air Quality Index for the day, the public can call Wisconsin’s toll free Daily Air Hotline at 1-866-DAILY AIR (1-866-324-5924). Current air quality conditions as reported by DNR monitors can also be found on the DNR Web site.
Beginning June 1, the DNR’s newly revised air quality watch and advisory notification system will go into effect. Air quality watches will be issued when conditions are forecast to reach levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups on the next day. Air quality advisories will be issued when conditions have already reached levels that are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. The public will be notified through the news media, the DNR’s Internet homepage and by e-mail.
These air quality watches and advisories are sent out only when monitoring equipment detects unhealthy pollution levels in one or more regions of Wisconsin. People can sign up for the e-mail notification system through the DNR Web site.
The e-mail system will electronically provide air quality and health information on particle pollution and ground level ozone to Wisconsin residents who wish to receive it via computer e-mail, according to Kevin Kessler, director of the DNR Bureau of Air Management. “In combination with more traditional means of notifying the public, like news releases, when there is a potential for adverse health impacts from fine particles or ozone, this e-mail system will help us reach people directly at home or work,” Kessler said.
Voluntary programs operated by local agencies are another tool that can be used when the forecast conditions indicate that the ground level ozone or particle pollution concentrations could reach unhealthy levels on the next day. The local organization and its members then take voluntary steps and recommend actions that the public can take to help prevent the formation of ground level ozone or PM.
The Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air voluntary program has been a part of air quality reporting in southeastern Wisconsin for the past 11 summers. The program has now expanded into the Cleaner Air Faster initiative. Cleaner Air Faster is part Gov. Jim Doyle’s “Grow Wisconsin” plan to enhance the state’s economy while continuing to protect the environment.
Dane, Fond du Lac and Jefferson counties have organized voluntary programs as part of Cleaner Air Faster, in which citizens, businesses and government are asked to take actions to reduce emissions. Examples of public and private initiatives in these counties can be found at: <http://www.co.jefferson.wi.us/> (exit DNR) for Jefferson County, <http://www.fcedc.com> (exit DNR) for Fond du Lac County, and <http://www.cleanairdane.org> (exit DNR) for Dane County.
“The primary air quality goal is to reduce ground level ozone and particle pollution through voluntary, cost-effective emission reductions by public and private partners,” said Kessler. “Reducing air pollution will make it easier for decision makers to assess future business development, improve the quality of life and generally reduce health concerns of residents.”
At the national level, the AIRNow web site <http://airnow.gov> (exit DNR). has been developed by the U.S. EPA, NOAA, the National Park Service, state, tribal and local agencies to provide the public with easy access to air quality information. AIRNow offers daily Air Quality Index forecasts for over 300 cities across the U.S. and regional air quality maps showing conditions covering 46 states and parts of Canada. These maps are updated daily every hour. AIRNow also provides links to more detailed state and local air quality web sites.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Bruss, (608) 267-7543
Learn to deer hunt applications available
BABCOCK, Wis. – Youths and adults who interested in learning how to hunt deer can now apply for separate one-day “Learn to Hunt Deer” workshops that will be offered this fall at the Department of Natural Resources Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center’s in Babcock. Workshop participants are then allowed to return for a special hunt at the Sandhill Wildlife Area Nov. 4-5.
The one-day workshop includes information on deer biology and management, instruction on compasses, scouting for sign, firearm safety, hunt rules and regulations, and hunter ethics.
The youth workshop is offered to young hunters, 12 to 15 years old. Each child must be accompanied by an adult, 21 years or older, who acts as chaperon and teacher. Youth workshops will be held on: Saturday, Aug. 5; Tuesday, Aug. 8;Thursday, Aug. 10; Saturday, Aug. 12; Monday, Aug. 15; and Wednesday, Aug. 17.
A one-day beginner adult workshop is offered to people 16 or older who have never hunted deer with a gun before. Beginner adults must also be accompanied by an adult chaperon. The Beginner Adult workshop will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23.
To qualify for the program, all participants must either be enrolled in a Hunter Safety course or must possess a valid Hunter Safety Certificate. Students will be required to have a license by the time of the hunt. Previous participants are ineligible.
Chaperons should have some deer hunting experience and are expected to attend the workshop as well as the hunt with the student. Their primary role is to assist the beginner in developing the skills necessary to become a responsible hunter. The chaperon will not be allowed to carry a firearm during the hunt. The Skills Center can provide a chaperon volunteer if an applicant cannot find a person with deer hunting experience.
Applications for the Learn to Deer Hunt Workshops will be available throughout April and May at DNR Service Centers or on the Sandhill Outdoor Skill Center page of the DNR Web site. Applications must be postmarked on or before May 31, 2006. Enrollment is limited to 180 students. Applicants will be randomly selected and successful applicants will be notified by June 30. A fee of $35 will be charged to enter program. Fee waivers are available for those unable to afford the fee.
For more information on these workshops, contact Dick Thiel, Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center Director at (715) 884-6333, or by e-mail at <Richard.Thiel@dnr.state.wi.us>.
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