Other News S728

Hunters called to protect state’s hunting heritage

Survey: hunter numbers dropping

photo courtesy WDNR ©2012

We had 11 hunters, including five kids, at our deer camp last year. Sleeping arrangements were a bit complex, but we made it work. In the moments before dawn, all 11 were up and dressed ready to venture out to their posts to play an assigned role in the group hunt.

That’s hunting in Wisconsin -- steeped in tradition and family values. There are hunting families and camps that have persisted for generations. Others, like ours, can only claim a decade or two of fun stories. If you only talk with hunting friends – in person or electronically – it’s easy to get the feeling there will always be as many hunters as there are today.

A look at statistics gives a different picture, however. The total number of hunters the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported to the federal government has declined from 770,000 in 2000 to about 704,000 in 2010. A recent demographic analysis published in Population and Environment predicts the number of resident male deer hunters will decline by more than 25 percent in the next 18 years. The figures predict an average decline of 1.6 percent per year with the drop off accelerating in the later years.

Moreover, DNR surveys reveal the number of small game hunters has declined by an average 2 percent per year for the past eleven years and attendance at Hunter Education courses has dropped by an average of 2 percent per year since 2000.

The evidence indicates we are at the beginning of a long, steady decline in number of hunters in Wisconsin. With more than 700,000 still hunting in the Badger State, should we respond now? Yes.

Yes, because we still have a lot of hunters. And, hunters are the only ones who will be able to ensure our future by mentoring new hunters. Further, there’s no successful model to follow for recruiting new hunters and hunter numbers are declining around the nation. We need time to learn what works for hunter recruitment in the 21st century.

Read more here:

For more information:

• Keith Warnke - (608) 576-5243

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Get specific advice for specific waters online and with one search

New search feature debuts with updated 2012 fish consumption advice

photo courtesy WDNR ©2012

MADISON – It’s now easier than ever for anglers fishing Wisconsin waters to make sure their catch is safe to eat: Wisconsin's updated fish consumption advice for 2012 is available online and features a new search tool that delivers anglers simplified consumption advice for fish from specific waters to limit exposure to environmental contaminants that may be in the fish.

“Fish are a part of a healthy diet and fun to catch. Fishing gets us outdoors. We wanted to make it easier for anglers to get the right advice quickly and without having to look at different charts in our booklet,” says Candy Schrank, the Department of Natural Resources toxicologist who coordinates fish consumption advice. “We hope people will use the query tool frequently to check advice for eating fish from their favorite fishing spot.”

The new query tool can be found by going to the DNR website dnr.wi.gov and searching for “Eat Your Catch.” Development of this tool was supported by the Department of Health Services’ Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant. The grant also supported creation of Hmong and Spanish versions of a two-minute video about Wisconsin's fish consumption advice.

Read more here:

For more information:

• Candy Schrank -(608) 267-7614


• Dr. Henry Anderson - (608) 266-1253

Other News S726

Recent hot weather, low water prompts fish kills in southern Wisconsin; citizens asked to report dead fish to DNR Summer fish kills take their toll with low oxygen levels due to a variety of environmental factors. Report kills. Reduce your stressors on fish. image courtesy Colin Archer - The Average Angler ©2010 Four recent fish kills in southern Wisconsin have prompted Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource officials to remind citizens to quickly call the DNR if they see large numbers of dead fish in their local lake, river or stream. A long stretch of hot weather combined with a lack of precipitation has created low water and oxygen levels in many waterways, said Scot Stewart, DNR south central district fisheries supervisor. “As water temperatures go up, water is not able to hold as much oxygen, which fish need,” said Stewart. “Respiration by plants can reduce the amount of oxygen to levels lethal to fish. That’s when summer fish kills occur.” The four fish kills occurred in the Rock River in Dodge County, upstream from the Horicon dam; near Hustisford in Dodge County at the base of Lake Sinissippi; Beckman Mill Pond in Green County; and on the Yahara River below Lake Kegonsa in Dane County. The department estimates the Rock River kill caused the death of more than 500 fish, mostly carp, but a number of walleye also. The fish kill near Hustisford involved close to 2,000 fish, including a large number of walleye and channel catfish. The agency is still investigating the other two fish kills, said Stewart. “Unfortunately, fish kills due to hot weather and from other factors happen every summer around the state, and we encourage citizens to call the DNR as soon as they think they see one,” said Stewart. Stewart added that the sooner the DNR knows about a fish kill, the more accurate information staff can collect, which helps the department learn the exact causes. To report a potential fish kill, or if you see dead fish, please call the DNR Tip Line at 1-800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367). Read more here: For more information: Scot Stewart, 608-273-5967 Andrew Savagian, 608-275-3317

Other News: S723

Grant boosts investigations into why bass are booming, walleye waning in some lakes Largemouth bass are booming in northwestern Wisconsin. DNR’s Travis Holte shows off a nice fish captured during a spring survey on Polk County’s Apple River Flowage. photo courtesy WNDR ©2012 MADISON – Work to help understand and respond to why bass are booming and walleye waning in many northwestern Wisconsin lakes just got a big boost. A consortium of researchers and fisheries biologists from the University of Wisconsin’s Madison and Stevens Point campuses and the Department of Natural Resources have received a $760,000 federal grant over five years to help investigate the shifting fish populations and tease out the most likely reasons behind the shift. Apple River Flowage largemouth “We’re excited to have a large-scale, collaborative research project underway to tackle our key questions and help inform our management decisions,” says Jon Hansen, one of the DNR fish biologists involved in the study and leader of DNR’s bass committee. “The issue is very complicated, and identifying the causes of these changes requires various approaches and the expertise that the different partners bring to the table.” Says Steve Carpenter, a UW-Madison limnologist and a principal investigator in the study, “At this point, we have nothing but hypotheses. Now we can get to work on gathering real information and figuring out which of the many hypotheses might be right.” The grant is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey and will be led at UW-Madison by Carpenter, at Stevens Point by Dan Isermann, and at the DNR by a team of DNR Bureau of Science Services researchers and Fisheries Management biologists. The work will build on, and draw data from, ongoing state efforts to adjust bass and walleye fishing regulations and attempt to determine how much anglers affect these populations. Bass are the fish Wisconsin anglers reported releasing most often in a 2006-07 statewide mail survey, with only 5.4 percent of bass harvested, while 30 percent of all walleye were harvested. “These traditional approaches (changing regulations and collecting data) are important to do, but if that is all we did, we’ve never be able to figure out what this is happening,” says John Lyons, the DNR fisheries researcher who assembled the collaborative research team. “We’d still be speculating. What this study will do is not necessarily provide the solution, but it will narrow down the explanations from 10 plausible reasons to two or three that are highly plausible, and which of our management tools could work.” Read more here: For more information: Steve Hewett - DNR - (608) 267-7501 Mike Staggs - DNR - (608) 267-0796 Steve Carpenter - UW-Madison - (608) 262-3014 Dan Isermann - UWSP - (715) 295-8878

Other News: S711

VOL: MARCH 17, 2012   ISSUE: SHOW #711

• Turkey-hunting advice from a world gobbling champion • Keys to keeping mature bucks on your land MENTION Deer & Turkey Expo eMail: outdoorsradio@gmx.com • Jeff qualifies again for the USA Ice Team • Meet Dan at the Southeastern Wisconsin Fishing & Hunting Expo

RESULTS FOR POLL S710 Do you think Wisconsin should have a hunting season on sandhill cranes? YES 55.6% | NO 44.4% | MAYBE 0% | UNDECIDED 0% | COMMENTS [1]

INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON - POLL S711 Should Wisconsin simplify its fishing license structure by issuing the same types of licenses to anglers at an intermediate price regardless of their residency?

Charge the same fee for resident and non-resident fishing licenses? The question we want to know is WHAT do YOU think of this. Let us know. Take the POLL!   VOTE YOUR OPINION This is Question No. 34 on this year’s Spring Fish & Game Hearings Questionnaire. As in most states, fishing license options differ or Wisconsin residents and nonresidents. Nonresidents have more short-term license options, but are charged significantly higher fees than residents for comparable licenses. A resident annual fishing license, for example, is $20, while a comparable nonresident annual license is $50. Although higher license fees for nonresidents are a long-standing tradition, the reason why this is done is unclear. READ MORE HERE:

When you LEAVE a COMMENT & YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS, you are entered into the drawing - for a ZipVac portable vacuum sealer starter kit, complete with a rechargeable pump, a hand-operated pump and reusable, resealable storage bags. Follow ZipVac on Twitter and subscribe to the ZipVac blog.

ART HELIN Dodgeville, Wis. deer expert tells how habitat management can keep mature bucks on your land year-round, the topic of his seminar at the Field & Stream Deer & Turkey Expo ALEX VEDRINSKI Co-owner of Chestnut Ridge Wild Turkey Calls shares tips for early-season turkey hunting GARY ZIMMER Regional biologist for the Ruffed Grouse Society reports on RGS spring activities in Wisconsin GENE DELLINGER | Proprietor of D&S Bait in Madison reports anglers are catching panfish in open water on Madison-area lakes and walleyes on the Wisconsin River

THE EVENTS CALENDAR HAS BEEN MOVED DANSMALLOUTDOORS.COM/EVENTS •FISHING CONTESTS: Find them ALL online:  @ American Fishing Contests •RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY BANQUETS & EVENTS:  ONLINE INFO: •MILFORD HILLS ACTIVITIES & EVENTS: ONLINE INFO

Leftover spring turkey permits available beginning week of March 19 Remaining turkey licenses go on sale Monday March 19; first-come-first-serve. Don't miss it! photo Dan Small Outdoors, LLC ©2012 MADISON – Remaining permits for the 2012 spring turkey hunting season will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis starting Monday, March 19. Designated zones will be sold each day, starting at 10 a.m. and continue through midnight or until all permits for that zone and/or time period are sold out. The following zones have leftover permits, and the scheduled sales dates are as follows: Zone 1 – Monday, March 19 Zone 2 – Tuesday, March 20 Zone 3 – Wednesday, March 21 Zone 4 – Thursday, March 22 Zones 5, 6 and 7 – Friday, March 2 Starting Saturday March 24, any remaining permits will be available for purchase until the zone or time period is sold out, or until the season ends. Customers may purchase one permit per day. Read more here: For more information contact: Scott Walter – 608-267-7861 Krista McGinley - 608-261-8458 Bob Manwell – DNR public affairs – 608-264-9248 Volunteers needed for 2012 sturgeon guard "Sturgeon Guard" volunteers are the eyes and ears of the DNR where personnel is short-handed. Essential to the protection of Wisconsin sturgeon. Indispensable to the WDNR. photo WDNR ©2012 OSHKOSH, Wis. – It is a spectacle seen nowhere else in the world. Each year, in mid-April the largest population of lake sturgeon in the world spawns in northeastern Wisconsin. The giant, prehistoric fish make their way from the Winnebago Lakes up the Wolf River as they have for the past 10,000 years. While groups of male sturgeon battle it out for the opportunity to fertilize a female’s eggs, standing on the shore are groups of volunteers making sure the fish are not touched. It has been this way for nearly 30 years and will happen again in 2012. The Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers for the Sturgeon Guard. This elite group was created in the mid-1980s to make sure the fish, which slam themselves along the shoreline during spawning, aren’t illegally netted or speared. “Those working as members of the sturgeon guard are extremely important to the continued strength of the sturgeon population,” said warden supervisor Carl Mesman, DNR sturgeon camp coordinator, “Our volunteers are not only passionate about protecting the fish, but have become part of this incredible success story. Many come back year after year just to be a part of it.” Spawning usually takes place between a five and nine day period. Those who can be available day or night have the best chance of observing the spawning sturgeon. Guards should be prepared for any and all weather conditions and are encouraged to pair up with a friend or family member to keep them company during their 12-hour shifts. Anyone interested in volunteering should visit the DNR website and search for “sturgeon guard.” Read more .... FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Pawlak, fisheries technician 920-303-5429 Carl Mesman, sturgeon camp coordinator 920-787-3051 Trish Ossmann, public affairs manager - 920-662-5122

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