OUTDOOR NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF OPENING DEER HUNTING SEASON

Outdoor Report

November 16, 2017

Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season opens this Saturday and while the rut is starting to wind down in some areas it is still going strong in others with frequent deer movement and sightings of scrapes and rubs still reported. The overall archery deer harvest is running higher than 2016.
Cooler temperatures and light to moderate snowfall, along with wind will likely still impact opening day, particularly in the north. In southern and central areas, temperatures are forecast to be above freezing and most of the snow cover has disappeared, adding its own challenge. There was an ample drop of mast this year and now that most crops have been harvested, animals will be concentrating on those acorns. The lack of crop cover should make spotting easier.
There are some big changes this year [PDF], including hunters are no longer required to attach a tag to their animal. However, the deer still must be registered. For more information search the DNR website for keyword “deer.”
There are antlerless deer bonus carcass tags available for purchase across the state, in many counties on both public and private land; search the DNR website for antlerless deer tag availability. Hunters can also check the DNR website for locations and times where they can have deer tested for chronic wasting disease by searching for “CWD sampling” and clicking on the sampling/registration station database link.
And people visiting Wisconsin state parks, forests and recreation areas during the nine-day gun deer season are reminded that many parks opened for hunting as of Nov. 15. Park and forest visitors should wear blaze orange or other brightly colored clothing. Some properties offer loaner blaze-orange vests at visitor stations. To find maps of what areas within park properties are closed to hunting or to fine properties where hunting is prohibited, search for keywords “hunting state parks.”
With last week’s cold snap, some lakes had started to freeze over but it’s mostly skim ice and not safe yet for ice fishing. A warm up and rain in the forecast could melt ice that has formed. However open water fishing has continued to be good on Lower Green Bay and the Fox River for those who have not put their boats away yet. There were solid catches for musky with anglers reporting fish over 48 inches on the bay and excellent fishing for walleye and whitefish on the Fox. Those whitefish are pushing into the rivers to begin their spawning run and will remain in the river for the majority of winter, feeding on the abundant forage the Fox River has to offer.

Fisheries personnel electroshocked a stretch of the Brule River to capture steelhead this week. The fish are measured, weighed, and a few scales are taken. The fish are then returned to the river.
Photo Credit: DNR

The ice that was forming pushed some geese and ducks south but areas with open water were still reporting that mallards, bufflehead, goldeneye, redheads, canvasback and even a lingering wood duck are all being seen.

Opportunities for viewing sandhill cranes have been great with hundreds being seen staging in farm fields through southern and central Wisconsin. There has been an early influx of snowy owls into Wisconsin this year. You can learn more about our snowy owl irruption by searching dnr.wi.gov for keyword “snowy owls.”