4-10-14 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary
Complete DNR Outdoor Report (Reports from conservation wardens, wildlife and fisheries staff and property managers from around the state)
Spring finally springing in Wisconsin: spring wildfire season underway, spring fish and wildlife hearings next week, spring peepers peeping
What a difference a week can make in the Northwoods. Last week people were shoveling 12-plus inches of snow, and now roads are clear and the snow on the ground is rapidly melting. Snow cover now covers less than a third of the most northern part of the state.
Northern lakes still have 20 or more inches of ice, but in the south, most lakes in Rock County are now open. A few anglers continue to ice fish, but wardens are cautioning that ice is turning dark, an indication that it's getting weaker. The Fox and Wolf rivers are open and walleye anglers have been out and having some success. Last Sunday there were more than 200 boat trailers parked along the Fox in De Pere. Walleye anglers are also having some success on the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers.
Lake Michigan tributaries are mostly open and there has been some success for trout and salmon. The Root River Steelhead Facility started operation last week and 121 steelhead were spawned and passed upstream.
Kids 15 years and younger can mark the arrival of spring by attending free fishing clinics on Saturday, April 12, at several lagoons and ponds in Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington and Waukesha counties.
People who need a hunting or trapping education course should look for a course now. There are more hunter and trapper education courses taught in spring than any time of year. To find either a hunter or trapper education course, search the DNR website for "education" and click on the button for "Find a safety education course near you."
Wisconsin ecologists this week confirmed white-nose syndrome in bats at a single mine site in Grant County. The State of Michigan also confirmed the fungus that causes the disease for the first time this week. These two findings bring to 25 the number of U.S. states where the disease has been confirmed, and five Canadian provinces.
The spring wildfire season has begun and low humidity and gusty winds created High to Very High fire danger and the suspension of burning permits in several areas. In the past week, 44 wildfires burned 210 acres in DNR Protection Areas. Numerous fires also burned in "cooperative" parts of the state where local fire departments respond. Stay aware of fire danger and burning permit requirements by searching the DNR website for "fire" or calling 1-888-WISBURN.
Raptor migration is on the rise, with northern harrier, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, and sharp-shinned hawks moving through right now. In the south, bald eagles are on eggs or even tending to young chicks, peregrine falcons have begun egg-laying, and most great horned owls now have chicks.
Spring peepers and chorus frogs have begun calling in the south. The maple sap run is winding down in the south but still going on strong in the north. The Outdoor Recreation page of the DNR website has optimistically been updated to reflect spring. Find out about spring activities and recreation opportunities by searching for "explore outdoors.
And a reminder, next Tuesday is the Spring Fish and Wildlife Rules Hearings and County Conservation Congress meetings held at 7 p.m. in every county of the state. New this year, spring deer herd status meetings will also be conducted at the spring hearings. For information search the DNR website for "spring hearings."
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Outdoor Report editors:
Paul Holtan, DNR Office of Communications, Madison
608-267-7517 or paul.holtan@wisconsin.gov
Nolan Pickar, DNR Communications Specialist, Madison
608-535-2925 or Nolan.Pickar@Wisconsin.gov