Winnebago clarity superior as spearing season looms
With just days to go before the 2014 Winnebago lake sturgeon spearing season opens Feb. 8, state fisheries officials report that water clarity and ice conditions are the best in a decade. And these keys to spearing success continue to improve. DNR fisheries biologists checked water clarity the morning, Feb. 4, and found increased visibility from several weeks ago when clarity already was excellent.
DNR experts expect a great harvest and
an early season closure due to fabulous water clarity.
"The current water clarity conditions of 14-16 feet of visibility are the best we've seen since the 2008-2010 spearing seasons, which were all very successful spearing seasons lasting four to eight days," says Ryan Koenigs, Winnebago sturgeon biologist with the Department of Natural Resources.
Read the full story and see DNR video under “Inland Fishing”.
Wisconsin wild turkey hunters registered a total of 4,633 birds during the fall 2013 wild turkey season, a decrease of 34 percent from the 7,054 turkeys registered during the 2012 season. Success rates also decreased, from 12.9 percent in 2012 to 7.1 percent during the 2013 season.
"The late spring and wet June last year translated into poor overall reproductive success for turkeys, so with fewer young birds out there we expected to see a bit of a drop in harvest during the fall season," said Scott Walter, upland wildlife ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. "However, the magnitude of the decline from the 2012 harvest was somewhat surprising. We'll be looking at the results of our fall hunter survey to see if hunter participation rates or effort may have played roles in the drop in harvest."
Speaking of Mr. Tom…time is running out for private landowners in parts of southeast and northeast Wisconsin to sign up for the Turkey Hunting Access Program (THAP). Tomorrow, in fact, is your deadline. THAP is a voluntary pilot program offered by the DNR that provides financial incentives to private landowners in wild turkey management zone 2 who open their property to public turkey hunting. The deadline to enroll for this season is February 7, 2014. Participants can sign up for three years. Annual lease rates are $5 per acre, per year, with an upfront payment from the state, for the term of the lease to May 29, 2016. Call or email program coordinator Justin Blindert at(262) 224-9884 or at justin.blindert@wisconsin.gov if you have questions or would like to participate.
It’s Show time! Mark your calendars.
The Wisconsin Decoy and Sporting Collectibles Show will be held Saturday, March 8, 2014 from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1355 W. 20th Avenue, Oshkosh. Buy, sell, trade….with free appraisals on Saturday and room to room trading on Thursday and Friday afternoon and evening. For table information and appraisals call Roger Ludwig at 920-233-0349 or connect at rogfuzz@charter.net.
Calling all Hunters! The Wisconsin Sport Show to be held in March in Eau Claire is proud to announce the 2014 Antler Contest sponsored by Scheels. This contest is open to all ages and prizes will be awarded by random drawing of all entries.
Whitetail trophies will be measured by certified measurers with each entrant receiving a written certification for their records. In addition to whitetail antlers, moose, bear, and elk can be measured at the event and also receive written certification reports.
Official measurers with the WI Buck and Bear Club will be on site all weekend and will provide certification and entry information for trophies qualifying for the state record books.
Entry fee is just $20 and includes measurement, written certification, and one adult admission to the show. Multiple entries per person are allowed. Trophies may be dropped off on Friday, March 14 from 4 to 8:30 PM or Saturday, March 15 from 10 AM to 6 PM, or Sunday, March 16 from 10 AM to Noon. Entries must be picked up on Sunday, March 16 from 3 to 5 PM, prizes awarded on event main stage at 3:15 PM Sunday, March 16 by random drawing. Over $1,000 in prizes to be given away including Scheels gift cards and a resort vacation valued at $500.00.
Event hours are 4 to 8:30- PM Friday, March 14, 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, March 15, and 10 AM to 4 PM on Sunday, March 16. Advanced admission tickets are $6 or just $8 at the door for ages 11 and older, 10 and younger are free. Tickets are available on-line at www.wisportshow.com, Eau Claire Scheels store, or any Gordy’s County Market location.
More information on attending or participating in this event is available at www.wisportshow.com.
The 2014 Deer & Turkey Expo will be held April 4,5, and 6 at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison. Tap into bargains at nearly 600 exhibit booths, see big Badger Bucks and Bears in the trophy contest and enter your own trophy in the competition, and connect with deerinfo.com to see what else will be waiting for you. We’ll keep you updated too on this website. Clip the coupon in the Deer & Turkey Expo ad in March-April issue of On Wisconsin Outdoors and take your $3.00 discount at the door.
Connect with “Outdoor News” to tap into more items from more sources than we can list here. If you want to keep tabs on the quest from sea to shining sea to keep our liberties, well, free, tap into “Firearms”. It’s one of my favorite spots because there are a lot of people and gun organizations serving as watchdogs for the rest of us. Now if only the newspapers would.
See you on the ice of Winnebago this weekend. Thanks for connecting with On Wisconsin Outdoors.
Shoot straight.
Dick Ellis