Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for October 4, 2012
Fall colors are now at or near peak, with a few areas past peak, but good color being reported in most areas. That could change with the forecast for winds and rain that could bring down a lot more leaves this weekend. For current statewide information on statewide fall color, log onto the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Fall Color Report (exit DNR).
People heading out this weekend should be aware that there is a two-day statewide youth deer hunt on Saturday and Sunday. During any gun deer hunt, all other hunters – except waterfowl hunters – are required to wear blaze orange clothing. This includes archery deer and turkey hunters, and hunting safety specialists also recommend waterfowl hunters wear blaze orange when travelling to and from blinds.
Many more archery hunters were afield last weekend and they were reporting more pre-rut activity, with scrapes and rubs becoming more abundant. Many nice bucks were registered in the last week.
The southern zone duck season opener was greeted with blue bird weather, with sunny skies and mild temperatures. Many hunters reported that a lot of local ducks are still around. Hunters were successful in harvesting wood ducks, mallards and blue- and green-winged teal, which are usually the first to head south. A lot of small ponds were dry from the drought, so hunters found success in rivers and lakes. The cold front forecast this weekend could start to bring the first waves of northern divers into the state.
Waterfowl hunters are also being reminded that Mississippi river zone closed Oct. 1 and the South zone will close Oct. 8. Both will reopen on Oct. 13. As a reminder, goose hunting in these areas will also be closed at this time, except within the Horicon zone. Hunters are also being cautioned that trumpeter swans and whooping cranes are beginning to migrate so they should be very certain with their identification.
The bear season comes to a close Oct. 9 and hunters have continued to report that bears have not been coming to bait as usual, because of an extremely plentiful acorn crop this year.
Fishing activity has been relatively low on waters across the north, but the sunny and warm weather made for some excellent fishing conditions. Water temperatures have dropped down to the mid to upper 50-degree range and many northern lakes are seeing the fall algae bloom that is associated with the turnover period. Musky action continues to be very good in the north, with some anglers beginning to use suckers with some success. Walleye action also picked up. In the south, the Madison area lakes continue to offer some good action for musky, northern pike, walleye and panfish. Perch fishing continues to be good on Lake Winnebago.
Low stream flows continue hamper the fall trout and salmon spawning run on Lake Michigan tributaries, but there are a few more fish making it upstream and many more anglers were out last weekend. If rain and cold weather arrives this weekend, it could trigger a decent run, as many fish continue to stage in harbors.
Large flocks of migrating bluebirds, robins, and catbirds are passing through southern Wisconsin. Various hawk species are continuing to migrate through the area as well, and six young whooping cranes took off from White River Marsh State Wildlife Area in Green Lake County on Sept. 28, trailing an Operation Migration ultra-light plane that will lead their inaugural migration to Florida's Gulf Coast.
DNR Outdoor Report in Portable Document Format (Requires Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®)
Upcoming Events at DNR Parks, Forests and Trails
Paul Holtan
paul.holtan@wisconsin.gov
Office of Communications
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707
(608) 267-7517