River Currents Badger Sportsman 4-21-08

It’s the third week of April and finally spring seems to be in the air. It was only a week or so ago that we had another snow storm in most of Wisconsin. Spring has been at least 10 days to 2 weeks behind schedule or normal this year. The Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers have been extremely high most of the month of April and have slowed down most river walleye fishing. But despite the high water, the water temperature on most rivers and lakes in the southern half of the state has slowly risen (due to warmer nights and a few warm rains) and as I write most water in the southern half of Wisconsin is above 50 degrees.

I was out with the DNR on April 19^th when they were doing their fyke netting, data collecting, and population counts on Madison’s Lake Kegonsa. Every spring, one lake in the Madison Chain of Lakes (Lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Wabesa, and Kegonsa) is netted and the data taken from the captured fish show how the lakes are progressing and how the fish populations are doing. Normally, I would have been out fishing the Wisconsin River or Lake Wisconsin. But, the Wisconsin River is flowing at a rate of 34,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) which is way above the normal flow of 3 to 4,000 cubic feet per second. The water is up many feet and very dirty and about the only people in the area catching walleyes and saugers are those who are wading or shore fishing. Boat control is difficult when the water is this high with a current that could match that of the Detroit River.

The netting in the spring allows the state to capture many of the lake’s fish species when the fish were concentrated in shallow water and easier to catch. This time of the year, most species can be netted in water that is less than 10 feet deep.

The good thing about the high water is that years when there is high water in the spring usually means that most fish species will have a good spawn. I know that northern pike should have a good spawn because their eggs are sticky and need something to adhere to and the high water should have filled the marshes, sloughs, and backwaters in most of our rivers. Many walleyes from the Winnebago system spawn up in the marshes of the Wolf River and some Wisconsin River walleyes spawn up the Yellow River, so hopefully these locations had a good spawn too because they had plenty of water.

Anglers are still ice fishing in northern Wisconsin, though some of the lakes are starting to open up around the edges. I remember years past when it was questionable whether the northern lakes in Wisconsin would be open for the beginning of the inland lake fishing season. This year, the inland fishing season opens May 3^rd and it is possible that some of the larger lakes, like Trout Lake, might still have some ice on them. As I write, there is still good ice fishing for perch, crappies, and bluegills. I’m not saying this is going to happen, but it’s possible.

Deer and Turkey Expo

I was at the Deer and Turkey Expo in Madison and helping out in the Badger Sportsman booth where it was great to meet so many of you readers. Thank you to all of you that purchased the “deal” of 5 issues of Badger Sportsman for $5.00 or purchased a year subscription and got another year free. These are super deals to get sportsmen and women introduced to what I consider the best outdoor magazine in the state. Those of you who subscribed will find out what a great publication this magazine is to anyone who loves and enjoys the Wisconsin outdoors. The Expo was packed with hunters, outfitters, guides, product representatives, and people selling about anything a deer or turkey hunter could want and more. Glenn Helgeland and his staff do a great job with the Expo in Wisconsin and the other Midwestern states were they also have Deer and Turkey Expo’s.The seminars were excellent and covered a wide range of hunting topics from where to set your tree stand, how to butcher your game, and how to establish a quality food plot. I happened to interview big game hunter, writer, and TV. host Jim Zumbo. If you hunt, I’m sure that you’ve heard of Zumbo, who has a great show on the Outdoor Channel, called Jim Zumbo Outdoors. Jim hunts, fishes, and works on his show and writings about 250 days a year and has been doing it for decades.

Annual Conservation Congress County Meeting and Spring Hearings

April 14^th, 2008 citizens of Wisconsin were given the chance to attend, elect their local delegates who represent their county’s interests on natural resources issues, record their position on DNR rule proposals and Conservation Congress advisory questions, and introduce citizen resolutions pertaining to the management of Wisconsin’s natural resources. Wisconsin is the only state where such hearings are held with the public providing input to the Conservation Congress and DNR.

Approximately 6,400 people attended the meetings in every county in the state. Kurt Thiede, the DNR liaison to the Conservation Congress said, “Hearing results, along with written comments on proposed rules, and DNR recommendations are used to advise the state Natural Resources Board. This year’s results are will be reviewed at the board’s May 28 meeting in Milwaukee. Votes are non-binding and are presented to the Natural Resources Board to reflect public sentiment on proposed DNR rule changes.”

The hearings are held along with the Wisconsin Conservation Congress county meetings. DNR related proposals are then presented to attendees by the DNR staff. After the DNR business, the meeting is reconvened as a Conservation Congress meeting and congress advisory questions are presented and county congress delegates elected. Also, during the congress’ portion of the hearing, people may introduce resolutions for consideration and vote by the attendees at the hearing.

This year, some of the most important wildlife rule changes proposed included; extending the raccoon trapping and hunting seasons by 15 days to coincide with the closing of the coyote trapping and fox hunting and trapping seasons, was approved by a vote of 5,030 to 496; establishing a new population goal for bobcats was approved, 4,217 to 1,143; and prohibiting paintball activity on DNR managed lands except when approved by the DNR, 4,453 to 1,077.

The most discussed proposal prior to the meeting was a proposal by the Congress recommending that the state begin drawing up plans for a grey wolf hunting season. The grey wolf was removed from the Federal endangered species list in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota in February 2007. Again, attendees voted 4,848 to 772 in favor of developing a future framework for a wolf hunting season.

Hearing participants also rejected two fishing questions about changing the muskie season. Voters rejected by 3,232 to 1,801an option that would create a catch-and-release season for muskies in the northern zone (waters north of U.S. Highway 10) beginning the first Saturday in May and limiting anglers to using only artificial lures with barbless hooks. The voters also rejected by an even greatert margin-3,617 to 1,202-an option to move the opening day for the regular muskie season in the northern zone to the first Saturday in May, the same as the muskie opener in southern muskie waters. Harvest could occur and barbless hooks would not be required.

One other advisory question asked by the Natural Resources Board was a two-year trial extension of the fall wild turkey hunting season through December 31, except for the November nine-day gun deer hunt in turkey hunting zone 1-5, passed 4,016 to 1,595. Check the DNR website at www.dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congress/spring for the complete results of the Spring Hearings. My only complaint is that of all the anglers and hunters in Wisconsin only 6,400 people elected to attend these important hearings. This is where an individual has a chance to voice their opinions and suggestions.

More DNR News

Zebra mussels have been found in Lake Wisconsin this spring by Alliant Energy at the Prairie du Sac Dam and by local citizens monitors. Susan Graham, a lakes management coordinator for the DNR, said, “The zebra mussels found indicate that there is an established, reproducing population in Lake Wisconsin. Mussels ranging from very tiny adults to larger adults (over 1 inch) were found attached to the Prairie du Sac Dam turbines and samplers placed up-lake.” These invasive species can take a toll on the environment, recreation, and the economy. Boaters and anglers must take special care when moving their boat to another body of water. They should remove plants, animals, and mud from your boat, trailer, and equipment. Drain all water from the boat’s live well, bilge, motor, and anything else that is in the water. Dispose of unused bait in the trash and not the water. Later, rinse and spray down your boat with hot water and if you can let things dry out for a few days.

Zebra mussels have infected many waters in the state and this expansion must be stopped along with all the influx of invasive species.

Great Lakes Compact

Governor Doyle has finally called on the State legislature to convene in a special session and pass the Great Lakes Compact, which is an agreement between the eight Great Lake states and two Canadian provinces not to divert water outside the Great Lakes region. This is the first special session in Wisconsin history calling for Great Lakes protection. The Assembly passed the Compact by a 26-6 bipartisan supermajority, the Assembly failed to bring the measure to a vote during the regular session, prompting Doyle to call for the special session. Wisconsin residents support the Compact by a large margin. The Compact also addresses the invasive species problem since most of these invasives come from the ballast water of foreign ships entering the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.

Revised VHS Rules

Anglers, under the new revised rules can take minnows purchased from a Wisconsin bait dealer home and use them on the same body of water, or use them on a different one if the minnows hadn’t been exposed to any water from the lake or river fished, under the new and revised rules implemented to prevent the spread of VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) fish virus. The revised rules also prohibit people from harvesting live minnows for bait from VHS-infected waters for personal use because wild minnows are not tested or inspected, as are the minnows sold by registered bait dealers in Wisconsin. Again, I suggest checking the DNR website for more information.

Turkey Hunting

The 2008 spring turkey hunting season opened Wednesday, April 16^th in all of Wisconsin. The weekend before, April 12-13 was the Youth and Mentor Hunt and by all accounts it was a success with many turkeys being harvested.

Many hunters were concerned about the turkey population after the severe winter most of the state experienced. According to Scott Hull, a DNR upland game ecologist, the past winter may have had an effect on turkeys that have expanded their range into marginal areas of the state. The warmer winters of the last decade have allowed turkeys to expand to most areas of Wisconsin. Hull said that turkey mortality associated with winter starvation is minimal and even in areas where there was a severe winter, wild turkeys have the capacity to rebound or recover within a year. I’ve been seeing groups of turkeys regularly since the snow cover was lost and hunters out the first period had good success and reported seeing many birds. Turkeys are responding to calls and decoys.

There still may extra permits available for some zones in the state. The day that the extra permits went on sale, March 28^th at 10:00 AM was a disaster. The ALS system which is how the state sells everything these days crashed and hunters were left in line for hours while the system struggled to recover. Check with the DNR to see what zones still have permits left. The last list I saw had permits for various zones in the 5^th and 6^th seasons.

Pheasant Fest 2009

Madison’s Alliant Energy Center was announced as the site of the 2009 National Pheasant Fest on February 6-8, 2008. This is the fifth year of the event and is billed as one of the largest platforms for conservation in the Midwest. Last year, the event was held in Minneapolis and drew over 30,000 people. Matt Frank, Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, called the 2009 conference a “tremendous opportunity” for Wisconsin’s outdoor sporting enthusiasts and the state and capital city of Madison.

Pheasants Forever has 30 Wisconsin chapters with over 7,000 members. The chapter members have completed over 15,800 habitat projects totaling over 113,000 acres in the state since 1982.

The Fest will include a national consumer show, habitat seminar series, and a family event complete with puppies, tractors, shotguns, and art. Check www.pheasantfest.org for more information.

Wisconsin Sportsmen

The state’s 1.2 million anglers and hunters spend $8.6 million a day or $3.1 billion a year on their passions. Here are a few examples of how important fishermen and hunters are to the state.

• Sportsmen support twice as many jobs in Wisconsin as Trane (56,600 vs. 26,200 jobs)
• Annual spending by Wisconsin sportsmen is more than the revenues of CUNA Mutual Group ($3.1 billion vs. $2.9 billion).
• Annual spending by Wisconsin sportsmen is equal to the revenues of the state’s dairy industry ($3.1 billion)
• Wisconsin sportsmen annually spend $220 million on outboard motors and boats to get on the water and around the marshes for hunting and fishing.
• Wisconsin sportsmen outnumber the populations of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine, and Appleton (1.2 million vs. 1.1 million).

Wisconsin ranks seventh in the number of resident anglers behind Texas, Florida, California, Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan. The state is also fourth in resident hunters, third in out of state anglers, and seventh in days on the water. In money spent, Wisconsin sportsmen spend $3.1 billion to rank seventh nationally, seventh in fishing expenditures at $1.7 billion, and third in hunting spending at $1.4 billion. Sportsmen also support 56,600 jobs and rank third, 31,300 fishing jobs at a ranking of fifth nationally, and 25,300 hunting related jobs. Remember, that one of every 4 resident’s fish or hunt in Wisconsin.