State still has high quality of hunting
Wisconsinites have never been more ready for fall.
Summer wore out its welcome this year. By late August, the Badger State felt downright Amazonian, with rain events measured in feet and heat and humidity too close to triple digits.
So good riddance summer. Bring on football and get the kids back in school.
We want to return to a season that feels genuinely Wisconsin.
You know what I'm talking about: Crisp air. Clear skies. Trees dressed in red, orange and yellow.
And for a segment of the population, a renewed opportunity to express the hunting and gathering gene.
The 2018 Wisconsin hunting season is upon us. Several – early Canada Goose, early teal and mourning dove – already started.
Many more begin Saturday, Sept. 15. Each Wisconsin hunting season is unique, of course. This one will feature a new rule designed to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease, causing many deer hunters to adjust the way they handle their kills.
It may also see a shortened ruffed grouse hunting season in Zone A. As you may have read in coverage over the last year, ruffed grouse in the Upper Midwest showed unexpected drops in population and hunter harvest. The Natural Resources Board is expected to rule on a proposed change at its Sept. 26 meeting.
On the other side, Wisconsin will hold its first managed elk hunt. The population of the native species in northern Wisconsin surpassed 200 this year, allowing state wildlife managers to offer a limited hunt of five bull tags for the general public and five for American Indian tribes.
With regard to deer, the population is high in much of state and multiple antlerless tags are widely available, in most cases free, with the purchase of a license in many counties.
And hunters will be able to keep three Canada geese daily (up from two in previous years) over a 90-plus day exterior zone season.
Although I've heard grumblings from some hunters about the deer carcass transport rule and the potential for a shorter grouse season, it's important to keep things in perspective.
If you talk to hunters from other states – which I do on a regular basis – you know Wisconsin continues to offer among the highest quality and greatest variety of hunting opportunities in the nation.
From white-tailed deer, to black bear, to wild turkey, waterfowl, small game and, yes, ruffed grouse, the Badger State ranks among the very top.
Change can be hard, but let's not forget the quality of the resources around us.
What awaits hunters in Wisconsin in 2018 is again a rich variety of opportunities to connect with their outdoors roots, foster relationships with friends and family and provide free-range protein for the table.
As it does each year, Department of Natural Resources wildlife managers have prepared a comprehensive hunting forecast. What follows are select items drawn from that forecast and interviews with DNR staff.
The complete forecast will be posted in the next week at www.jsonline.com/outdoors.
Remember that no hunt is a success if it isn't conducted safely, ethically and lawfully.
Follow the basic rules of hunter safety - treat every firearm as if it were loaded; always point the muzzle in a safe direction; be certain of your target and what is beyond it; and keep your finger outside of the trigger guard until ready to shoot.
If you're an experienced hunter, add a measure of success to your season and introduce a friend, co-worker or neighbor to hunting.
Hunting not only plays a valuable role in wildlife management and the state’s economy, it's a natural part of the human experience that can engender a deeper appreciation for nature and awareness of the environment.
Here's to a safe and rewarding 2018 hunting season.
Deer
Archery and crossbow Sept. 15 to Jan.
6 Regular gun, Nov. 17-25 Muzzleloader, Nov. 26 to Dec. 5 December antlerless-only gun hunt, Dec. 6-9
Youth gun hunt, Oct. 6-7 Disabled gun hunt, Oct. 6-14 Coupled with an excellent growing season that is providing abundant food sources, reports across the state indicate plentiful deer sightings that fuel enthusiasm and good prospects for the upcoming seasons.
Only one county (Iron) is "buck only" this year, another sign deer numbers are up compared to earlier this decade.
Deer hunters should read the new carcass transport rule and make plans, if necessary, to the way they handle their kills.
Bear
Sept. 5 to Oct. 9
The outlook is bright for the black bear season, according to the DNR.
Population models continue to suggest healthy numbers across the state’s primary bear range, with the most recent estimate indicating there are 28,700 bears.
Densities across the majority of Wisconsin’s occupied bear range are in excess of 1 bear per square mile, so hunters can expect to encounter bears with a little effort and time spent in the woods.
Hunters registered 4,159 bears during the 2017 season, or 83% of the statewide quota of 5,000. A quota of 4,550 was set for this season.
Waterfowl
Youth waterfowl hunt, Sept. 15-16 Ducks
North Zone, Sept. 29 to Nov. 27 South Zone, Sept. 29 to Oct. 7; Oct. 13 to Dec. 2.
Mississippi River Zone, Sept. 29 to Oct. 5; Oct. 13 to Dec. 4
Canada goose
Early September season statewide, Sept. 1-15
North Zone, Sept. 16 to Dec. 16 South Zone, Sept. 16 to Oct. 7; Oct. 13 to Dec. 2; Dec. 16 to Jan. 3
Mississippi River Subzone, Sept. 29 to Oct. 5; Oct. 13 to Jan. 3
Waterfowl hunters will see several changes this year. Perhaps the biggest is all three duck zones will have the same opener, Sept. 29.
Another is the elimination of the Horicon Canada goose Management Zone, which results in a single statewide regular goose zone.
Goose hunters also will see an increase in the daily Canada goose bag limit to three birds per day, up from two in recent years.
And in a regulation change, goose hunters no longer need to perform infield harvest validation.
Populations of ducks and geese are above the long-term averages, allowing liberal season formats and bag limits.
Turkey
Sept. 15 to Jan. 6 (Zones 1 to 5) Sept. 15 to Nov. 16 (Zones 6 and 7) Brood observations for 2018 won't be tabulated until later in September, but in 2017 turkey brood production in Wisconsin had more regional increases than declines. Overall, turkey broods seen per observer hour increased 8% from the previous year.
Permitted hunters harvested 3,971 turkeys in the 2017 fall season.