News – Page 8

Wisconsin Wild Turkey Management Plan Survey Part 2

August 3, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

You can see the survey in its entirety by clicking on the link below.

Public Input Survey – Summary of Results

Fall Wild Turkey Hunting Season Survey 66.1% of responding turkey hunters also hunt turkeys in the fall.
By the zones Wisconsin fall turkey hunters hunt:

WI wild turkey off a snowshoe hunt

26.1% responded “Zone 1”

25.5% responded “Zone 2”

23.5% responded “Zone 3”

11.7% responded “Zone 4”

7.0% responded “Zone 5”

3.5% responded “Zone 6”

2.7% responded “Zone 7”

63% would like the fall season to open on the same time as it does now and 55% would have it stay the same length of time. Only 10% would like the season extended into January.

Currently a drawing is conducted to issue hunters their first permit. Many wonder why when there are tens of thousands of permits leftover for over the counter purchase. Hunters can buy one permit per day until they are sold out. By season’s end there are still thousands left unsold. Many dedicated turkey hunters buy extra permits they have no intention of filling just to support Wisconsin’s turkey management efforts.

A good sum of money would be saved by eliminating the fall drawing. 56% favor eliminating it.

If Wisconsin eliminated the fall permit drawing, what would you like the fall season bag limit
(total turkeys allowed for the entire season) to be? Assume that any hunter wishing to purchase a fall turkey
license would be able to do so. Please answer this question for the zone in which you typically
hunt during the fall turkey season.

50.5% responded “1 turkey”

29.7% responded “2 turkeys”

2.9% responded “3 turkeys”

1.2% responded “4 turkeys”

6.2% responded “unlimited with a tag”

9.4% responded “unsure/not applicable”

Again, like with the spring question I do not understand this correlation of answers if the drawing is eliminated then 80% want a one or two bird limit. But if the drawing continues the limit will continue to be “unlimited with a tag”.

I don’t understand the logic here.

In the big picture Wisconsin has very few dedicated fall turkey hunters, most fall turkeys are killed incidentally while hunting

Closing out 2011 Turkey Season in Wisconsin

another species, mainly deer. Perhaps the archers who shoot their turkey or 2 while on stand consider that’s enough and would like all other hunters out of woods by “rut time”. As a long time archery deer hunter I hate to admit the treatment directed by some archers at me while I was turkey hunting was very disrespectful. If I were a weaker personality I would have considered it intimidating. It was quite apparent they considered me a trespasser on their piece of public land.

Wisconsin Wild Turkey Management Plan Revision Process

August 1, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Wisconsin Wild Turkey

Yep, that is what they call it. When you have so much opportunity to turkey hunt a title like that surely makes a dedicated turkey hunter nervous. But since change is one of life’s certainties we must make the best of it. So far, there are no changes proposed, some are being thought about and the public input survey is the first step. The next step is a draft plan that will be submitted this fall with the final plan being submitted for approval by the summer of 2013.

Lets all hope the public survey is not the driving force in the new plan because only 2,124 surveys were completed. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that too small of a sample and a random sample at that. Krista McGinley and Scott Walter traveled the state of Wisconsin last spring to share information about Wisconsin turkeys and to collect public input. Sadly for all the travel and time they spent only 77 folks showed up at the meetings, charlie being one of them. The meeting I attended had 1 newspaper reporter, 1 warden, 1 biology professor, and 3 turkey hunters. The meeting was very informative and with so few there we had a good wide ranging discussion with Scott Walter. Scott and Krista are good people with their hearts in the right place.

Anyone who has followed my comments on Wisconsin turkey hunting sites know I am very concerned with the sharp decline in the number of turkey hunters. Those hunters who dropped out of turkey hunting are not included in the yearly hunter satisfaction surveys nor are their opinions in this plan revision survey. The survey’s respondents averaged 13.3 years of turkey hunting, we might call those hunters dedicated.

Some highlights from the survey:

80.9% strongly support the current spring season structure and drawing schemes.
97.4% respondents stated they hunt spring turkeys

During the spring turkey season, which time period (A – F) do you most prefer to hunt?

35.6% responded “Period A”
30.7% responded “Period B”
17.4% responded “Period C”
7.9% responded “Period D”
2.9% responded “Period E”
1.5% responded “Period F”

No surprise most of us want to hunt the first 2 time periods.

If Wisconsin eliminated the spring permit drawing, what would you like the spring season bag limit (total turkeys allowed for the entire season) to be?

49.3% responded “1 gobbler”
41.2% responded “2 gobblers”
5.1% responded “3 gobblers”
3.8% responded “4 gobblers”
0.7% responded “unsure/not applicable”

OK this one surprises me. 90% want a limit of 1 or 2 gobblers however 80% said they don’t want the current system changed at all. But it allows 1 per permit and there are quite a few hunters who take more than 4 per spring now. If someone can explain this please do.

Reason for the Loss of Hunters?

July 31, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Across the country the number of hunters continues to decline. If trend continues at its present rate wildlife conservation will dramatically suffer due to the lack of funding via hunting license purchases. No other outdoor user group as stepped up to the plate to willingly pay the fees and taxes required to maintain wildlife populations. If think this is wrong thinking feel free to comment.

As hunters we continually contemplate reasons why this hunter decline is happening:

Historically hunter numbers ebb and flow peaking about every other generation. So perhaps this current decline is part of that natural ebb and flow.
Modern education is demeaning and derogatory when it comes to man’s role in the natural evolution of development.
The technological advances have made would be hunters more comfortable in their homes so the incentive to go and spend extended periods of time in inclement weather without all conveniences of modern life.
Hunter population is aging and quitting for health reasons.
Fractured families and the increase in single female parenthood households are not conducive to introducing kids to hunting.
There are too many other entertainment distractions that are more fun than hunting.
Is this young hunter a hunter for life?

Distractions, hmm.. Who is getting distracted? The potential young new hunter?

Or is it us old-timers?

How could that possibly be so? “I love hunting and love to share it with beginners.” OK I understand, but hang with me a minute.

Many of us old-timers or experienced hunters if you prefer, jump at the chance to introduce kids to hunting. After all isn’t that what WI learn to hunt program and all special youth hunts are all about? Well, yes, that is the intention of these programs. But there are times I will hear a father comment about taking the kid out on the youth hunt, get them their deer or turkey and then “I” get to “really” hunt. Responsibility discharged. Of course not all verbalize it this way.

Thinking back on my introduction to hunting I realize there is more to it than that.

52 years ago there were no minimum age requirements to hunt or learn to shoot. charlie was shooting a Red Ryder BB gun at age 3 by the time he turned 6 charlie was profiecent with 22 rifle and successfully hunted small game.

Where are the stories told anymore? Adults have a lot of things going on, we get tired and on those occasions when our adult children come to visit with the grandkids do we mostly talk to the kids or our adult kids? Hey, I miss my kids so I talk to them along with the grandkids but not as much. My 9 year old grandson on his last visit said he was “going to play because adult talk is boring.” This raised no eyebrows, pretty normal, kids like to play. Something about this comment stuck with me and when that happens I reflect.

After arising before the sun I was enjoying a quiet moment reading an old book of hunting stories, when my grandson’s words popped into my head. It hit me then. Many of today’s hunting books and articles are how to, or if they make an attempt at a story it is a description of the kill with plugs for the latest products used to make the kill and you must have these if you too want to be successful. Uff.

Hunting allows you to be a participant in nature rather than just a casual observer

Do we tell the stories any more? The stories of hunts successful or not sets off sparks of desire, they did for me as a young lad. Those recounted tales of the hunt sparks ignited all that dry rambuncous tinder into a raging fire of desire to hunt.

Raccoon Color Phases

July 29, 2012 by Charlie 6 Comments

Picture Courtesy of Ticklish Tom Custom Calls

Everyone knows what raccoon looks like and what color they are, right?

This Wisconsin raccoon is different, looks to be blonde says Randy, the fellow who caught him raiding his chicken coop.

According to Scott Craven Professor of Wildlife at University of Wisconsin wild raccoons colors can “vary from buff brown, black, yellow or orange variations can occur.”

Advanced Wildlife Control in Southeastern Wisconsin report they have caught and released 100 yellow phase raccoons.

The raccoon population in West Central Wisconsin seems to be significantly reduced this year. During the spring I found dozens of dead raccoons lying about woods probably due to them getting distemper which is fatal to raccoons. There are many accounts of raccoon populations dying off due to this. Raccoons can pass on canine distemper to dogs including coyotes and fox. My sightings of these during the summer months are sharply down.

Back to our blonde, in case you are wondering what happened to the yellow chicken coop raider; he was released in an undisclosed location and hopefully he will not find his way back to the coop.

Round About to Turkey Hooked

July 29, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

To me hunting is not a sport, it is not a hobby and certainly not just another pastime; rather it is a “way of life”. Hunting is woven into every fiber of my being I must hunt in order to be whole, much as in the manner religion fills the yearning voids of spiritual need.

When a hunting season is not open I am planning my next; I am out there watching, learning and listening. More importantly, I am always hunting for that insight; you know; those fleeting moments when you see clearly the reasons…Then it’s gone just as fast as it came and on goes the hunt. But there are epiphanies, those moments when you understand a small piece of the driving force.

Turkey hunting did not grab me or more accurately infect me for several seasons. Originally turkey hunting started as an add-on hunt; in other words turkeys are only thing in my neighborhood available to hunt in the spring unless you consider bowfishing a form of hunting. Some do, some also consider fishing a substitute for hunting, but alas, for me, fishing does not quench my parching thirst for the hunt.

For several years, in the spring, when a 5 day permit could be drawn I’d halfheartedly turkey hunt and at times accidentally kill a turkey. Oh, I thought I was really turkey hunting mainly because I did not know any better and no one would ever have convinced me that dead turkey was an accident.

Until… A realization dawned; there was more to successful turkey hunting than hearing a gobbler, setting up, scratching a call and blasting him.

In truth turkeys are dumb, random in action and down right complex all at the same time. That is assuming you go out to kill one on purpose and not by accident.

What is an accidental turkey kill?

You come around a bend in the trail to find a strutting gobbler – Bam.
You set up on a trail, do no calling, turkey flies off roost and walks the only trail to the only food source – Bam.
You lay against the trunk of a tree sunning yourself to nap, crack an eye see a bird – Bam.

Nice but accidental kills none the less. Yea I have had some “easy” turkeys but more often than not they have required some work, a lot of work plus strategy. These easy turkeys do not hold a candle to; putting one to bed, arriving before the hint of light, setting up and being part of the first turkey conversation of the day. Hooking that bird with your calls and bringing him in on the audio string, playing him like a fiddle or like fish on light test line careful not to break it before – Bam. Walking through the big woods lush in bloom of spring flowers; casting out your audio line anticipating the strike—set the hook and play in the string – Bam. The turkey offers a complexity like no other game. It needs to grow inside the hunter like a fragile seed planted in fertile ground. No one can place it there and you can not force it. Be patient. In the meantime enjoy your hunts with open heart. Mr. Turkey will take care of the rest and you too will be become “turkey hooked.”

Here is the moment I got turkey hooked.

Dawning of an understanding

One of the hardest things for me – a hunter is explaining why I hunt. Like those who have tried to justify hunting before me I feel a certain humble inadequacy with the subject. My insight into this question is no better than any others and you can learn from the greenest of hunters…….While elk bugling into Circle Creek Valley from high up on Saddle Mountain in Colorado; the young lad upon hearing a response exclaimed “he is talking to me, he’s talking to me!” Whereas my thoughts had just turned to a satisfying meat-laden pack biting into my shoulders. The lad was more right in his assessment of that for which I am forever grateful for that epiphany. A subtle and at the some time profound observation, for at that moment we had truly become a part of nature as participants. It carried forward into my next spring turkey hunt – “he’s talking to me!” In quiet moments I’ve thought how strange to have gotten “turkey hooked” on an elk hunt with one so inexperienced.

Correcting the Wisconsin Wolf Hunting & Trapping Misunderstandings

July 27, 2012 by Charlie 7 Comments

The wolves in Wisconsin must be elevated to game animal status to prevent them from being viewed as just pests.

In some quarters hysteria is developing over the thought of the wolf elevation to big game status. Which by the way is a good thing for the wolf’s long-term outlook.

No matter how you feel about wolves in the wild, they are here to stay so get used to hearing and seeing them. The protection, preservationist extremists, also must get used to the idea that wolves have entered into the royal order of the respected game animals.

We have argued about wolves long enough so for the sake of the wolf let’s begin proper management enabling the wolf to live within the carrying capacity of the available habitat; this goes for some of my fellow hunters too.

The established wolf season framework is useful and makes sense. There are some controversial points that I feel compelled to address.

Here is a brief outline of Wisconsin’s wolf regulations-

These are not too controversial unless of course, you oppose wolf hunting:

• Season dates: October 15 to end of February
• Legal Weapons: Firearms, bows, crossbows
•Shot size: Larger than BB allowed

Use of dogs is controversial even some hunters are up in arms:

• Dogs: May use up to 6 dogs in a pack to track or trail wolves beginning day after Nov. gun deer season

Some deer hunters have concerns about dogs running during the gun deer season, that is not a problem due to dogs not being allowed until after the Nov gun deer season. Others including those who do not hunt and some misguided hunters just plain do not like the use of dogs for any hunting let alone wolf hunting. Some of your minds are most likely closed and not open to change, that is too bad; while others may be on the fence or think “to each his own” good for you guys and gals.

It takes a very specialized dog to run wolves, and I am not sure there are very many wolf hounds in Wisconsin. The wolf hounds that may be here are probably not trained for wolf hunting. I wonder if there any trained wolf hounds in the United States other than those used by government hunters whose job it is to eliminate problem wolves in the West. (good work if you can get it)

If any hounds-men think they can use their bear hounds for wolves be very careful, the required training is different. Wolves are territorial in the extreme, packs of wolves fight each other when one pack violates the territory of another. Wolves kill each other in these battles so the average pack of hounds unfamiliar with “fight to the death tactics” will be at a disadvantage. A wolf being chased is not going to come to bay or tree like a bear does, rather it will find the rest of the pack to engage the trespassers. There are plenty of sad stories here in Wisconsin of hounds and other hunting dogs being killed by wolves.

Once hounds-men do their research I doubt they will run their dogs after wolves, so the concerns of those opposed to wolf hunting with dogs are overblown.

• Baiting: Shall be allowed but regulated

• Calling: Allowed including electronic calls
• Night Hunting: Legal option beginning day after Nov. gun deer season
• Use of Lights: Flashlights only at point of kill

Night hunting wolves raised some hackles; again not allowed until after the gun deer season. Coyotes and raccoons are hunted at night. So what is the problem here? Most night time wolf hunting will most likely be done from a calling setup as is with coyote hunting.

• Cable restraints: Shall be allowed as a trapping method
• Trapping: Shall be allowed with specific regulations

Trapping too gets under the skin of some who are just plain anti-trapping. Others worry about their bird dogs, yeah me too, but then if an area is known to have a lot of wolves they are a bigger threat to my bird dog than a few traps lying about. Currently during bird seasons trapping season is also open so I am already on the lookout for sets to steer my dog away.

Most wolf trappers will probably use a cable restraint so that non-target animals can be released unharmed.

Here are the preliminary wolf trapping regs-

Methods for Trapping
Traps: It is illegal to set, place, or operate steel-jawed traps
with a maximum spread width of more than:
• 7 inches from Oct. 15-Nov. 30 unless it is a water set.
• 8 inches from Dec. 1-Feb. 28.

Cable Restraints: It is illegal to set, place, or operate any cable
restraint for wolves except from Dec. 1-Feb 28. To be a legal
set, the cable restraint must:
• be 10 feet or less in length with a diameter of 3/32 inch or
larger and be composed of multiple strands of wire;
• have cable stops that ensure that the portion of the cable which
makes up the noose loop may not be longer than 48 inches
when fully open or less than 8 inches when fully closed;
• be set with the bottom of the cable loop 6 to 14 inches above
the surface;
• include a reverse-bend washer lock with a minimum outside
diameter of 1¼ inches and a 1,500 pound roller swivel that
acts as the maximum opening cable stop; and
• be staked in a manner that does not allow the restraint device
to reach any part of a fence, rooted woody vegetation greater
than ½ inch in diameter, or any other immovable object or
stake that could cause entanglement.

The 2012 wolf hunting season proposal is a temporary framework, known as an emergency rule. During next year, the department will begin work on a permanent rule.

Information on the hunting season proposal can be found on the DNR website dnr.wi.gov search for keyword “wolf.”

Hunting for Sustainability: A course for novice hunters

July 24, 2012 by Charlie 4 Comments

Man has been hunting since the beginning of his time. Hunting is the natural state of nature which is why hunting is commonly considered “a way of life” rather than just a sport or hobby.

Madison College is offering a continuing education course Hunting for Sustainability. This sounds like a great course which is directed at the new or novice hunter.

Madison College, in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources, is offering this continuing education course that aims to show how hunting plays into conservation and healthy living. You’ll also learn hunting skills, ethics, tools, and techniques from experienced hunters. And, you’ll be able to participate in a mentored deer or pheasant hunting experience. Become a more sustainable omnivore. Learn from experienced hunters.

Kudos to Madison College for making this course available.
Hunting is critical to funding conservation and perhaps more importantly hunting makes you into a participant rather than just an outside observer of nature and your food.

Buffalo County Wisconsin Cougar Photographed

July 19, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

News Release Published: July 18, 2012 by the West Central Region WDNR

EAU CLAIRE – An avid outdoorsman, using a trail camera for the first time on recently purchased land in Buffalo County, came up with pictures of a wild turkey, a white-tailed deer and, surprisingly, a wild roaming cougar.
A wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources, Kris Johansen, visited the site with a warden and confirmed the background vegetation in the photograph matched the site. In addition, the biologist found and identified cougar tracks on a small patch of sand in the area.

Nighttime trail camera picture on July 14-15 making for quite a surprise to the new landowner

However, with dry, hard soil throughout the area, it was not possible to track this animal. Cougars are famous for their ability to remain concealed from view and to move across large distances without being detected. The best chance for additional information on this cougar might be another trail camera or an observant individual who recognizes cougar sign.

Buffalo County is a trophy deer mecca and both landowners and guides use trail cameras extensively.

“There are probably more trail cameras in Buffalo County, per-capita, than in any other county in the state,” said Johansen. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it shows up on camera again.”

While there have been several verified sightings of cougars in Wisconsin in recent years this was only the second verified sighting in 2012. A cougar was verified near Crandon in northeast Wisconsin on March 26. In all cases where biological material was available (hair, scat, blood) the cougars were identified as young, male, North American cougars

DNA testing of biological samples and other evidence has confirmed that at least six individual male cougars have visited Wisconsin since 2008.

This latest cougar was photographed in northern Buffalo County between Gilmanton and Mondovi sometime after dark Saturday. DNR staff is searching the area for additional prints or biological samples, but so far none have been found. Without DNA, it is not possible to say whether this is a new individual or a previously identified cougar.

There is currently no evidence that cougars are breeding in Wisconsin. Biologists believe the cougars known to have entered Wisconsin are male cougars dispersing from a breeding population in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Evidence shows that at least three of these cougars moved on and left the state. One of these, the “St. Croix cougar” that entered Wisconsin from Minnesota during the winter of 2009-2010, was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut in 2011. Biologists estimate that cougar traveled at least 1,055 miles and possibly as far as 1,600 miles.

Cougars are a protected species in Wisconsin and cannot be shot unless attacking a human or a domestic animal. Cougar attacks on humans are exceedingly rare. They are rarely seen even in western states where they exist in high numbers.

By charlie:

Cats like birds. By most accounts there are more wild turkey poults this year than usual so he should be well feed with no reason to move on. What you think?

Bulllet Head Stamp Gallery

July 16, 2012 by Charlie 10 Comments

Have you ever look at the bottom of your bullets? Usually you see an indication of the brand, so big deal, of course you know the brand, you removed it from the box. What if you’re going through some old stuff and encounter some loose rounds with head stamps you have never seen before and you start to wonder.

I recent question by huntfishtrap on the Outdoor Life forum asking about some .22 LR rounds his Grandfather had; this had an HP stamp. As a young man I burned a lot of those Hi-Power Federal rounds so I knew that one well. Then I got to thinking there are lots of ammo companies no longer in business or they have changed their logos, so how would one go about finding this information.

After some extensive searching I found an interesting site The Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners here they have galleries of head stamps where you can look up head stamps and see images of them or if you have one that is not there yet it can be uploaded. A great historcial archive!

Complete Gallery of Rimfire

The Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners general gallery

This is one of the boxes Federal Hi-Power 22 LR came in.

Wild Turkeys in Hot Dry Weather

July 13, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Wild turkey hen with a brood of poults.
Photo by Kevin Cole

Many hunters and other nature lovers are wondering; how all the hot, dry weather is affecting the wild turkeys? They are all going die off…
Not necessarily. Wild turkeys do not require very much water on a daily basis, as a matter of fact, they get most of their moisture from the food they eat even if this food appears dry to us. Dying plants produce more food for turkeys; some attract more insects, while others cast off seeds and nuts. There are a lot very arid habitats in the Western U.S. that have very healthy populations of turkeys. That being said, I don’t like the heat or the extreme dryness any more than anyone else but apparently, so far, the wild turkeys are loving it.

Wild turkey nesting success rates were high due to warm and dry spring
photo by charlie elk

If my observation of brood flocks and those of other hunters is any indication; we have an unprecedented nesting success rates here in Wisconsin. In most cases, wild turkeys do better in drier conditions rather than wet especially during the brood

season.

So how can all the dried and dying plants produce the food growing poults need?

There are hosts of insects, particularly beetles that feed on or under the dead plants. These dead and dying plants have seed pods, flower buds, catkins, pine cones, plus failing ag crops such as beans or peas, etc. are all eaten by turkeys, when there is a drought the bush, tree or plant sheds them early making an easy ground food source the turkeys relish. Depending on the area, failed ag crops may not get harvested at all; it’s very likely they may be plowed under sometime after the crop insurance has paid. If these are not turned under or cut for silage, the standing crop will provide food above the snow and valuable thermal cover.

We become dismayed as we watch the receding water levels of swamps, ponds, rivers & lakes. However, the wild turkey must celebrate as the water recedes a shoreline full of high protein dead aquatic delights (minnows, leeches, water bugs & all the different water plant buds and seed pods) are exposed for easy feeding.

The other day I was out in mid-Southeastern Wisconsin where it is currently arid, a particularly parched & wilted corn field was full of turkeys feeding on the immature dried out ears of corn. The farmer, of course, was very distressed, who can blame him as he watches his livelihood turn to dust. Fortunately, crop insurance will help him and perhaps some of our hunting organizations should pay some of these farmers to leave the destroyed crops in the field until next spring to benefit all wildlife and the soil if the drought continues.

Come this fall and the spring of 2013 there should be a bumper crop of turkeys. Wild turkeys continue to amaze me with their survival tenacity.

Survey Wisconsin Hunter Numbers are Dropping

July 10, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Hunters called to protect state’s hunting heritage

Hey, where did the hunters go?

By: Keith Warnke, DNR Hunting and Shooting Sport Coordinator

Survey: hunter numbers dropping

We had 11 hunters, including five kids, at our deer camp last year. Sleeping arrangements were a bit complex, but we made it work. In the moments before dawn, all 11 were up and dressed ready to venture out to their posts to play an assigned role in the group hunt.

That’s hunting in Wisconsin — steeped in tradition and family values. There are hunting families and camps that have persisted for generations. Others, like ours, can only claim a decade or two of fun stories. If you only talk with hunting friends – in person or electronically – it’s easy to get the feeling there will always be as many hunters as there are today.

A look at statistics gives a different picture, however. The total number of hunters the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported to the federal government has declined from 770,000 in 2000 to about 704,000 in 2010. A recent demographic analysis published in Population and Environment predicts the number of resident male deer hunters will decline by more than 25 percent in the next 18 years. The figures predict an average decline of 1.6 percent per year with the drop off accelerating in the later years.

Moreover, DNR surveys reveal the number of small game hunters has declined by an average 2 percent per year for the past eleven years and attendance at Hunter Education courses has dropped by an average of 2 percent per year since 2000.

The evidence indicates we are at the beginning of a long, steady decline in number of hunters in Wisconsin. With more than 700,000 still hunting in the Badger State, should we respond now? Yes.

Yes, because we still have a lot of hunters. And, hunters are the only ones who will be able to ensure our future by mentoring new hunters. Further, there’s no successful model to follow for recruiting new hunters and hunter numbers are declining around the nation. We need time to learn what works for hunter recruitment in the 21st century.

Efforts to slow the decline have been growing in popularity recently. Groups and partners around the state have offered the Learn to Hunt program where anyone 10 years old or older (including adults) can try hunting with a mentor, without passing hunter education. In addition, people participating in an organized Learn to Hunt event are not required to have a hunting license. Licenses are required for youth hunts and for mentored hunting outside of Learn to Hunt events. More than 10,000 people have participated in a Learn to Hunt program around the state since the first one occurred in 1997. Last year participation increased by more than 10 percent — a great sign.

Change is in the air as we continue to grow the hunter recruitment and retention program. We are actively recruiting more and more adults and families to learn to hunt events using the DNR website to open up registration to anyone looking for an event. (Search keyword “LTH” at dnr.wi.gov to find an event near you.) Streamlined access to hunter education courses will be made available for adults who are interested in starting up. We can track the successful recruitment of a new hunter over time and hopefully identify the factors that lead to lifelong interest. And, finally, we are piloting a course designed to teach interested adults to hunt and provide the first-time hunting experience at Madison College this fall.

Now comes the hard part: Sacrifice is required to make a new hunter. Maintaining our hunting heritage will only be successful if we all take it on. We can all increase the focus on mentoring adults and families into hunting. It takes time and commitment and I believe we have enough of both. Stay tuned for more information on what you can do and how you can be involved in protecting your hunting heritage.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke – 608-576-5243

Wisonsin Department of Natural Resources press release June 5, 2012

Hunters encounter mild weather, new registration options

Wisconsin Wild Turkey

MADISON – Turkey hunters took advantage of comfortable hunting conditions this spring, judging by the preliminary registration total of 42,612 turkeys, a 6 percent increase over the spring 2011 turkey season. A total of 201,984 permits were issued for this year’s hunt, down slightly from the 2011 total of 210,384.

Unseasonably warm weather characterized much of the season, in stark contrast to last year when snow, wind, and rain hindered hunters during the early time periods.

“It really was an amazing contrast, weather-wise, from last year’s hunt,” said Scott Walter upland wildlife ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. “Last year, there was snow on the ground, below-freezing temperatures, and high winds during the first time period. This year, spring was at the other extreme, probably two or three weeks ahead of normal, and the green-up was already quite advanced by the first week of May. Those who hunted later in the season definitely had denser vegetation and more mosquitoes to deal with than they likely expected.”

Zone 1 again produced the highest overall turkey harvest at 12,075 birds, followed by Zones 2 and 3, where hunters registered 10,486 and 10,283 turkeys, respectively. The highest hunter success was in Zone 2 with a preliminary success rate of 26 percent, followed by Zone 3 at 21 percent and Zone 1 at 20 percent. Success rates were between 16 percent and 19 percent for Zones 4 through 7. Overall, the statewide success rate was 21.1 percent, up from 19.1 percent last year.

The very different weather conditions during the 2011 and 2012 seasons may also have influenced how hunter effort was distributed throughout the season. Harvest during the first time period was 29 percent higher in 2012 than in 2011, but tapered off more steeply throughout the season.

“After the first time period, I was expecting a big jump in overall harvest,” Walter noted. “We did end up 6 percent higher than last year, but we actually harvested fewer turkeys during the last two periods than we did in 2011.”

Turkeys spread quickly from the initial 1976 stocking in Vernon County, and today are found statewide in areas with suitable habitat. As the number of both turkeys and turkey hunters increased in the state, so have annual harvests. Turkey populations have now stabilized across the state, and Walter says hunters should expect to see annual harvest levels nudge upward and downward from year to year in response to factors that tend to regulate turkey populations; weather is one such influence.

“Successful reproduction by turkeys is dependent upon suitable conditions during the May nesting and June brood-rearing periods, and turkeys in the northern part of the state can be impacted by severe winter weather,” stated Krista McGinley, assistant DNR upland wildlife ecologist. “Given dry spring weather and mild winters, turkeys can increase quickly in number, but wet springs and harsh winters can slow population growth from one year to the next. Hunters should expect to see this sort of annual variation in turkey numbers and annual harvests now that turkeys have saturated the available habitat.”

“With the weather cooperating as it did, the 2012 spring season was exceptional in the opportunities it created for camaraderie with friends and family,” Walter said.

That was reflected in a 16 percent jump in the number of turkeys registered during the two-day Youth Hunt.

“The legion of folks out there who served as mentors or in other capacities to introduce folks to hunting this spring really deserve credit,” Walter added. “They really cast hunting in its most positive light. Their actions serve not only to introduce people to the outdoors, but also to the experiential, spiritual, and community-building aspects of hunting that are all too often neglected in the public’s eye. The National Wild Turkey Federation and its members perhaps best exemplify this emphasis, through their strong support of hunter education and Learn to Hunt programs around the state.”

Telephone, online registration working well

This season was the first spring turkey hunt in which hunters didn’t have to transport their turkey to a registration station to get it registered due to phone-in and online registration systems, first introduced with the fall 2011 turkey hunt. Hunters seem to have transitioned to the new systems well.

“The majority of hunters have expressed satisfaction with the new systems, frequently citing their convenience; quite a few stated that they were able to register their turkey via cellphone right in the field,” McGinley said.

Hunters are reminded that these remote registration systems will be in place for all future spring and fall turkey seasons. No in-person registration will be available.

2012 fall season

Biologists say the recent mild winter bodes well for turkeys in Wisconsin, as well as prospects for this fall’s season.

“The fact that hunters were frequently harvesting exceptionally heavy gobblers this spring suggests that turkeys came out of the winter in good condition. This is especially important in the northern zones, where harsh winters can lead to mortality, and suggests that turkeys statewide likely entered the spring in good condition for breeding,” McGinley said.

A successful nesting and brood-rearing season will help propel turkey numbers upward. Generally speaking, dry conditions during June keep newly-hatched chicks from getting chilled and suffering from exposure, and lead to good production in all upland game bird species.

“Things were relatively dry during the nesting season. Most turkey nests hatch around the first of June in Wisconsin, and though we’ve had a bit of rain lately, dry weather over the next few weeks will help those chicks survive the critical first few weeks,” said McGinley.

The 2012 Fall Turkey and 2013 Spring Turkey regulations are included in the 2012 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations pamphlet, available on the Hunting Regulations page of the DNR website and in hard copy at DNR Service Centers and license vendors. For more information search for “turkey” on the DNR website.

The fall 2012 wild turkey season will run from Sept. 15 through Nov. 15, with an extended season in Turkey Management Zones 1-5 only from Nov. 26 through Dec. 31. The deadline for applying for a fall permit through the lottery process is August 1. Applications cost $3 and can be purchased over the internet through the Online Licensing Center, at license sales locations, or by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4263).

State turkey management plan revision underway

DNR staff are currently summarizing results of a survey of public attitudes and opinions regarding turkey management in the state. The goal is to incorporate this information into a revision of Wisconsin’s Wild Turkey Management Plan, a document that will essentially serve as the foundation for turkey management in the state for the next decade. Surveys were administered to attendees at eleven public input sessions held at various locations throughout Wisconsin in late April and early May, and an online version of the survey was available through May 31.

The survey asks for input regarding hunter satisfaction with various components of our current turkey hunting season structure, with respondents able to provide their reactions to a variety of possible alternatives.

“Data are still being analyzed but hunters who attended the sessions expressed very strong support for the six separate spring time periods, largely I think concerned by the threat of interference and competition that would occur if we had a single spring season,” McGinley said.

The full revision process will likely extend well into 2013.

“If all goes well, we’ll work with all of our partners to move forward with the plan, hopeful of taking it to the Natural Resources Board for approval sometime next spring,” Walter said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Walter, Upland Wildlife Ecologist: 608-267-7861 or Krista McGinley, Assistant Upland Wildlife Ecologist: 608-261-8458

Hunters register 5,433 birds in 2011 fall wild turkey hunt