Chew on This!
Some great treats for your New Year’s Eve celebrations
New Year’s Eve is a great time to celebrate with friends and family over some great food. I have included here some of my favorites. One of those, Baunga Cauda was on my aunt made every New Year’s Ever when we went to the U.P. to celebrate there. It quickly became my favorite part of the festivities, and I enjoy it to this day. I also had to include another super old favorite — cheese fondue.
WCC wolf advisory committee hears update from department, urges preparation for delisting
Steve Schuchomel, one of several stakeholders from the public, spoke to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) wolf advisory committee at their recent meeting regarding the wolf delisting.
U.S. EPA looks back at third year of PFAS Roadmap implementation
In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put together their PFAS Roadmap. This roadmap delineated many of the tasks they have taken on in the last three years, although work on PFAS had been going on in the agency already before that.
Minocqua Chain emergency rule on walleye harvest now set to carry through until permanent rule starts
The Minocqua Chain is currently operating under an emergency rule for walleye harvest, as many anglers know. This was to be the last year of zero harvest by both tribal members and state-licensed hook and line anglers. However, last spring, tribes made harvest declarations for the chain and there was a subsequent harvest.
Ten-year panfish study looks to see which regulations would work to improve size structure
Alex Latzka, fisheries systems biologist and panfish team co-chair for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), came to the Natural Resources Board (NRB) this month with a review of the 2016-2026 panfish study result so far.
Natural Resources Board approves changes to Deer Management Assistance Program
The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) is a program through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that helps private land owners to manage their property for deer and other wildlife.
Fish Like a GIRL
More Christmas gift ideas for outdoor adventurer
Last week I talked about field guides and journals as gifts or state park or state trail passes. This week, I wanted to go a little more “adventure-y,” if you will. A little more toward the survivalist-type of gear.
DNR bear advisory committee recommends quotas for 2025 season
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) bear advisory committee met at the Mead Wildlife Area to look at quotas for the 2025 bear hunting season and to recommend tag allotments based on those quotas.
WCC wolf advisory committee considers citizen resolution for farmers and compensation
Last week the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) wolf advisory committee met for their regular meeting. One of the items on the agenda was a citizen resolution, brought forth by Valerie Dantoin of Seymour.
Management with fire increases bird abundance, diversity in oak dominated woodland
Maia Persche of the UW-Madison and Ann Calhoun of the Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin recently presented the results of their three-year field study looking at managing woodlands for oak using fire may increase biodiversity and can change soundscapes of those woodlands.
Fish Like a GIRL
What is on your Christmas wish list?
I was thinking about Christmas, and what types of things are usually on the wish lists of outdoorsmen and women. A good friend of mine’s wife bought him a Garmin watch for Christmas. She gave it to him early. I guess, like me, maybe she has a hard time keeping a secret. I am very bad about presents — it is difficult for me to not give them early. I am like a little kid; I get so excited, but I digress.
Salt use in winter can affect summer fishing
As winter sets in, road salt can be found on roads, side walks and parking lots. Every year in the United States 20-30 million tons of road salt are applied to surfaces in an attempt to keep people safe from slipping and falling and from crashing their vehicles when sliding on slippery roadways.
Early ice is tempting, but caution is needed
Many “hard water” anglers wait patiently through the fall for ice to start forming on their favorite lake. The lure of “early ice” has been the downfall, literally, of more than one angler.
What to do when encountering wildlife
One of the main reasons people are outdoor enthusiasts is because they love wildlife. Seeing and hearing those sights and sounds is one of the main bonuses of being outside. Humans should not attempt to approach wildlife purposely, but sometimes as we venture out, we find ourselves too close, and sometimes too close for comfort with a large predator.
Fish Like a GIRL
Technology changes the game, but hunters, anglers still need to put in work
Readers may have seen the piece I wrote last week about opening weekend of the gun deer season. I had a discussion with Balie Strasburg of Strasburg’s North Country Taxidermy about how the weekend went. She was telling me how some hunters, especially younger hunters, were leveraging apps to find public land and do some research, giving them better odds of bagging a buck during the hunting season.
Tomahawk venison feed draws hundreds of eager hunters
This year was the 59th iteration of the Tomahawk Venison Feed. The event was started as a way to get those traveling up north to pull off the highway and stop for a venison burger and some camaraderie before heading off to deer camp. Even with the misty rain, hundreds of hunters came out to kick off their season as many have been doing for years, making this stop part of the tradition.
Hunter success was area dependent on opening weekend
Anecdotal evidence in the Northwoods showed that many hunters saw very few deer on opening weekend. But in some places, hunters were seeing more deer, but bucks were hard to come by. John Fetzer sits on the Oneida County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC), and, because he does not gun hunt, preferring archery season instead, this gives him the opportunity to drive around to talk to hunters on opening weekend, he said. He has been doing exactly that for the last four years since he has served on the CDAC.
Deer donation program helps feed families
The deer donation program in Wisconsin allows hunters to donate any legally harvested deer through the program. Since the program’s inception in 2000, over 94,000 deer have been donated and processed into more then 3.8 million pounds of ground venison. Once processed, the ground venison is distributed to food pantries around the state.
2025 bear, turkey applications due Dec. 10
Both spring turkey applications and fall bear hunting applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 10 every year.
Vilas County land and water management plan goes to full board
Carolyn Scholl announces retirement as county conservationist
The Vilas County land and water conservation committee met for a public hearing, for the review of the new 10-year land and water management plan. This plan will guide the department in their programs in projects for the next decade, and is required by Chapter 92 of the state statutes in order for the county to qualify for annual funding. The plan starts in January of 2025 to 2034.
Fish Like a GIRL
My 2025 project goal tracker is complete
The other day I had an odd morning free, so I decided to sit down and take a look at my ideal 2025. I created a goal tracker, and I’m pretty excited to see how it works out for me for the year. I am not one to make “New Year’s Resolutions,” really.
Deer Management Units revamp underway, open houses held
Public comment period to follow
Most hunters in the Northwoods are aware that there are changes proposed to the deer management units (DMUs) in the Northern Forest Zone. The proposed plan brings DMUs back to a more habitat-based system.
Deer season changes throughout the years
Deer seasons have changed over the years, but one thing has remained strong — hunters still flock to Wisconsin’s woods and fields in search of trophy bucks and venison for the freezer. Here are some of the changes that have happened over the years, starting in the mid 1800s.
Things to do on Hunting Widows Weekend
Make it a fun start to the holidays
While more and more women are going out into the woods during deer season, many still stay behind and enjoy the proverbial “Widow’s Weekend.” But simply because the men are in the woods or at deer camp does not mean women need to stay home to “keep the home fires burning,” like back in the day.
Commemorate that first hunt
A youth’s first hunting experience is a memory they will not soon forget, whether they are able to harvest an animal or not. A harvest, of course, makes that memory extra special. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to help first time hunters of all ages to commemorate that experience.
Fish Like a GIRL
Thanksgiving is a time of reflection
It is interesting how life works out sometimes. This week, I knew I wanted to write about Thanksgiving, as it’s just around the corner. It’s an important time to me, and one that marks the beginning of the holiday season. It includes gun deer season. It is a time of celebration and also reflection.
Feeding and baiting defined
Bans still in place across the state
As stated in the gun deer season outlook story on this page, baiting and feeding of deer in Oneida and Vilas counties is still banned. These bans are statutorily regulated.
Use proper carcass disposal options this season
In an attempt to limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), hunters should avoid moving the carcass of harvested deer. In fact, there are only certain parts of a deer that may be legally moved beyond the county of harvest or an adjacent county.
Chronic wasting disease calls for safe handling of harvested deer
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects cervids such as white tailed deer. The disease causes holes in the brain, eventually leading to death of the animal. However, cervids can have the disease for 18 months or more before showing clinical signs of CWD.
Have deer tested for chronic wasting disease
Experts advise against eating meat from sick animals
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has once again urged hunters to have their deer tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD), the always-fatal neurological disease affecting cervids such as white tailed deer, elk and mule deer.
Hunters in the town of Stella area asked to get deer tested for PFAS
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking hunters who hunt within a three-mile radius of the town of Stella, east of Rhinelander, to bring in a tissue sample from those deer harvested in that area. The hope is to better understand if the per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that has been found in the area is accumulating in deer meat.
Hunters unsure about gun deer season, but could it line up perfectly?
Anecdotal evidence suggests yes
This deer season will be anything but predictable for many. While the deer herd should be strong coming off of an almost non-existent winter, this will also be the latest possible start for the nine-day gun deer hunt.
DNR advises to check venison for lead
According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website, the department is advising caution for hunters when dealing with deer harvested with lead bullets. At times, tiny portions of lead can be found in processed venison. Some fragments have even been found far from the wound channel.
Wolf predation shaped by prey availability, pup-rearing demands in summer
Thomas Gable of the University of Minnesota and his research team conducted a study from 2015-24 on the summer predation behavior of more than 500 wolves. The team searched over 40,000 clusters of GPS locations and identified over 1,900 kill sites in an effort to see how the temporal dynamics of wolf predation changed during summer months.
Healthy Watersheds High Quality Waters viewers show valuable lake information
Wisconsin, and the Northwoods in particular, is home to some high quality waters. This recent webinar, presented by Lauren Haydon of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), looked at what can be done to protect those waters.
Hunters can help stop the spread of terrestrial invasives this fall
As hunting season approaches, there is always an uptick in the number of people who are in the woods. Hunters hike in to their stands breathing in deep the crisp morning air and leaving crunching under their feet.
Fish Like a GIRL
Navigating grants with the Besadny Grant committee
Last week, I mentioned that this week I would talk about some of the grant applications that came through for the Besadny Grant Program. I am a member of the Natural Resources Foundation board, and through that, I was able to grab a seat in the Besadny Grant committee. Having been a member of the Lumberjack RC&D Council as the Vilas County representative for just over a year now, when I got the chance for a spot on the
Chew on this!
Salad primavera
Before we know it, the holidays will be here. Many of us are already getting ready for deer camp and all the fun, food and camaraderie that comes along with that. All of these things can mean we need to bring a dish to pass, or bring something to add to the holiday festivities.
Preliminary deer harvest numbers available
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has preliminary deer season numbers available on their website through Oct. 29. So far, in the Northern Forest Zone, the DNR website shows 6,680 deer had been registered. Of those, 3,998 were antlered deer and 2,682 were antlerless.
Trees for Tomorrow gets funding to help with outdoor classroom
Founded in 1944, Trees for Tomorrow in Eagle River is the state’s oldest natural resources based school. The school uses transformative educational experiences to promote sustainable use of natural resources.
Wolf kills of deer fawns near human infrastructure more dependent on deer movement than building density, study finds
The Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem (GVE) is an ecosystem in Northern Minnesota in which many studies of wolves have been done. That research continues today. The ecosystem boundary was set nut by any geologic or hydrologic landscape features, but in order to bound the study area and therefore the research efforts.
Phenological extremes could jeopardize walleyes in north-temperate lakes
A 2024 study by Martha E. Barta et al. looked at phenological extremes and how those might affect walleye in 194 Midwestern lakes. Growing variability in things such as ice off and on could be causing trophic mismatches, or mismatches in the timing of peak predator and prey abundance.
Wayne Plant retires from Lumberjack RC&D
Wisconsin’s Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (RC&Ds) was established in 1962 through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Lumberjack RC&D was established as a local council in the Northwoods in 1968.
Does large carnivore policy matter?
Erik Olson of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources posed this question with his research he revealed at the Great Lakes Wolf Symposium in Ashland last month. He wondered whether large carnivore policy would build more tolerance for those who were somewhat intolerant to having a species such as wolves close by.
Using historical data to predict possible changing fish growth rates
Aquatic ecosystems are facing many different stressors that all interact with each other, according to Karen Alofs of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. These include climate change, habitat degradation, pollution, exploitation and invasive species. All together, these things can create a diverse set of biological responses in ecosystems. These stressors can act from a molecular scale, all the way up to perpetuating ecosystem-scale effects.
International Bat Week comes to a close
International Bat Week has come to a close, but that does not mean people should forget about bats. They are not only an important part of the ecosystems in which they live, but the are important to humans as well.
Fish Like a GIRL
Attending the Great Lakes Wolf Symposium was a great experience
Last month I attended the Great Lakes Wolf Symposium in Ashland. It was a three-day event, packed with session after session of wolf research and various other tidbits. Admittedly, not all of us in the room had the same perception of wolves on the landscape.
Department of Natural Resources wardens handle more than fish and game
Natural Resources Board hears update
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deputy chief safety warden Matt O’Brien reported on the Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection emergency response efforts at last month’s Natural Resources Board (NRB) meeting. Due to a board member’s request, he appeared to give the board an update.
Wolf conflicts in Wisconsin topic at Great Lakes Wolf Symposium
“You are in the area where wolves kill livestock,” said Dave Ruid, the USDA wildlife services northern region supervisor while speaking at the Great Lakes Wolf Symposium in Ashland earlier this month. He said there was a verified depredation just that morning, only a few miles from the symposium.
Grouse louse fairly common
Annoying, but no cause for concern
There have been reports of grouse louse being found in grouse harvested in the Northwoods this fall. The look of these flies can be a bit off-putting to grouse hunters, but there is no real cause for concern, according to Department of Natural Resources ruffed grouse specialist Alaina Roth.