Fire for fowl
Spring Creek State Wildlife Area prescribed burn
Any woods walker who wanders the trunks this time of year can hear the crunchy needles or leaves beneath them. Before any substantial amount of rain saturates our forests and before any new green growth sprouts to the sky and shades the understory, fire season engulfs our arid and fuel-rich landscape.
Rhinelander team wins dartball state championship
Wiedeman inducted into hall of fame
Rhinelander’s McDonald Bus Service dartball team, captained by Jeff McDonald, shot a bullseye — or hit a home run rather — in the 2026 State Dartball Tournament, taking home the Class C championship after defeating Balz Inn of Athens last month at the Central Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center in Rothschild.
General fishing season to open May 2
New regulations in place for Oneida and Vilas counties
The wait is over for the anglers who have anticipated getting back on the open water of more than 15,000 inland lakes across the state to cast their crankbaits with the hopes of reeling in a big one. As anglers head out for the general fishing season opener tomorrow, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds residents to check updated regulations for the 2026-27 season. There’s an abundance of lake specific changes across the state, as well as new season frameworks for inland trout and muskie.
Deer management unit 116 CDAC meeting
Zero-doe-harvest quota to be recommended to Deer Advisory Committee
With the statewide Citizen Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) meetings wrapping up, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Deer Advisory Committee will soon review CDAC harvest quota and season framework recommendations. Towards the end of May, the DNR administration will review harvest quota and season framework recommendations as well, before the final proposal is made to the Natural Resources Board (NRB). The NRB will approve final deer season structures during their scheduled June 24 meeting in Kenosha.
Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings held statewide
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) held their annual spring hearings on April 13 from 6-9 p.m. in all 72 counties. Public comment was welcomed at the hearing, and questions were taken by a panel of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff and WCC members.
The importance of scouting
Any fundamentally sound duck or goose hunter ought to know the importance of scouting. They know that to have a successful day afield, you have to hunt where the ducks want to be, and the only way to do that is to find them.
DNR reminds public that young wildlife are soon to emerge
In a recent press release, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) described what to do if you encounter young wild animals as temperatures continue to increase across the state. “The public can help keep wildlife wild by observing from a safe distance to provide young wild animals their best chance of survival,” the release stated.
Timberdoodle timeline
On a recent moonlit drive home, the gravel roads wound a reminder around my impossibly cornered eyes of just how chaotic spring can be here in Wisconsin. With an almost 60 degree high before nearly a foot of snow and ice in the forecast, I shouldn’t be surprised.
From block to block: Time Capsule Decoys
“You got some history there, young man,” Kenley Cordts, 90, of Tomahawk told me as a I leafed through a book titled “Ducks and Men: Forty years of co-operation in conservation.” The book, copy written in 1978, tells the story of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), and the beginnings of its integral part in conserving continental waterfowl populations.
NRB to consider adopting emergency order regarding migratory bird hunting regulations
Concealment restrictions to change if adopted
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) will meet Wednesday, April 15 at 8:30 a.m. in Madison. On the NRB’s agenda is Emergency Board Order WM-13-25 (E), which, if adopted, would affect chapter NR 10 (game and hunting), specifically the 2026-2030 migratory bird season framework and regulations.
2024-25 creel survey reports for Tomahawk Chain, Minocqua, and Kawaguesaga lakes
If you’re an angler who fishes on the Minocqua Chain, you may have been interviewed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries staff during past fishing seasons about what you caught, how long you’ve been out, and some of the specific species you’re targeting.
Caramel on the Coast
A journey for the fulvous whistling duck
Of all of the duck species in North America, the fulvous whistling duck is probably the most unfamiliar to Wisconsin. It likes the warm, treeless coastlines of Texas and the ocean expanses that border the Louisiana bayou. Habitats like the Everglades, where you see American alligators, is where you can find fulvous whistling ducks.
Lakeland Trap team welcomes 61 athletes this spring
The Lakeland Trap team features a record 61 athletes, including nine female shooters, that will compete in the Great Northern Trap Conference (GNTC) this year.
Long-term monitoring of lake trout on Trout Lake
DNR continues research on genetically unique lake trout
As part of a long term monitoring project, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries management continues the sampling of lake trout on Trout Lake.
Rediscovery
It’s probably no secret my love for the outdoors started immediately, when I sprouted from a coppice aspen cut into the cool February air of Park Falls — claimed to be the ruffed grouse capital of the world. Since then, it’s drummed up something more than just a feathered fondness of wild and scenic rivers winding around hometowns nobody has ever heard of. It has become a way of life. I live it and breathe it, see it and feel it. I make my own life out of it. And most important to me, I photograph it.
Snowstorms blow through the Northwoods
It should come as no surprise that Wisconsin gets a late snowstorm every year. Whether it’s still officially late winter or early and mid-spring, it’s bound to happen. Even as late as May, spring can get suffocated by an envelope of January or February.
Arctic Ambience at Loess Bluffs
Right where the states of Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri converge, there’s a conglomeration of arctic noise bound for the profound north. For now, though, that arctic ambience is found at the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City, Missouri. Just west of the refuge, the historic Missouri River rambles southeastward to shape the state lines and provide a compass for migrants of the far-off heavens.