Hardwood Hearings
Bridges & Beavers
If you find yourself analyzing public land satellite imagery on any available mapping service, zooming in on remote and off-the-trail beaver flowages, scheming the best way to bushwhack into said beaver pond or trying to estimate the time and distance down an old and overgrown logging trail while also trying to persuade someone to come along on a crazy whim with you and your duck hunting gear, and then eventually planning a duck hunt on that beaver pond with little to no scouting, where you’ll probably see little to no ducks, and shoot even fewer, you might be something like me.
Bill Sherer’s Current of Trout Knowledge
“If you have a Wisconsin gazetteer, one of those map books, the trout regulations, and a smartphone, you can find every bit of trout water in the state,” master fly tyer, Bill Sherer told The Lakeland Times at his shop in Boulder Junction. Sherer, 70, has been fly fishing since his youth, only fishes with a fly rod, and has owned the We Tie It Fly Shop for nearly 24 years. His career fly fishing has led to four line class world records (including one that was broken by a customer), and one accidental all-tackle world record in Florida.
Hardwood Hearings
When the experience works out
The sun was destined to burn the rain off by morning, but it was hard to predict its course of action as we stood in the slashing drops the night before. Cloudless skies would be a much needed scenario to make the greenheads burst in front of the backdrop. As the sun set behind the overcast, rain ransacked across the reserve, and all we could do was hope it’d be gone by daybreak. I walked across the desert sand optimistic it would be.
Howard pins 10-pointer
Eighth grader Kennedy Howard beat the heat during the Oct. 10-11 youth weekend and filled her tag on Oct. 11 with a 10-point buck while hunting her family’s property. The buck had a 16 and 3/4-inch spread, and she estimated was about 80 yards out when she took the shot — only 40 minutes into her morning hunt.
Starting small
Rabbit, hare, and squirrel seasons for novice gunners
Small game species can be found in a variety of habitats throughout Wisconsin, but snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbit, and both fox and gray squirrels may be the most accessible and best for novice hunters to start out hunting. Seasons for each species are underway now.
Lower Kaubashine Lake Association seeks feedback on draft plan
The Lower Kaubashine Lake Association (LKLA) is seeking public comment on its draft aquatic management plan now through Nov. 30.
Bone dry ‘balancing act’
Hansen: ‘There’s just over 40 percent of the water left to get to March or April’
With drought conditions persisting into fall for over half the state (51.9 percent as of Oct. 15 according to drought.gov), aquatic landscapes across the Northwoods continue to dehydrate. Artificial manipulation of water levels and flow on our northern reservoirs may stave off temporary drought conditions, but prolonged and extreme drought can dry up a lot of options.
Hardwoood Hearings
Peak at the peak
Because the fall colors peak for just a short period, I put some other things on hold and take flame in the fiery Northwoods when the timing’s right.
Northwoods trapping tactics
Season opens Oct. 17 for coyote, fox, bobcat, raccoon, fisher, other species to follow
Trapping season opportunities for many of the state’s furbearer species, like fox, bobcat, fisher, raccoon, and coyote, begin Oct. 17, while others will open in the following weeks and months.
GLIFWC ‘objects’ euthanasia of 9 wolves, DNR says policy was followed
Following an Oct. 5 statement by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) objecting to the euthanasia of nine wolves in Price County, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) added to its original statement, and included a comment from DNR secretary Karen Hyun:
Hardwood Hearings
Arctic eyes circle blue
Her blue eyes staring intently to stay, she forced my feet stiffly past the water which ran down her feathers to moisten the earth. In the continual misty shower she remained eerily still, as if part of the vegetation indentation. I tromped on by as she nearly slipped my detection. Scanning left to right with each step into the forever forward, I caught her hidden heartbeat out of the corner of my eye.
9 wolves in Price County euthanized due to human safety threats
GLIFWC: No notification ‘damages existing relationships and fractures trust’
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed in a statement Friday, Oct. 2 that nine wolves were euthanized in northern Price County due to human health and safety threats.
Going for Grouse
The extended duration of ruffed grouse season means there is still time to pursue perhaps one of the Northwoods’ most well-known game species. Nearly a month into the season, it may be time to get out and ruffle some feathers before the snow starts to fall.
Hardwood Hearings
Opening day
The closing of night before opening day is probably the most prepped and ready I get for just about anything. It’s something I wait nearly an entire year for. Opening day; two words that pay partly to the homage that makes the outdoors all that it is. Two words that pay partly to all that I am.
NRB discusses Line 5, passes invasive species and ‘rehabilitation regulation’ rules
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) held its September meeting on Sept. 23 in Sturgeon Bay. Secretary Karen Hyun concluded her opening statement by explaining the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) involvement regarding Enbridge Line 5. It was a topic that saw the majority of public comment during the open forum portion of the meeting, including statements from out-of-state affiliations.
Island bounty
Prince William Sound black-tailed deer hunt
It’s hard to beat the sun up when you’re living in the land of the midnight sun. Luckily, I was rising in Cordova, where drenching droves of rain dump from clouds that hide the sun. You can beat the sun because it’s hardly ever sunny.
Duck season starts across the north
Wisconsin’s Northern Duck Zone — which includes the region of the state north of highways 10 and 41 — opens tomorrow, Sept. 26. The season starts a week before the Southern Duck Zone, and runs to Nov. 24.
Crass bags biggest buck yet
Tenth grader Colton Crass harvested a nine-point buck on opening day of archery season, Sept. 12. Crass said it was his biggest buck to date, and plans on getting a shoulder mount to commemorate his hunt.
Verified wolf conflict in Oneida County
Two dogs killed north of the Willow Flowage
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services verified a bear hunting dog and wolf conflict in Minocqua on Sept. 18. The incident occurred north of the Willow Flowage, and resulted in the depredation of two (one male, one female) 11-month-old walker hounds.
Conflict with the comeback canines
Human-wildlife conflict can happen in places potentially not thought of as wild, and some measures may reduce the risk of clashing with a wolf anywhere in the Northwoods. Large carnivore specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Randy Johnson, summarized the timeline of wolves in Wisconsin up to this point.
Bear down on tag donated to the Northwoods Youth Deer Hunt Challenge
Jase Kutschenreuter bags 543-pound boar
With his donated tag from the Northwoods Youth Deer Hunt Challenge (NYDHC), eighth grader Jase Kutschenreuter harvested a 543-pound bear on Sept. 9 — opening day of bear season. It was a new experience he and his dad shared, along with many others who helped set Jase up for success.
Hardwood Hearings
Black of night to black of day
For the sun being on the other side of Earth, the night was bright. My shining headlamp would’ve only been dwarfed by the lunar illumination, so I left it off. Even my truck headlights I could’ve gone without, but figured it would be best to risk breaking a leg instead of getting in a car accident.
Youth waterfowl hunt dawns this weekend
Stay safe and enjoy the hunt
The statewide youth waterfowl hunt runs Sept. 19-20 and is open to hunters age 15 and under. Since its inception in 1996, roughly 2,500 to 3,000 youth have participated annually in the youth waterfowl hunt.
The fast and the fiery
Wildland fire starting from lightning strike sends smoke to Hwy. 51
A wildland fire that ignited roughly half a mile south of U.S. Highway 51 near Manitowish on Sept. 12 burned an estimated 81 acres as of Sept. 15.
Cast of color for fall muskies
Find food and ‘stack your successes’
Fall brings a diversity of hunting opportunities to the state, but there’s still time to catch that big fish you were pursuing this summer. With the falling water temperatures, it might be time to get after Wisconsin’s state fish before the ice comes.
Hardwood Hearings
Her cliff and mine
Looking up, it didn’t feel so far. Looking down, the surface seemed to be a dreadful distance away. But that was then, and this is now.
Bear season breakdown
Pursuing one of the state’s most sought-after tags
Wisconsin is often a nationwide leader in black bear harvest, which can make a bear tag one of the most prized opportunities in the state. This year, a modern lottery system (which began in 1986) record of 15,245 tags were issued across six black bear management zones. There were 34,563 applications, with nearly half coming from bear management zones A and B.
Tire grit finding the weeds
Dave Lang unspools his journey in Northwoods fishing
“Drop your line, and we’ll hook up” was a maiden tackle box of words I heard Dave Lang, 84, say as I got his voicemail the first time I tried to contact him. Through a couple more calls and visits with Dave and his family, we eventually made it out to do what Dave Lang does best: drop his line and hook ‘em up.
Deer archery and crossbow opens Sept. 12
The statewide archery and crossbow deer season begins tomorrow, Sept. 12 and concludes Jan. 3, 2027. On the Fall Hunting Forecast webpage distributed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), interim deer program specialist, Derek Johnson, said “the deer herd going into the fall looks to be strong and healthy” for the Northern District.
Hardwood Hearings
Toenail Tap Dance
And it was the knifing curves of the Columbia, through Cascades and into a Pacific tomorrow, that carefully caught me up to this torrent of words.
Introduction of Eurasian watermilfoil to the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
One hundred years of change have modified the aquatic landscape held behind an impoundment first crafted at the confluence of two rivers. Now a century old, there’s a more recent transformation taking root in it’s tannin-dimmed waters.
Hardwood Hearings
Ducks, depression, and one ‘Ding’ dollar
Green controls a lot of our daily lives. Green(heads) maybe more so for me than the average Jane or Joe, especially come that flare and fire of late September and early October. Going a green further, Lakeland Times editor Trevor Green(e) gets an outdoors column every week as I ferociously grip my pen, chomp on my gum, and watch the second hand grind around the clock ‘til deadlines come.
Early waterfowl seasons begin Sept. 1
Early teal concludes Sept. 9; early goose Sept. 15
Wisconsin’s two early waterfowl seasons kick off Tuesday, Sept. 1. Early teal starts at sunrise on Sept. 1, and concludes Sept. 9. The Northern Duck Zone regular season starts Sept. 26. Early goose begins 30 minutes before sunrise on Sept. 1, and runs through Sept. 15. Regular goose seasons for the Northern and Southern zones start Sept. 16.
Hardwood Hearings
Air stagnation migration
Wind is one of the names of the game when it comes to hunting waterfowl. It can help with their restlessness and their wanting to get up and be on the move, especially when it’s cold out. Typically this movement has bettered my chance at harvesting birds.
50th annual World Musky Hunt Aug. 27-29
Event in Lake Tomahawk is all about having fun
The 50th annual World Musky Hunt will take place Aug. 27-29 in Lake Tomahawk. The hunt meshes contestants, local guides, past hunters, volunteers, and other community members in pursuit of the legendary fish. It’s an event designed to preserve the legacy of Wisconsin’s state fish, the muskellunge. All fishing is catch and release and no live bait is used during the hunt.
Hardwood Hearings
Expedition Esox
The bending banks in rivers wild brought me my first Badger State fish on a late summer day over a decade ago. Archaic branches of a fallen tree bent upward out of the water, but the structure beneath felt the freelance fins that tightened my line.
Cameras capture auxiliary marker resight information
Prior to the sentences that follow, take a look at your pinky fingernail and imagine there are two or three letters or numbers engraved on it. It could be 859, LH, 3XJ, OHH, 6XH, JN, 5NV, or some other combination of alphanumerics.
Hardwood Hearings
Monsters in the marsh
One of the more impassable objects in a duck hunter’s world are cattails. A flimsy little green thing, when laced, looped, twisted, turned, and knotted together provides a near impenetrable barrier.
Train ride turned fishing guide
George Metrich’s track to becoming an area fishing guide
“I guess you could say I was born in the wrong place,” George Metrich told The Lakeland Times as he remembered his youth on the South Side of Chicago. Metrich, a Marine Corps Vietnam War vet, said he first absorbed the Northwoods on a bow hunt soon after he got out of combat. After that, he knew he wanted his line to be strung to the land of lakes.
MKLPA appoints Steve Beckwith as new president
Association currently focuses on 5 main initiatives
The Minocqua/Kawaguesaga Lakes Protection Association (Lake Association) has appointed a new president in Steve Beckwith. Recently retired from a career in corporate America, Beckwith replaces Sally Murwin, who served for close to 30 years as the Lake Association’s president and retired this past year. Beckwith said this is a great way for him to give back.
Donated tag sparks youth bear hunting opportunity
NWYDHC draws Kutschenreuter as bear tag and guided hunt winner
After having at least one tag donated for the third consecutive year, The Northwoods Youth Deer Hunt Challenge (NWYDHC) held its bear tag and guided hunt drawing at The Lakeland Times office in Minocqua on July 31. Jase Kutschenreuter, an incoming eighth grader, was the lucky contestant whose name was drawn out of 46 total entries, and will now be preparing to go bear hunting this September. The first day of the season is Sept. 9.
‘A battery for hire with a guitar fire’
Barefoot through the lilies for a universal rock concert
I spent a good portion of an equalized charge wracking six strings around how to combine an Australian AC/DC with my Northwoods pen, and then it hit me like a bolt of lightning: a thunderstorm.
The culmination of connection
Tim Otto reflects on community relationships as a warden in the Northwoods
At the intersection of conversation and dead end roads, there are connections. Connections are what can build trust, and some may say they’re what brings dawn to the duck blind. Long-time Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) warden, Tim Otto, has driven down countless roads in nearly 27 years with the department, but one sticky memory boiled to his attention as he underlined the importance of community relationships and connections.
Hardwood Hearings
Rock River Raftoon
Sometimes the best photographic opportunities flutter into existence on made up words as I’m walking in my crocs smelling the scuzzy scum of the Rock River. I’m a fan of made up words (and nature’s bountiful scuzzy scum), mostly because it seems like pretty much all words were made up at some point in time. I guess it comes because made up words push literary boundaries and open a closed (and locked one even) mind.
‘Paint it, black’
Preliminary results on black cerakote Canada goose bands
Leg bands on waterfowl have long been used for research by agencies worldwide. In their underlying simplicity, they have changed with the ever alternating avenues of waterfowl research, hunting, and conservation.
New UTV/ATV regulations from June 1, frequent reoccurring violations
Beginning June 1 of this year, there were several new ATV/UTV regulations put in place across the state. In a press release, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) listed new changes regarding statewide ATV and UTV regulations.
Newsroom addition to The Lakeland Times
Reporter Jacob Link brings experience to new community
Earlier this July, the newsroom at The Lakeland Times acquired a new member in Jacob Link. Link, who grew up in Madison, originally went to UW-Oshkosh for journalism, but added two more majors and one minor to his diploma by the time he walked across the stage this spring.
Greene takes over as editor of The Lakeland Times
Looks to continue the culture, add his own twist
After nearly five years of working as a reporter, Trevor Greene was promoted to editor of The Lakeland Times in early July after Dean Hall’s retirement. Greene said he has a good understanding of how the newspaper operates thanks to a myriad of coworkers, and has built relationships with community members during his time as a reporter.
Hardwood Hearings
Circles
One spindly little alder shielded my monochromatic view of the dozen mallards that circled the snowglobe of a lake we hunted that day. I like to think it obstructed their view as much as mine, but given the 24 eyes looking back at me, that was unlikely.
Wisconsin Land and Water Camp at Discovery Center
Saxon Harbor bioretention basin planting
The Wisconsin Land and Water Youth Conservation Camp took place at the North Lakeland Discovery Center (NLDC) in Manitowish Waters earlier this summer. The camp gives high schoolers interested in the natural resources field some insight in different career paths in the discipline, as well as hands on activities they may perform if they continue to a career in natural resources.
Prev Next