Category: Fishing and Hunting
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Wild Things: Early Bow, Crossbow Whitetail Harvest Up Significantly
A booming deer herd in farm country, decent autumn weather and more hunters afield have all led to a significant increase in the early whitetail harvest, both statewide and locally. Through the first month of the 2020 seasons, Wisconsin hunters have registered more than 35,000 deer: roughly a 33 percent increase over the same period […]
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Wild Things: With No End to COVID-19 in Sight, 2021 Sport Show Season in Jeopardy
COVID-19 concerns forced the cancellations of dozens of state and national sport shows this year, and with no end to the pandemic in sight, one has to wonder how many will fold if they can’t make a go of it in 2021. There are some signs of optimism from two of the biggest, however: The […]
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Wild Things: Young Guns Get Early Shot at Abundant Whitetails
Blaze orange will join the fiery reds, brilliant yellows, glowing greens and rusty browns of autumn this weekend during Wisconsin’s annual youth gun deer hunt. It’s a chance for licensed hunters age 15 and younger to get an early shot at some venison – and valuable hunting experience – under the watchful eye of an […]
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Wild Things: Archery World Loses Good Friend in Bill ‘Bear Crazy’ Wiesner
One of archery’s top advocates – Bill “Bear Crazy” Wiesner of Sturgeon Bay – died Sept. 11, just one day shy of his 70th birthday. Wiesner, who was especially passionate about hunting black bears and whitetails, got many youths and adults interested in hunting. He was a bear-hunting guide in Upper Michigan, and he hunted bears […]
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Wild Things: Dude Perfect? This Columnist Needed Google to Find 2020 NHF Day Chairs
Sports and the outdoors were a big part of my youth, and they still are. So when legendary Major League Baseball pitcher James “Catfish” Hunter was named the first honorary chair of National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF Day) in 1976, I was thrilled. Celebrated the fourth Saturday of September ever since Richard Nixon signed […]
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Wild Things: The Hunt Is On for an Escape from COVID-19 Madness
Signs of autumn are everywhere, even as we’re still days away from its official start Sept. 22 at 8:31 am. The first spawn-minded chinook salmon have made it to Forestville on the Ahnapee River and to the Besadny Fisheries Facility on the Kewaunee River. Bird migration is well underway, with nighthawks, warblers and many other […]
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Wild Things: Plum Island Deer-Hunt Draw Set for This Week
If you applied for a shot at a limited gun deer hunt on Plum Island this year, watch your email. David Bolin, assistant refuge manager for the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge (which includes Plum Island), said the drawing would take place this week. Last year was the first year when the U.S. Fish and […]
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Pro Fisher Wins $200,000 in Local Competition
Destination Sturgeon Bay hosts the six-day Tackle Warehouse TITLE competition, featuring the top 50 professional anglers from the 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season. They fish for a piece of $820,000, including the top prize of $200,000. Pro fisher Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, caught 25 smallmouth bass totaling 86 pounds, 13 ounces, to […]
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Wild Things: Hunters, Anglers Praised for Conservation Efforts
It’s not every day that a top official from the Trump administration is in Green Bay to make a major conservation announcement, but that was the case Friday when U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt delivered remarks and took questions from the press at Smokey’s on the Bay tackle shop near the Green Bay […]
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Wild Things: Eligible Disabled Hunters May Apply for a Shot at Deer
More than 70 landowners are opening thousands of acres of private land for a special October gun deer hunt for eligible hunters. Lands are open in 41 counties this year, including two properties in Kewaunee County and some larger parcels in Manitowoc and Outagamie counties. The rest are scattered across the state. To be eligible, […]
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Wild Things: Bonus Deer, Turkey Permits Go on Sale Soon
Hunters hoping for a bonus wild turkey tag or an antlerless deer permit for an up-north getaway had better stay vigilant during the coming days. Only 2,000 bonus turkey permits are available for Zone 2, which includes Door and Kewaunee counties. They’ll go on sale Saturday at 10 am at a cost of $10 per […]
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Wild Things: Visiting Anglers Net Lifetime Memories Fishing Kewaunee/Door Waters
With a record 3,290 participants in the recent Kewaunee/Door (K/D) County Salmon Tournament, there’s bound to be a few fish stories, right? Trophy-size chinooks certainly play a role in those tales, but it’s not just the big catches that create lifetime memories. Bryan Sheets of South Dakota said his group of eight includes three generations […]
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Wild Things: Whale of a Fishing Tale: Bortolini Tops Salmon Tournament Field
Angelo Bortolini might want to get his son, Scott, an extra Christmas present this year. Scott introduced his father to Harold Shaw, a fellow teetotaler, about a decade ago. Fast forward to Tuesday morning, July 21, when the 77-year-old Bortolini and his 74-year-old friend – who owns the boat they were on four miles east […]
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Wild Things: Salmon Tournament’s Final Weekend Could Set Records
Anglers are coming from near and far to participate in the 38th annual Kewaunee/Door (K/D) County Salmon Tournament, which will wrap up its nine-day run Saturday night. Leaders can change very quickly, but as of early Tuesday morning, here’s how things stood: A Brussels youth, Devin Buhr, had taken the early lead with a 30.49-pounder […]
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Wild Things: Kewaunee/Door Salmon Tournament: A Breath of Fresh Lake Air
Coronavirus concerns haven’t derailed the largest summer salmon-only fishing contest on the Great Lakes. “There’s a lot of excitement for the K/D,” said Tom Kleiman of Accurate Marine & Tackle in Kewaunee. “Boat sales are through the roof, and we’re seeing a lot of families coming in. I think in these crazy times, a lot […]
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Wild Things: Major League Fishing Event ‘Live’ in Door County
Not everyone’s a fan, but there’s no denying that bass-fishing tournaments have played a huge role in putting Sturgeon Bay on the map as a world-class smallmouth fishery. And this week, the area has the potential to lure even more visiting anglers when the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour and 80 of the top […]
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Wild Things: Millions of Pounds of Surplus Whitefish in Lower Green Bay
Door County commercial fisher Charlie Henriksen said there’s even more lake whitefish in Green Bay than we reported here last week. Henriksen was quoted as saying that the harvestable whitefish surplus in Green Bay was more than a million pounds and could be split between commercial and sport fishers. On Monday, he called to clarify […]
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Wild Things: Picture-Perfect Plan for Kids Fishing Day at Little Lake
There are no entry fees and plenty of prizes for kids who take part in the 35th annual Kids Fishing Derby at Little Lake in Sturgeon Bay next Sunday – Father’s Day. Although it’s not an official event this year because of continuing concerns about large gatherings, Gary and Cheryl Nault are inviting families to participate […]
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Wild Things: Cooler Spring Extending Bay Action as Lake Catches Heat Up
A cool spring has extended the action for Green Bay walleyes and smallmouth bass, even as Lake Michigan trout and salmon catches get underway. The mixed bag – which also includes panfish spawning in shallow bays and harbors on Green Bay, as well as in inland lakes in Door and Kewaunee counties – comes at […]
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wi.gov) is hosting the eighth annual Wisconsin Free Fun Weekend on June 6-7, when park-admission fees, fishing licenses and trail-pass requirements will be waived to encourage Wisconsinites to enjoy Wisconsin’s outdoors. Participants are encouraged to join the Wisconsin State Parks’ OutWiGo initiative by tagging their Free Fun Weekend photos […]