This year, Wisconsin’s Conservation Congress spring fish-and-game hearings will be held in conjunction with the state’s deer herd status meetings at 7 p.m. April 14 in each of the state’s counties.
The deer herd status meetings will again seek public input on deer-related issues. Local wildlife biologists will present information about new deer hunting rules and regulations that were recently adopted as part of the deer trustee report’s two-year management review.
For a complete list of hearing locations, go to dnr.wi.gov. Here are locations for meetings in Northwestern Wisconsin:
* Douglas County: Solon Springs High School, 8993 E. Baldwin Ave., Solon Springs
* Bayfield County: Drummond Civic Center, 52540 Front Avenue, Drummond
* Ashland County: Ashland County Courthouse, third floor courtroom, 201 Main St. W., Ashland
* Washburn County: Spooner High School auditorium, 801 County Highway A, Spooner
* Sawyer County: Winter High School auditorium, 6585 Grove St., Winter
* Burnett County: Burnett County Government Center, Room 165, 7410 County Road K, Siren
MDHA banquet in Hermantown set
The Lake Superior chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association will hold its fourth annual banquet April 17 at the AAD Shrine Temple in Hermantown. Social hour is 5 p.m., dinner at
7 p.m. To reserve seats, call Wayne Suronen at (218) 389-6246.
Bois Forte won’t hold on-reservation moose hunt
The Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council has announced it will not hold a moose hunt on its reservation or in the 1854 ceded territory of Northeastern Minnesota in the fall of 2014. The council indicated that, although the most recent moose survey by tribal and state biologists indicated a herd size similar to that in 2011 and 2012, the long-term trend of fewer moose in the area was troubling.
The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has not yet announced any decision on whether it will authorize an 1854 ceded territory or reservation hunt for 2014, said Andy Edwards of the 1854 Treaty Authority.
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa also hasn’t made a decision about moose hunting next fall in the 1854 ceded territory, said Mike Schrage, Fond du Lac wildlife biologist. The Reservation Business Committee is still in the process of considering moose population data and the opinions and needs of band members, Schrage said.
The Minnesota DNR has said it will not offer a moose hunt this fall because of concerns about the declining moose population. The state, the 1854 Treaty Authority and the Fond du Lac Band did not hold moose hunts last fall.
Loon symposium scheduled
The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute’s LoonWatch will hold the North American Loon Symposium Oct. 25-26. This is the first time in more than a decade that a major loon symposium has been held in North America, said Erica LeMoine, coordinator of the SOEI loon program at Northland College in Ashland. LeMoine expects to draw loon researchers, experts, agencies, nonprofits and loon enthusiasts from all over North America.
Learn to hunt turkeys
A Learn to Hunt Turkey event will be held this spring at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. The event welcomes novice adult hunters 18 and older. No license is required and, because novices will be hunting with a mentor, hunter education requirements are waived. The Learn to Hunt event is free. The classroom segment is April 3 with a hunt to follow on April 5-6. Registration deadline is Thursday. To register for the Learn to Hunt Turkey event, become a mentor, or for more information, please contact Kristi Pupak, wildlife conservation educator, at (715) 463-2739 or email
Kristina.pupak@wisconsin.gov
.
