Sturgeon hook and line season
opens Sept. 2 on many waters
Harvest tag required for anglers
intending to harvest sturgeon
MADISON – Starting with the
2006 hook and line season for lake sturgeon that opens Sept. 2,
all anglers who plan to harvest a sturgeon must buy a harvest
tag before they fish. Anglers who intend to practice catch and
release only do not need a tag but need a general inland fishing
license.
Revenues from harvest tag sales
will be directed to projects to strengthen and expand sturgeon
populations and fishing opportunities in Wisconsin’s inland
waters.
The harvest tag is required for
any angler who intends to harvest a sturgeon during the hook and
line season, including people who do not need a fishing license
such as anglers under 16 years old, active military personnel,
and people born before Jan. 1, 1927, who are exempt from needing
a fishing license. In past years, all anglers had to get a tag
but it was free.
“We hope anglers will agree
that this is a good investment in the future of sturgeon
fisheries in Wisconsin,” says Mike Staggs, Wisconsin’s fisheries
director. “The money we get from harvest tags is going to allow
us for the first time, in many cases, to get in and survey
sturgeon populations, set appropriate angling regulations and
possibly expand or better target our sturgeon restoration and
stocking activities.”
Close monitoring and management
of lake sturgeon populations are particularly important to their
survival and to maintaining fisheries for the fish, which are
Wisconsin’s largest and longest lived fish. Lake sturgeon can
grow to 100 years old and reach 200 pounds. Because females
don’t reach sexual maturity until 20 to 25 years old and then
spawn every three to five years, overharvest is a problem and
recovery is difficult, Staggs says.
The harvest tag costs $20 for
residents and $50 for nonresidents. It can be purchased in three
convenient ways: over the Internet through the
DNR Web site;
at any
DNR Service Center; at
automated
license issuance system sales locations; or by calling
toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236). The harvest tag is
available throughout the season.
Anglers who harvest a legal
size fish must immediately attach the harvest tag to the fish
and take it to a registration station by 6 p.m. the next day for
registration.
“The harvest tag is required
only if you’re planning to harvest a sturgeon and you must have
the tag before you fish,” says Mike Staggs, Wisconsin’s
fisheries director. “You don’t need a harvest tag if you only
plan to catch and release.”
By law, revenues from sales of
the harvest tag must be directed to sturgeon management
activities on waters other than Lake Winnebago, which already
has a dedicated funding source. The tag and fee was approved by
lawmakers in 2005.
Until now, sturgeon management
projects involving inland waters other than the Lake Winnebago
system had to compete for funding against other projects aimed
at benefiting other cool-water species such as walleye, musky,
and northern pike.
Since 2004, all revenues from
the sale of spearing licenses needed to participate in the Lake
Winnebago system spearing seasons go to the Winnebago system’s
sturgeon management program. Previously, such revenues went into
the general fish and wildlife account.
The lake sturgeon hook and line
season has attracted a growing number of participants,
particularly nonresidents. In 2005, about 10,000 anglers
received the free harvest tags, about 30 percent of them
nonresidents.
Lake sturgeon are found in
major rivers in Wisconsin’s Lake Superior, Mississippi River,
and Lake Michigan drainages. Information on
lake sturgeon biology, distribution, and status in Wisconsin
is available on the DNR Web site as is Wisconsin’s goals and
management plan for lake sturgeon. Many DNR restoration and
management efforts on inland waters are detailed in the regional
forecasts in the
2006 Wisconsin Fishing Report.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Staggs (608) 267-0796; Karl Scheidegger (608) 267-9426
2006 Black bear hunting season
opens Sept. 6
MADISON – The 2006 Wisconsin
black bear hunting season opens Sept. 6 with 4,370 successful
applicants heading to the woods with a harvest permit in their
pocket. More than 73,000 applied for the closely regulated hunt.
Hunters registered 2,645 bears
in 2005. Wildlife managers estimate the 2006 Wisconsin black
bear population at approximately 13,000, slightly up from last
season’s estimate.
“The outlook for the 2006
season is excellent,” said Brad Koele, Department of Natural
Resources assistant big game ecologist. “While bears have been
observed in almost every area of the state, the northern third
provides the best habitat and is the main range for this animal.
It is where the majority of our harvest comes from.”
For hunters hunting over bait
or using other methods not including dogs, the 2006 bear hunting
season begins Sept. 6. For hunters using dogs, the season opens
Sept. 13.
Also new this year, the “no
dog” portion of Zone A has been eliminated. Hunting with the aid
of dogs is now allowed in all areas of Zone A.
Successful hunters this season
will be asked to provide a segment of rib bone and a tooth from
their bear at the time they register the animal. The rib section
is part of a two-year mark and recapture study being conducted
by University of Wisconsin – Department of Wildlife Ecology
researchers in coordination with the DNR and Wisconsin Bear
Hunters Association. The intent of this study is to evaluate and
improve current methods of estimating Wisconsin’s black bear
population.
“Hunters who received harvest
permits this fall will be getting a packet from us with mailing
envelopes and instructions on collecting the samples,” says
Koele. “For the reliability of the study, it’s important
successful hunters submit both a rib and tooth sample from their
bear and fill in all the harvest information required on the
bear registration materials provided. The university study will
build on our understanding of Wisconsin’s bear population and
habitat needs…it will help us to be better managers of this
important species.”
Earlier this year, researchers
put out covered baits, accessible only to bear, containing
tetracycline, a common antibiotic. Once consumed, the drug
leaves a tell-tale mark in bone. The bear rib samples submitted
by hunters will be analyzed for the presence of tetracycline and
used to produce an estimate of Wisconsin’s bear population. The
baits were removed from the field a minimum of 45 days prior to
the start of the hunting season. The drug is rapidly eliminated
by the bear’s system over five to seven days, so hunters eating
their game should not be exposed to the tetracyline. Hunters can
find information on how to collect the rib and tooth samples on
the
bear hunting page of the DNR Web site.
Bear teeth present an accurate
measure of a bear’s age. The teeth display a series of growth
rings, similar to a tree. Hunters submitting teeth will be
notified of the bear's age after the teeth have been processed.
This usually takes ten to 12 months.
Hunters are also asked to turn
in any ear tags found on their bear at the time it is
registered. The ear tags indicate that the bear has been
previously captured and released. The most likely reason for
capture was the bear causing a nuisance but bears are also
tagged during winter den surveys and with other research
projects. Returned ear tags and the location where the bear was
harvested provide wildlife managers a measure of bear behavior
following capture and relocation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brad Koele - (608) 261-7589 or Keith Warnke - (608) 264-6023
Additional antlerless deer
tags go on sale August 26 at noon
State park deer hunting applications
also available
MADISON – Deer hunters are
reminded that over-the-counter sales of antlerless deer carcass
tags valid for regular deer management units and State Park
Access Permits for deer hunting in Wisconsin state parks are
available on a first-come, first-served starting at noon Aug. 26
at
automated automated license issuance system outlets or over
the Internet.
Department of Natural Resources service centers are not open on
Saturdays, but the tags may be purchased at DNR service centers
during regular weekday business hours.
“Antlerless deer carcass tags
have replaced the old bonus tag,” said Diane Brookbank, director
of the DNR Bureau of Licensing and Customer Service. “And, there
is a new process for hunting deer in selected state parks.
Hunters must possess a valid Wisconsin deer hunting license,
either firearm or bow, in order to purchase additional
Antlerless Deer Carcass Tags or a State Park Access Permit. ”
Antlerless Deer Carcass Tags
“There are two kinds of
antlerless carcass tags,” explains Brad Koele, DNR assistant big
game ecologist, “those valid only in the specific deer
management unit (DMU) that is printed on the tag, and those that
are valid for any herd control or earn-a-buck unit in the
state.”
The unit-specific tags are
limited in number. Hunters can purchase them for $12 each for
residents and $20 each for nonresidents at a rate of one tag per
hunter per day starting at noon Aug. 26. Tags will be sold on a
first-come, first-served basis until all permits available for
the unit have been purchased. These are the tags hunters will
need if they want to harvest antlerless deer from DMUs
designated as ‘regular units’ in 2006. Regular units are at or
close the deer population goals for the unit.
“The second kind of antlerless
carcass tag is not unit-specific. These tags are good in any DMU
designated as herd control or earn-a-buck in 2006. Herd control
units are those units that are more than 20 percent over deer
population goals. Earn-a-buck units have been more than 20
percent over goal for the previous two seasons and require the
hunter to first harvest and register an antlerless deer before
shooting a buck. There are unlimited numbers of antlerless tags
available for Herd Control and Earn-a-Buck units. These tags
cost $2 each and are available now at all DNR service centers
and license sales agents. Hunters may purchase as many of these
permits as they wish.
Maps and a list of DMUs
showing which units are designated as regular and as herd
control or earn-a-buck are available on the DNR Web site.
State parks
Starting this year, hunters who
want to hunt deer in state parks that allow deer hunting will
need to purchase a State Park Access Permit for the specific
park in which they want to hunt. There is a $3 fee and the
number of hunters allowed in each parks is limited. State Park
Access Permits will be available at all DNR Service Centers and
license sales locations beginning at noon Aug. 26. Hunters are
limited to one State Park Access Permit per day, but may
purchase access permits for multiple parks,” says Brookbank.
“There are a limited number of access permits available for each
park. The permits are available on a first-come, first-served
basis until all access permits are issued for the park.
State parks open to deer
hunting are listed on the DMU map available on the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brad Koele - (608) 261-7589 or DNR Customer Service - (608)
266-2621
