Wisconsin Mixed Bag: Natural Resources Board meeting Sept. 24 in Madison

Madison – The Natural Resources Board (NRB) will meet in-person at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, in room G09, State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 South Webster Street, Madison.

The public may watch the meeting on the DNR’s YouTube channel. The deadline to register for public appearances and to submit comments is 11 a.m. Sept. 17. Remote testimony via Zoom may be accepted. In-person public appearances are also welcome.

The board is expected to accept seven donations from friends groups or conservation groups on a number of projects, including completing 11 miles of trails (second phase) at Peninsula State Park. The board also may act on four proposed DNR rule changes from the April spring hearings: Allow nonedible parts of deer, bear and elk to be left in the field; clarify rules on the use of technology to tend traps; extend the fall turkey season in zones 6 and 7; and allow disable hunters to hunt deer statewide during the two-day October youth firearm deer season.

If approved, the trapping rule change would allow the use of technology, such as drones or trail cameras, by trappers to check traps.

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DNR Hosting Open Houses at Fish Hatcheries

Madison — The DNR will offer four free open houses this fall at the Gov. Tommy G. Thompson Fish Hatchery, Besadny Anadromous Fish Facility, Root River Steelhead Facility and the Wild Rose Fish Hatchery.

The first open house will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, starting at 10 a.m. at the Gov. Tommy G. Thompson Fish Hatchery in Spooner. The day will feature family activities, hatchery tours and fish pumping demonstrations.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, the Besadny Anadromous Fish Facility in Kewaunee will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to watch salmon egg collections and a tour. The Algoma-Kewaunee Great Lakes Sport Fishermen will provide wagon rides.

The Root River Steelhead Facility open house will run Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lincoln Park in Racine with tours and fish spawning demonstrations. Salmon Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and the Milwaukee Great Lakes Sport Fishermen volunteer will provide casting and knot- and fly-tying stations.

The final open house will run Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. to
3 p.m. at the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery’s education center with games and activities for all ages, including learning to cast workshops, fish identification tips or the chance to “swim” upriver like salmon on their migratory journeys. Other activities include building a spinnerbait and touring the original 1908 hatchery.

Department Of Interior Expands Hunting Opportunities On Federal Refuges

Washington, D.C. — The Department of the Interior announced 42 new hunting and fishing opportunities across more than 87,000 acres within the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System.

This more than triples the number of opportunities and quintuples the number of units opened or expanded compared to the previous administration, underscoring a strong national commitment to outdoor recreation and conservation.

“Hunting and fishing are more than just traditional pastimes, as they are also vital to the conservation of our lands and waters, our outdoor recreation economy, and our American way of life,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

The USFWS is opening or expanding hunting and sport fishing at 16 units within the National Wildlife Refuge System and one unit in the National Fish Hatchery System. These units are located in Alabama, California, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington.

The final update includes inaugural hunting opportunities at Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge and the formal opening of hunting opportunities at Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, as well as inaugural sport fishing at North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery.

In North Dakota, Pheasant Numbers Steady; Partridge, Sharpie Numbers Down

Bismarck, N.D. — North Dakota’s roadside surveys conducted in late July and August indicate pheasant numbers are relatively the same as last year, while gray partridge and sharp-tailed grouse numbers were down.

Total pheasants observed (91.6 per 100 miles) were down 3% from last year and broods (11.4) per 100 miles were down 1%. Sharptails were down 38% statewide (12 sharptails per 100 miles), and were 30% below the 10-year average. Partridge observed per 100 miles were down 26% (16 partridge per 100 miles).

The North Dakota grouse and partridge seasons opened Sept. 13 and continue through Jan. 4, 2026. The pheasant season opens Oct. 11 and continues through Jan. 4, 2026.