Proposed fishing, hunting and natural resource rules in Wisconsin were aired April 8 at an annual Sawyer County hearing at the Winter School auditorium. Similar hearings were held simultaneously in the other 71 counties in the state.
Approximately 22 people were in the audience for the local hearing. Also attending were five Sawyer County Conservation Congress delegates and four Wisconsin DNR staff.
Only one local citizen resolution was introduced at the hearing, by Ed Peters of Draper.
Attendees voted unanimously in favor of the resolution introduced by Peters to support the development of regulations to restrict the operation of wake-enhancing watercraft to areas of lakes that are greater than 30 feet deep and more than 700 feet from shore.
A related Conservation Congress ballot question asked if voters favor modifying existing statutes to prohibit generation of intentionally magnified wakes for surfing through the use of ballast, design, or any other means on lakes smaller than 1500 acres and less than 20 feet deep. The proposal would require these boaters to maintain a distance from shore and other lake users of 700 feet.
In another ballot question, people were asked if they support regulations by the DNR to require that all ballast systems used in boats shall have a reasonable practical means of inspecting the system to confirm that no water is retained in the system (tanks, piping, valves, etc.).
Local guide John Myrhe said “Many of these wake boats are coming from Minnesota, where they have a tremendous amount of zebra mussels. We will have zebra mussels in all of our lakes up here if we don’t stop this and nip it in the bud real quick.”
Another environment-related question on the April 8 ballot asked if people support the elimination of the use of the herbicide 2,4D in aquatic ecosystems in Wisconsin.
2,4D has been used in an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate nonnative aquatic plants in aquatic ecosystems for decades. This has been an expensive and in general unsuccessful endeavor. A recently completed seven-year study in Ellwood Lake, Florence County, has documented the detrimental effect on the plant and animal communities of the lake. Extensive research has documented shifts in adult reproductive capabilities, egg quality degradation, larval mortality and reduced egg hatching percentages of many fish species at various concentrations and formulations of 2,4-D.
Two of the questions on the April 8 ballot dealt with trout. One proposal would open the trout and salmon harvest season for inland waters on the first Saturday in April, a month earlier than now. The other would simplify daily bag limits to five trout with no size limit on all inland waters.
The current regulation for trout caught on the Namekagon River is three fish per day with an 18-inch minimum size limit.
Former DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt said that “Now we have no young trout fishermen, just us old guys. Nobody is fishing for trout anymore or keeping them.”
“Don’t worry about overharvest, until we see a significant number of new anglers enjoying trout fishing,” Pratt said. He added that the impact of “climate change is real.”
Another ballot question asked if people favor allowing trolling with three lines (i.e., hook, bait, or lure) per angler on all inland waters of Wisconsin.
Another question asks if people favor creating a catch-and-release season for lake sturgeon from the first Saturday in June to the end of the first Sunday in March. This includes the Chippewa River below the Winter Dam and the Namekagon River below the Hayward dam.
In his report, DNR wildlife biologist Josh Spiegel noted that the Natural Resources Board last fall approved a revised wolf management plan, which “was a big step for the department.
“Legally, wolves are still an endangered species at the federal level and there are no lethal control options for us,” Spiegel said. “We still do winter tracking and collaring of wolves. We try to collar at least one wolf in each pack.”
Last fall, deer observations and hunting harvests were down across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, Spiegel said. In Wisconsin, deer observations were down 11%.
Spiegel encouraged people who are interested in deer hunting to take part in the Sawyer County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday April 29 at the Hayward DNR Service Center. A virtual option is available.
Spiegel said last fall’s bear harvest was the lowest since 2008, with over 3,000 bears taken. A big reason for the decrease was that bears took advantage one of the best natural forage years in two decades rather than visiting hunter bait sites. Agricultural damage by bears was up.
Ruffed grouse harvest was up locally due to good habitat and bird production. Turkeys had a good winter and their numbers are up.
Spiegel added that there was a huge increase in beaver trapping this winter
Meeting attendees re-elected Rick Olson of Winter to a three-year term as a Sawyer County Conservation Congress delegate, and elected Logan Christianson of Hayward to the Congress for a two-year term. Christianson replaces Frank Pratt, who declined to run again.
The other Sawyer County delegates are Ed Peters of Draper, and Dan Tyrolt and Doug Kurtzweil, both of Hayward.
Attendees voted on 49 questions on this year’s DNR and Conservation Congress ballot. Besides the in-person hearings on April 8, people could vote on-line through April 13.
“So much of what we do over the past 15 years has come under the prudence and guidance of the state legislature,” said Conservation Congress member Doug Kurtzweil.
A Conservation Congress advisory question asked if people support banning the use of live scopes and similar 360° imaging electronics in all Wisconsin waters.
With the ability of these types of units to detect fish, as far as 180 feet from the user, anglers have become more efficient at locating and catching fish. This type of pressure could reduce fish populations, which may lead to reduced bag limits for anglers.
An audience member said banning this technology would hurt local business by discouraging nonresident anglers from coming to this area to fish.
Another person said 70% of anglers done’t know how to operate this technology, and 40% of anglers who use it are catch-and-release enthusiasts.
Frank Pratt said he “used to hate electronics, but it’s a big draw for young anglers. I see it as a recruitment tool for the future of fishing.”
John Myrhe said sonar technology is an “educational tool to teach people how to catch fish. It gets people involved in fishing.”
Another person said “you can have $100,000 worth of equipment in your boat, but getting fish to bite is up to you.”
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