Rain lures in fresh runs of salmon, trout

Better late than never.

That’s the word from farmers, fisheries crews, and hunters with food plots after about two inches of rain fell Sunday and Monday, breaking a long drought for much of Northeastern Wisconsin.

All the rain temporarily boosted water levels on Lake Michigan and Green Bay tributaries, allowing fresh-run coho salmon and brown trout to venture farther upstream for fall spawning.

The Chinook salmon spawn is already at or past peak, depending on the area, with thousands already processed at the Department of Natural Resources’ Strawberry Creek (Sturgeon Bay) facility and many more seen at coho- and brown trout-spawning spots, the Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility west of Kewaunee and the Root River site at Racine.

On the hunting scene, the recent youth gun deer hunt produceda preliminary count of 7,111 whitetails, including 3,676 antlered bucks. Combined with bow and crossbow, the first four weekends of the 2024 deer seasons produced more than 23,000 whitetails, including 11,039 bucks and 11,996 antlerless deer.

Next to open is the pheasant season Saturday at 9 a.m.

Also opening this weekend are southern zone cottontail rabbit, fox (hunting and trapping), resident raccoon (hunting and trapping), and Zone B ruffed grouse.

Great bird shots
With more than 23,000 images entered into the competition, organizers of the Bird Photographer of the Year contest have announced the 2024 winners.
Celebrating bird life from around the world, these images comprise some incredible bird photos while also raising vital funds for a partner charity, Birds on the Brink.

The annual contest emphasizes the beauty and diversity birds, with a tribute to the flexibility and quality of today’s modern digital camera and lens systems.
Contest organizers produced a “coffee table” book featuring hundreds of images from the competition.

It’s a great source to draw inspiration from for your next photo session with birds.

Learn more at https://www.birdpoty.com/2024-winners.

DNR tree sales
The DNR is sellingstate nursery seedlings toresident landowners for planting trees and shrubs in spring 2025.

Seedlings are used for reforestation and conservation plantings on private, public and tribal lands, providing future forest products and revenues, wildlife habitat, soil erosion control, living snow fences, carbon storage, aesthetics and shade for landowners and public land managers across the state.

A minimum order consists of a packet of 300 trees or shrubs in increments of 100 of each species, 500 shrubs or 1,000 tree seedlings.

Youth groups and educational organizations can also purchase seedlings for their reforestation and conservation planting projects.

Information on ordering and a listing of private nurseries is available at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/treeplanting/order.

Final days of survey
If you hunt the northern or central forest zone and want to weigh in on proposed modifications to the state’s deer management unit boundaries, you have until the end of the day Sunday to comment.

The DNR is seeking preliminary public input to suggestions received during County Deer Advisory Council meetings and legislative hearings. The biggest of these is adjusting DMU boundaries based on habitat type (as it used to be) rather than county borders (as it is currently).

Share your feedback at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WIDNRDMUReviewSurvey2024.

Great Lakes news
At its annual meeting last week, the Great Lakes Commission passed resolutions calling for reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and stronger protections against the introduction of invasive species.

Since 2010, the GLRI has provided more than $4 billion to fund more than 8,100 projects across the Great Lakes region that protect our freshwater resources.

Passing the initiative would reauthorizethe program through fiscal year 2031.

Save the leaves
Leaves and other organic yard debris make up about seven percent of the nation’s municipal solid waste every year, more than 10 million tons that could be used to fertilize wildlife habitat, as well as provide food, shelter and places for wildlife to raise young.

The National Wildlife Federation is encouraging property owners to intentionally use leaves, grass clippings and other organic matter in gardens, noting that songbirds, small mammals, amphibians and reptiles all rely on the leaf layer in some way.

Weekly water levels
As of Oct. 11, Lake Michigan and Green Bay water levels were down five inches in the past month and had dropped to an inch below the 100-year average.
Lake levels are expected to drop another three inches by mid-November.