WDNR Weekly News Update For Sept. 11, 2012

2012 Wisconsin archery deer season opens Sept. 15 MADISON – Cooler evening temperatures are a signal to many bow hunters that the Sept. 15 opening of Wisconsin’s archery deer season is just around the corner….

Online chat to focus on Wisconsin archery deer season [EDITOR'S ADVISORY: The Department of Natural Resources this Wednesday will host an online chat with big game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang of the Bureau of Wildlife Management. Wallenfang will be online at 11 a.m. Sept. 12 to answer questions about deer, bear, and elk, and the archery opener. To participate, visit the DNR home page, dnr.wi.gov, and look for the advertisement or search the word “chat.” Participants will be able to see the questions and answers as they happen. For more information contact Ryan Marty at 608-264-8976.]

Using a full body harness best way for hunters to prevent falls from tree stands MADISON — It’s  one thing for a hunter to own a tree stand harness and another to actually use it to prevent what studies have shown to be the leading cause of hunter injuries during the deer hunting seasons….

2012 deer hunter wildlife survey begins MADISON — The opening of the archery deer season on Sept. 15 marks the beginning of the 2012 Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey. Hunters  can find survey instructions, record sightings, and view survey results online at the Wisconsin Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey page by searching for “deer hunter wildlife” on the Department of Natural Resources website …

State wildlife officials will again be sampling deer for CWD MADISON – Wisconsin wildlife officials will again be gathering samples from hunter-harvested deer to test for chronic wasting disease in southern and central Wisconsin and in areas around where a deer tested positive for the disease last year in Washburn County in northwestern Wisconsin….

More than 20,000 apply for Wisconsin wolf hunting license MADISON – A total of 20,272 people have submitted applications for the drawing for a gray wolf hunting or trapping license for Wisconsin’s first wolf season in more than 60 years….

Wisconsin’s northern and Mississippi River zone duck seasons open Sept. 22 MADISON – Hunters looking forward to the opening of Wisconsin’s 2012 duck season in the northern and Mississippi River duck zones on Sept. 22 should find good numbers of ducks,  …

Game bird brood production up from 2011 levels MADISON – Mild winter conditions, early spring green up and a warm and dry summer have led to an increase in brood production for pheasants, ruffed grouse and wild turkey, …

Sheboygan River cleanup highlighted at bi-national Great Lakes Commission meeting CLEVELAND, OHIO – The cleanup of the lower Sheboygan River will be in the spotlight this week as scientists, conservationists, public officials and tribal leaders from the United States and Canada gather for the Great Lakes Commission meeting here to discuss the most pressing issues facing the five Great Lakes and to highlight recent successes….

DNR water official to chair Great Lakes Commission MADISON – Wisconsin’s top water official has been elected to chair the Great Lakes Commission, the interstate compact agency that promotes the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water and related natural resources of the Great Lakes basin and St. Lawrence River….

Improvements being made to access roads, parking, and signs on 200 public lands MADISON – A $5 million investment in access roads, parking lots and new signage will create, or improve outdoor enthusiasts’ opportunities to discover, explore and enjoy 200-plus publicly owned state properties — including wildlife and fishing areas — encompassing more than 500,000 acres in locations across the Badger state. …

DNR names two top Land Division field managers MADISON — The Department of Natural Resources has announced two new field managers responsible for overseeing its Land Division programs in the northern and northeastern parts of Wisconsin….

6,265 acres of hay harvested under emergency haying MADISON -Wisconsin farmers were able to harvest hay from 6,265 acres of state land under emergency haying provisions the Department of Natural resources put in place earlier this summer as part of the agency’s drought relief initiative….