The DNR will propose setting waterfowl regulations for years at a time, and you'll have a chance to weigh in
When the Department of Natural Resources unveils the proposed 2023-25 Wisconsin migratory bird hunting regulations in early March, most details will be very familiar for hunters.
The season format, for example, will feature the maximum 60 days of duck hunting and a daily bag limit of six ducks.
But the DNR will also be announcing a change.
For the first time, the agency is proposing to set waterfowl hunting regulations for multiple years. The initial chapter of this new strategy would cover the seasons from 2023-25.
The next one, according to the DNR's plan, would cover 2025-30.
More:Outdoors calendar
Migratory bird season dates and structures don’t often change on a year-to-year basis, said Taylor Finger, DNR game bird specialist, and the modified process offers several advantages.
"It would create more consistency for hunters across seasons," Finger said Friday in a phone interview from Lafayette, Louisiana. "It would also allow us to align our seasons with the five-year periods used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for setting zones. And our staff would be able to spend more time working on executing the waterfowl plan and less on setting regulations."
Finger was returning Friday from the Mississippi Flyway meeting held in Louisiana. The DNR's Migratory Game Bird Committee will meet Tuesday to formalize the details for the 2023-25 waterfowl seasons.
The DNR will then hold three public meetings in March to collect input on the proposed 2023-25 regulations and the overall change in process.
As for 2023-25, Finger said no changes were in the offing. The seasons would continue to start and end on approximately the same dates, the zone structure (north, south and open water) would remain the same and the season lengths and bag limits would be identical to those offered in 2022.
The public is encouraged to attend virtually or in person and provide input, Finger said.
Three public meetings will be held on the proposed 2023-25 Wisconsin migratory game bird hunting seasons: 7 p.m. March 7 at the La Crosse State Office Building, La Crosse; 7 p.m. March 8 online via Zoom; and 7 p.m. March 9 at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.
Wolf plan comment period ends Tuesday
The DNR encourages the public to provide input on the proposed wolf management plan before the public review and comment period ends Tuesday.
The draft wolf plan was developed in consideration of many factors, including public input, consultations with Wisconsin's tribal nations, scientific literature reviews, a study on current public attitudes towards wolves and potential outcomes of various management decisions, according to the DNR.
The agency said the proposal aims to balance tradeoffs between three main objectives: ensuring a healthy and sustainable wolf population to fulfill its ecological role; addressing and reducing wolf-related conflicts; and providing multiple benefits associated with the wolf population, including hunting, trapping and sightseeing.
The state's current wolf management plan was written in 1999 and modified slightly in 2007. The proposed plan was released Nov. 10.
More:Make your voice heard on DNR wolf management plan, one that moves Wisconsin forward
As in the past, the draft plan would require DNR staff to monitor wolves each year and address wolf-related conflict as well as continue to support and conduct scientific research and science-based decision-making.
The proposed plan would not establish a numeric population goal and instead use an adaptive management process to achieve its objectives, according to the DNR. In this respect it would function much like the state's bear management plan.
The agency is encouraging the public to review the draft plan online and share their thoughts via the online comment tool. The DNR will also accept comments via email at DNRWildlifeSwitchboard@wisconsin.gov and by mail at: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, c/o Wolf Management Plan Comments, 101 S. Webster Street, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921.
The deadline to submit public input is 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin DNR to propose waterfowl hunt regulations for multiple years
