Ice thickness varies widely, which is why some guides continue to run airboats until everything firms up. There’s also a lot of rough ice piled up in places, hindering access or making travel difficult.
An extended stretch of cold air is expected for at least the next two weeks, which will help. However, ice-breaking for ship traffic could continue for another two weeks, so avoid those areas. Check a reputable bait-and-tackle shop for the latest conditions.
Meanwhile, this Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 17-18) is Wisconsin’s annual Winter Free Fishing Weekend. No licenses or stamps are needed, but all other regulations apply. As always, kids 15 and under never need a license to fish here.
Black bear hunters killed about 500 fewer bears last fall than they did in 2024, but the season’s preliminary harvest of 3,724 wasn’t far off the five-year average of about 3,800.
There were also 51 bears taken on agricultural damage tags and 34 during Learn To Hunt programs.
The harvest target last fall was 4,075 bears, and 13,110 licenses were awarded via the lottery system. Statewide success rates ranged from as low as 5-6% in Zones E and F to as high as 69% in Zone A. Zone B had a hunter success rate of about 52%; Zone C, 18% and Zone D, 25%.
Department of Natural Resources Large Carnivore Specialist Randy Johnson said while thousands of hunters did well, others said abundant acorns and corn reduced the effectiveness of their baits.
The preliminary harvest in Zone A was 1,161; Zone B, 841; Zone C, 661; Zone D, 906; Zone E, 128 and Zone F, 27.
Wisconsin’s bear population is estimated at about 23,000. Annual hunts help reduce damage to agricultural crops or raiding residential trash and bird feeders.
More than 146,000 people applied for a bear hunting license or preference point for the 2025 season, setting an all-time high record number of applicants.
The fewest number of preference points needed to get a harvest tag in Zones A and B last season was 10; in Zones C and D, two and in Zones E and F, one.
Many Zone A and B lottery winners had 11 or 12 points. A total of 12,412 state residents and 698 nonresidents were drawn.
The 29th annual Great Backyard Bird Count — a free, global event that helps scientists understand changes in bird populations and distribution — will be held Friday, Feb. 13 Through Monday, Feb. 16.
Participants spend as little as 15 minutes tracking the birds in their favorite places, whether the backyard, afield or from a vehicle. They then submit the species seen and how many of each via the eBird or Merlin apps, or from a desktop computer or laptop.
The GBBC was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society as the first community science or citizen science project to collect data on wild birds and display the results in near-real time. Birds Canada joined the project in 2009, and four years later, the event became a global project when data began being entered into eBird.
Want to get involved? Visit www.birdcount.org/participate/. You can also take a look at the incredible results from last year’s count (8,078 species seen!) at www.birdcount.org/results/.
The Boone and Crockett Club of Milwaukee welcomes the recent order issued by Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, which will ensure federal public lands are open for hunting and fishing opportunities.
“By removing unnecessary barriers to sportsmen’s access, while coordinating with state and tribal governments on regulations, we can ensure that sustainable hunting and fishing remain a critical part of our federal lands legacy,” said Boone and Crockett Chief Executive Officer Tony A. Schoonen.
“We also appreciate the Department’s commitment to ensuring a safe and positive approach to the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle, promoting informed choices by sportsmen and women and regulating only where population-level effects are measurable.”
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