Colder air is expected by the weekend, and there’s a chance of rain turning to snow.

Most of the colorful leaves that were clinging to the trees are now on the ground. That’s a good place for them, too. Leaves provide shelter for overwintering caterpillars and other insects, which in turn provide food for early-arriving birds in spring.

If you have young kids — or grandkids visiting — take them on a leaf hunt, and scrapbook their favorite finds. Shoot some photographs of the last gasps of color even if it’s just leaves on the forest floor. You won’t regret it.

If you’re a bow or crossbow deer hunter, you’ve likely been spending time with a bow or crossbow on the stand or preparing for the gun opener. There are only two weekends left before the Nov. 22 firearm opener, so make sure you’re sighted in, have all your gear organized and ground blinds or tree stands set up or checked for safety.

Through Nov. 4, hunters registered more than 68,000 whitetails through the first seven weeks of the 2025 season, including nearly 39,000 antlered bucks.

Marinette County’s central farmland hunters had reported 1,427 (679 bucks) and Oconto County’s central farmland zone hunters reported 1,442 (759 bucks). In addition, adjacent management units 125 (373, including 240 bucks) and 126 (522, including 329 bucks) combined for nearly 900 more deer.

Second wolf meeting

Department of Natural Resources large carnivore specialist Randy Johnson said there’s been a lot of inaccurate information provided by some anti-hunting groups regarding wolf management plans, but he praised the diverse mix of individuals working on the new Wolf Advisory Committee.

“Overall I feel great about how the first two meetings have gone,” Johnson said. “I think the group fairly well represents the key interests involved, and the reps are largely there to find solutions, and work together.”

Johnson said they got to know each other and heard different perspectives at the first meeting Sept. 11. They shared a lot of information regarding wolf monitoring and estimates, and Johnson spent more than an hour at the Oct. 16 meeting giving an overview of the wolf management plan. That included discussion of the administrative rules, plan objectives and priorities, changes to future hunts (like reduced registration time and zone-specific licenses) and management zones and subzones.

“I felt this was time well spent to cut through much of the misinformation that persists out there, and sets us up nicely for getting more into plan implementation as well in the event of delisting,” Johnson said.

Minutes from the Oct. 16 meeting are posted at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/wolf.

The next meeting will take place early next year.

Scatter milkweed now

If you want to help monarch butterflies, there’s no better plant to get started on your property than milkweed. It’s the only plant monarchs lay their eggs on, and the only plant the monarch caterpillars eat. The flowers also produce pollen and nectar for monarchs and other pollinators.

Now’s the time to gather and scatter milkweed seeds. They’ll need to lie under a moist blanket of snow all winter before germinating. Alternatively, you can store them inside a moistened paper towel in the refrigerator for spring seeding. You can start them indoors, or directly plant after the danger of frost has passed.

While scattering seeds in the wind this time of year obviously leads to some successes, you may want to improve your odds by poking a small hole into moist ground (after a rain is good) and drop a seed in, then cover with the original soil. Plant as many as you can, or want, for the area available.
For more on monarchs and milkweed, visit https://wiatri.net/Projects/Monarchs/habitat.cfm.

Car-Killed Deer

Vehicle-deer collisions peak this month as the whitetail mating season is underway. Drivers who hit deer (or others who may be interested) can legally salvage what they can from the carcass once they report it.

If you want to claim the deer (or a wild turkey) that you or someone else hit, you’ll need to report it by phone at 608-267-7691, or online at https://gowild.wi.gov/wildlife/harvest/carkill. You’ll need a DNR customer number. Learn more at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/cardeer.html.