Duck hunters new zone boundaries
September 17th, 2006 by Administrator
Duck hunters should check new zone boundaries
Numbers support a strong harvest this duck season
PESHTIGO — The forecast is optimistic as the opening of the statewide duck hunting season approaches amid observations that local waterfowl numbers appear up from a year ago.
There is also trepidation over a change in the dividing line between the north and south hunting zones.
Duck hunting opens in the northern zone at 9 a.m., Saturday and continues through Nov. 21.
The southern zone opens at 9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 30 and continues through Oct. 6, closes Oct. 7-13 and reopens Oct. 14 through Dec. 5.
At the request of duck hunters, the Department of Natural Resources reconfigured the southern zone in northeastern Wisconsin to include that area south of U.S. 10 to Appleton and east of U.S. 41 north to the Michigan border.
As a result, all of the bay of Green Bay and its adjacent marshes, as well as the lower Fox River, fall into the southern zone this year after historically being part of the northern zone. The southern zone framework provides for hunting two weeks later in the season, a provision sought by late-season hunting advocates.
Popular waterfowl hunting properties added to the southern zone include Sensiba, Oconto Marsh and Green Bay West Shores state wildlife areas.
Hundreds and possibly thousands of duck hunters from Appleton and Two Rivers north to Marinette are affected by the decision.
“I’m sure there will be people who go hunting Sept. 23 who are not actually hunting in an area where there is an open season,” said John Huff, DNR wildlife biologist at Peshtigo. “Of course, there will be wardens present who will be looking for that sort of thing.”
Huff said he has encountered a hunter preparing to hunt the west shore of Green Bay on Saturday.
“He’s now making different arrangements,” Huff added.
There’s also the question whether hunters previously in the northern zone will find it tempting to participate in the Saturday opener on legal northern zone waters and, if so, where?
“That’s a big chunk of water that’s been moved into the southern zone,” Huff said.
In past years, there has been growing sentiment for a single statewide duck season opener, in part because waterfowl hunting areas near the north-south dividing line have seen an increase in opening-day hunting pressure as southern zone hunters take advantage of two opening day opportunities.
Placing Green Bay — one of the state’s premier waterfowling areas — in the southern zone is likely to increase opening day pressure on public hunting lands in the northern zone, where prime waterfowl areas are now even further limited.
At the same time, northern zone hunters may find it easier to consider accessing the new southern zone waters on Sept. 30.
“Wisconsin waterfowlers should have a good hunting season provided there is adequate water in the wetlands and the right fall weather,” predicted Kent Van Horn, DNR migratory game bird ecologist.
“When evaluating the 2006 breeding duck numbers (522,571) with the average of the most recent 10 years (565,585), this year is looking average for breeding duck numbers in Wisconsin.”
Recent rains have improved water levels and the opening day outlook, said Dick Nikolai, DNR wildlife biologist for Outagamie and Brown counties. “I haven’t seen a lot of teal but we have more mallards and wood ducks than last year and just more ducks in general.”
Tom Meier, DNR wildlife biologist for Mead and McMillan Wildlife Areas along the Portage, Wood and Marathon county lines, said the opening day outlook “looks very good. We had excellent duck production this spring.
“The big question is whether, after the youth hunt this weekend and the start of the regular season, the birds will hang around. We don’t have as much water as we used to and that will concentrate hunting pressure.”
Meier said he was worried about the impact of overcrowding and the 9 a.m. start on opening day.
“Last year, we had people from the southern zone coming here from as far away as Racine, and if that happens again, it could burn the property out” in a hurry.
“With a noon opening,” he added, “we had people here at 5 a.m. to stake out a spot. With a 9 a.m. opening, I anticipate some guys will be showing up at 3 a.m. or earlier.”