Spring fish and wildlife hearings set next Monday in every county

Significant fishing regulation changes, delegate elections to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC), and numerous advisory questions will be up for a vote starting next Monday, April 14, during the spring fish and game hearings in every county.

The Congress and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invite the public annually to the hearings to learn about and take part in resource management. Online voting will take place from 7 p.m. Monday through 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 16.

In this area, the hearings start at 7 p.m. at the Boulder Junction Community Center in Vilas County, the James Williams Middle School in Rhinelander in Oneida County, and the Crandon High School auditorium in Forest County.

DNR staff and WCC delegates will be on hand at these spring hearings to discuss local issues of importance, answer questions from the public, and open a dialogue between the public, the DNR and the WCC about areas of interest and concern.

The WCC will also hold their delegates’ elections at each meeting.

Two of the five WCC seats will be up for election in each county.

Finally, the public is invited to provide feedback on a variety of fish, wildlife and other natural resources-related topics as part of the spring hearing process. For those who prefer to do so in person, a number of paper ballots will be available at each in-person meeting.

Statewide voting on proposed rule changes happens only every two years and 2025 is the year for such decisions to be made on a wide range of rules that could become effective as early as next year.

This year’s voting list includes:

• New panfish regulations on more than 60 waterbodies that offer a variety of management techniques to limit the harvest of crappies, perch and bluegills on certain lakes.

• A proposal to open the harvest season for trout on inland streams on the first Saturday in April instead of the traditional first Saturday in May, which biologists say will increase angler opportunity without damaging trout populations.

• A proposed rule that would allow motor trolling at three lines per angler in 67 counties, but restrict trolling to one line per angler and three lines per boat in the northeast corner of the state, specifically Florence, Forest, Iron, Oneida and Vilas counties.

• A rule that would apply a special panfish regulation on Kentuck Lake in Vilas and Forest counties, imposing a 25-panfish daily bag limit with only five yellow perch. In the past nine years, an experimental regulation that sunsets in 2026 has allowed a 25-panfish limit that includes only 10 crappies.

• A proposal to apply a 25-panfish daily bag limit with only 5 bluegills allowed on Deerskin, Partridge, High, Fishtrap and Rush lakes in Vilas County.

• A rule change that would allow hunters who quarter their deer, bear or elk in the field to leave non-edible parts at the site of harvest.

• A rule change that would allow trappers to use technology, such as cellular trail cameras, to meet the trap tending requirements.

The WCC is the only statutory body in the state where the public elects delegates to advise the Natural Resources Board and the DNR on responsibly managing natural resources for present and future generations.

Every year, the Congress side of the spring hearing questionnaire is filled with advisory questions that allow the organization to gauge public opinion on topics that might become DNR questions or proposed rule changes in future years.

This year those advisory questions include topics related to panfish bag limits, bans on lead ammunition and fishing tackle, a new beaver trapping season in a national wildlife refuge, increased trap sizes for underwater sets, allowing county deer councils to extend the late archery season to Jan. 31, and numerous other topics that relate to conservation and public use of the state’s waterways.

One question asks the public whether they would support increased funding for nonpoint source pollution control, and the establishment of an independent team of experts to recommend changes that protect state water, lakes and streams from pollution through the spreading of animal manure and commercial fertilizer.

Learn more about the WCC and how to become involved in resource management decisions on the Congress’s webpage.