Price Price Co. Courthouse, County Board Room,
126 Cherry Street, Phillips
Racine Union Grove High School, Auditorium
(Use Hwy. 45 School Entrance),
3433 S. Colony Ave., Union Grove
Richland Richland County Courthouse,
181 West Seminary, Richland Center
Rock Pontiac Convention Center,
2809 N. Pontiac Dr., Janesville
Rusk Ladysmith High School, Auditorium,
1700 E. Edgewood Ave., Ladysmith
Sauk UW–Baraboo Sauk County,
R.G. Brown Theater,
1006 Connie Road, Baraboo
Sawyer Hayward Area Middle School, Cafetorium,
10408 Greenwood Ln., Hayward
Shawano Shawano Community Middle School,
LGI Room, 1050 S. Union Street, Shawano
Sheboygan Sheboygan Falls High School, Auditorium,
220 Amherst Avenue, Sheboygan Falls
St. Croix WI Indianhead Technical College,
Cashman Conference Room,
1019 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond
Taylor Taylor Co. Fairgrounds, Multipurpose Bldg.
State Hwy 13 and Hwy 64 Intersection,
Medford
Trempealeau Whitehall City Center, Gymnasium,
36245 Park Street, Whitehall
Vernon Viroqua High School, 100 Blackhawk Drive,
Viroqua
Vilas Town of Plum Lake Town Hall, 235 Lake St.,
Sayner
Walworth Delavan/Darien High School, Auditorium,
150 Cummings, Delavan
Washburn WI Ag Research Station, W6646 Hwy 70,
Spooner
Washington Washington County Fair Park, Exhibit Hall,
3000 Hwy PV, West Bend
Waukesha Waukesha Co. Tech. College (WCTC),
Anderson Education Center,
800 Main St., Pewaukee
Waupaca Waupaca High School, Auditorium,
E2325 King Road, Waupaca
Waushara Waushara County Court House, 2nd Floor
Old Courtroom, 209 S. St. Marie, Wautoma
Winnebago Webster Stanley Auditorium,
915 Hazel Street, Oshkosh
Wood Pittsville High School, Auditorium,
5459 Elementary Ave., Pittsville
Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations, including the provision of information material in an alternative format, will be provided for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. Please call Kari Lee-Zimmermann at (608) 266-2952 with specific information on your request by April 6, 2009.
Copy of Proposed Rules and Submission of Written Comments
The proposed rules and fiscal estimates may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted at the following Internet site:
http://adminrules.wisconsin.gov. Written comments on the proposed hunting and trapping regulations may be submitted via U.S. mail to Mr. Scott Loomans, Bureau of Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Written comments on the proposed fishing regulations may be submitted via U.S. mail to Mr. Joe Hennessy, Bureau of Fisheries Management, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Written comments shall be postmarked not later than April 14, 2009. Written comments whether submitted electronically or by U.S. mail will be summarized for the Natural Resources Board, however, they will not be tallied along with the responses received at the county hearings.
Analysis Prepared by Department of Natural Resources
CR 09-018 — Revisions to Chapters
NR 20,
21,
22, and
23, relating to fishing and clamming on the inlands, outlying, and boundary waters of Wisconsin.
Statutes interpreted
Statutory authority
Summary of rule
The proposed rules will:
1. Allow the department to conduct criminal history background checks on individuals that want to serve as department sponsored volunteer angler education instructor or a mentor as part of a department sponsored or approved learn-to-hunt program. These instructors often and primarily serve as instructors for youth. This proposal would also remove the condition that a mentor for fishing programs may not serve as a mentor for more than 3 anglers and clarify that the applicant, instructors and mentors need to possess a valid fishing license. This will also reduce the 30 day advanced notice for applications for fishing programs to 15 days.
2. Correct an administrative error which was included in the recently adopted rules regarding minnow harvest and possession, as related to concerns regarding containing the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia.
3. Clarify legality of using a small remote controlled boat or similar device with a piece of line and hook attached for the purpose of catching fish in Wisconsin. Our interpretation of the law is that these devices when used for fishing, if not tethered back to the boat, pier or shore where the person operating it is located, is not allowed under our "jug-fishing" rule in NR 20.06 (10).
4. Clarify that either a small game license or a fishing license is sufficient approval for a person older than 16 to take crayfish in Wisconsin.
5. Clarify boundaries of large rivers and their tributaries.
6. Repeal the barbless hooks requirement for early trout season.
7. Prohibit collection of live mussels or dead shell from the St. Croix River National Scenic Riverway, and eliminate commercial mussel harvest in the St. Croix River where it forms the boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota (the activity is already prohibited by National Park Service rules), and in the St. Louis River where it forms the boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
8. Set a minimum length restriction for walleye in Upper Clam lake (Ashland county) of 15 inches.
9. Increase the minimum length restriction for walleye in Beaver Dam lake (Barron county) from 15 inches to 18 inches, and reduce the daily angler bag limit for walleye from 5 fish to 3 fish.
10. Create an annual open season for trout in Beaver, Little Star, Nymphia, and Overby (Blaisdell) lakes (Bayfield county), where the seasons in these lakes are currently closed every other year. The annual open season in the other waters will be between the first Saturday in May and September 30.
11. Remove the 14 inch minimum length restriction for largemouth and smallmouth bass in Lake 26 (Burnett county).
13. Extend the end of open season for trout in Anderson lake (Douglas county) from September 30 to the first Sunday in March.
14. Set a minimum length restriction for walleye in Bearskull, Fisher, Owl, and Upper and Lower Springstead lakes (Iron county) of 15 inches.
15. Increase the minimum size restriction for northern pike in Silver lake (Manitowoc county) from 26 to 32 inches and reduce the daily angler bag limit from 2 to 1.
16. Correct an administrative error which improperly lists the minimum length restriction for walleye in the Wisconsin river downstream from the St. Regis dam in Rhinelander (Oneida county) as none rather than 15 inches.
17. Increase the minimum length restriction for largemouth and smallmouth bass in Burrows lake (Oneida county) from 14 inches to 18 inches, and decrease the daily angler bag limit from 5 to 1.
18. Increase the minimum length restriction for walleye in Big Round lake (Polk county) from 15 inches to 18 inches, and reduce the daily angler bag limit for walleye from 5 fish to 3 fish.
19. Replace the current 9 inch minimum length restriction for trout in Manley creek (Sauk county) with a 9 inch maximum size restriction. This rule will expire 10 years after implementation.
20. Increase the minimum size restriction for muskellunge in Big Sand, Kentuck, and Long lakes (Vilas county) from 34 inches to 50 inches.
21. Set a minimum size restriction for walleye in Dead Pike lake (Vilas county) of 18 inches, and reduce the daily angler bag limit from 5 to 3.
22. Remove the current 15 inch minimum size restriction for walleye in North Twin and South Twin lakes (Vilas county), but stipulate that walleye between 14 and 18 inches may not be kept and only 1 walleye larger than 18 inches may be part of an angler's 3 fish daily bag limit.
23. Increase the minimum length restriction for walleye in White Sand (T42 N R7E S27,) and Long lakes (Vilas county) from 15 inches to 18 inches, and reduce the daily angler bag limit for walleye from 5 fish to 3 fish, and also correct an administrative error which improperly lists the closing date of the open angling season for walleye as March 1 rather than the first Sunday in March.
24. Add Regner (Washington county) and Foxbrook (Waukesha county) ponds to the state's urban fishing program, in which there would be a continuous open season but only persons under 16 years of age or disabled pursuant to s.
29.193 (3) (a),
(b) or
(c), Stats., may fish from the second Saturday in March to but not including the last Saturday in April, and in which persons may possess 1 largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, sauger or hybrid in total; 10 panfish and bullheads in total; 3 trout and salmon in total, and an unlimited number of rough fish.
25. Correct an administrative error regarding bag limits for walleye, sauger, and their hybrids in Lake Winnebago. Current rules allow 5 walleye and 1 sauger or walleye/sauger hybrid, but the bag limit should be 5 walleye/sauger/ hybrids in total, only 1 of which may be a sauger or walleye/sauger hybrid.
Analysis Prepared by Department of Natural Resources
CR 09-015: Revisions to Chapters
NR 10,
11, and
15, relating to hunting and trapping regulations and the use of department managed lands.
Statutes interpreted
Statutory authority
Summary of rule
The proposed rules will:
1. Clarify the definition of “open water hunting" for waterfowl.
2. Allow the harvest stocked hen pheasants at Sand Creek Fishery Area, Monroe County.,
3. Extend the fall turkey season to Dec. 31 in zones 1 - 5, except for the nine-day deer season.
4. Modify bobcat hunting, trapping, cable restraint seasons and reporting.
5. Allow the use of rifles for firearm deer hunting in Dunn and Shawano Counties.
6. Allow firearm deer hunting at Potawatomi and Whitefish Dunes state parks, Door County and allow the use of rifles for deer hunting at all of Hartman Creek state park, Waupaca and Portage counties.
7. Establish that the 19-day muzzleloader-only season and late archery season is antlerless only but buck hunting can be allowed in certain years at Wildcat Mountain state park, Vernon County.
8. Eliminate the late archery deer hunt at Brunet Island state park.
9. Eliminate the special state park hunting season and allow hunting during all normal deer seasons at Cadiz Springs Recreation Area.
10. Establish a special migratory bird hunt with a 1:00 p.m. closure, regulations, and modify refuges at Mead wildlife area, Wood, Portage and Marathon counties and Lake Mills wildlife area, Jefferson County.
11. Clarify the definition of legal firearm types for hunting.
12. Create flexibility in the methods for issuing left-over turkey hunting permits.
13. Create flexibility to register wild turkeys by methods other than in person at registration stations.
14. Allow the use of electronic calls for turkey hunting by certain holders of disabled hunting permits.
15. Allow the use of dogs for turkey hunting during the fall season statewide.
16. Require the registration of sharp-tailed grouse harvest.
17. Allow hunting during special turkey hunts by holders Class B disabled hunting permits that are valid for hunting from a vehicle and issued for more than one year.
18. Eliminate the Nelson-Travino Mississippi River closed area in Buffalo County.
19. Reduce the size of Dike 17 waterfowl refuge and allow trapping and firearm deer hunting (Jackson County).
20. Reduce the size of Vernon Marsh waterfowl refuge because certain areas are no longer needed as goose refuge (Waukesha County).
Small Business Impact
Pursuant to s.
227.114, Stats., it is not anticipated that the proposed rules will have a significant economic impact on small businesses.
Environmental Analysis
