These rules would eliminate one waterfowl hunting closed areas on department managed lands that are part of the Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resources Area and recreate the refuge in an area where it is more likely to maintain waterfowl numbers in the area throughout the course of the hunting season. These modifications were recommended following a planning process that involved members of the public. The closed areas would provide a more functional area for waterfowl to rest, creating more opportunity for waterfowl hunters in the area because birds would remain in the area for a longer period of time.
Anticipated Private Sector Costs and Economic Impact of Implementing the Rule: These rules, and the legislation which grants the department rule making authority, do not have a significant fiscal effect on the private sector or small businesses. These rules are applicable to individual sportspersons and impose no compliance or reporting requirements for small business, nor are any design or operational standards contained in the rule.
The proposed rule changes are not expected to significantly influence the spending activities or hunting and trapping activity of hunters, trappers, dog trainers, or other outdoor enthusiasts. Correspondingly, no related economic impacts are anticipated.
Effects on Small Business: These rules are applicable to individual sportspersons and impose no compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses, and no design or operational standards are contained in the rule. Because this rule does not add any regulatory requirements for small businesses, the proposed rules will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses under 227.24 (3m).
Agency Contact Person: Scott Loomans, 101 South Webster St., PO BOX 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921. (608) 267-2452, scott.loomans@wisconsin.gov Comment Period: The comment period closed on April 13, 2015
Section 1. NR 10.001 (20) is repealed.
Section 2. NR 10.01 (Table (2)) (a), (c) 1., (d) and (e) are amended to read:
Kind of animal and locality | Open season (all dates inclusive) | Limit |
NR 10.01 (2) (a) Ruffed grouse. |
1. Zone A as established under s. NR 10.33. | Beginning on the Saturday nearest September 15 and continuing through January 31. | Daily bag 5; possession 10 15 |
2. Zone B as established under s. NR 10.33. | Beginning on the Saturday nearest October 17 and continuing through December 8. | Daily bag 2; possession 4 6 |
4. Governor Dodge, Mill Bluff and Mirror Lake state parks. | Nov. 1 – Dec. 15. | Daily bag 2; possession 4 6 |
(c) Pheasants. 1. Cocks only |
a. In all counties of the state except the properties specified in subds. 1. b. and 2. and s. NR 10.24. | Early season—Beginning on the Saturday nearest October 17 at 12:00 noon 9:00 a.m. and continuing for 2 consecutive days | Daily bag 1; possession 2 |
| Late season—Beginning on the day immediately after the season described above and continuing through December 31 | Daily bag 2; possession 4 6 |
b. Governor Dodge, Mill Bluff and Mirror Lake state parks | Nov. 1 − Dec. 15. | Daily bag 2; possession 4 6 |
(d) Gray (Hungarian) partridge. |
1. In all counties of the state except in the areas listed in subd. 2. | Beginning on the Saturday nearest October 17 at 12:00 noon 9:00 a.m. and continuing through December 31. | Daily bag 3; possession 6 9 |
2. Clark, Marathon and Taylor counties. | None | None |
1. In all counties of the state except in the parks listed in subd. 2. | Beginning on Saturday nearest October 17 at 12:00 noon 9:00 a.m. and continuing for 54 consecutive days | Daily bag 5; possession 10 15 |
2. Governor Dodge, Mirror Lake, and Mill Bluff state parks. | Beginning on November 1 to the close of the season listed in subd. 1. | Daily bag 5; possession 10 15 |
Section 3. NR 10.01 (Table (2)) (f) 1. is amended to read:
Kind of animal and locality | Open season (all dates inclusive) | Limit |
NR 10.01 (2) (f) Wild turkey. |
1. All wild turkey hunting zones as described in s. NR 10.29, excluding state parks for which a quota has been established under s. NR 10.25 (5). | Spring seasons beginning on the third Wednesday nearest in April 13 and continuing Wednesday through Tuesday of the following week for 6 consecutive 7−day time periods, except on Ft. McCoy military reservation where the season continues for 40 consecutive days. | Only male or bearded turkeys may be killed. The possession limit corresponds to the number of carcass tags issued. |
Section 4. NR 10.01 (2) (f) (Note) is created to read:
NR 10.01 (2) (f) Note: Clearinghouse Rule 15-025 established a June 1, 2016 delayed effective date for s. NR 10.01 (2) (f) 1. In 2016, the spring wild turkey hunting season begins on the Wednesday nearest April 13 and continues Wednesday through Tuesday of the following week for 6 consecutive 7−day time periods, except on Ft. McCoy military reservation where the season continues for 40 consecutive days. Section 5. NR 10.01 (Table (2)) (f) 2., 4. and (g) are amended to read:
Kind of animal and locality | Open season (all dates inclusive) | Limit |
2. All wild turkey hunting zones as described in s. NR 10.29 and the Mill Bluff state park portion of zone 1, excluding all other state parks, for which a quota has been established under s. NR 10.25 (5). | Fall season beginning on the Saturday nearest September 15 and continuing through the Thursday Friday immediately preceding the Thanksgiving holiday. | Either sex of turkey may be killed. The possession limit corresponds to the number of carcass tags issued. |
Wild turkey hunting zones 1−5, as described in s. NR 10.29 and the Mill Bluff state park portion of zone 1, excluding all other state parks, for which a quota has been established under s. NR 10.25 (5). | Fall season reopening on the Monday immediately following Saturday immediately preceeding the Thanksgiving holiday and continuing through December 31. | Either sex of turkey may be killed. The possession limit corresponds to the number of carcass tags issued. |
Note: Glacial Heritage Area state park lands may be leased to another unit of government for management purposes and access permits to hunt turkeys on those lands would be obtained from that unit of government. |
4. Youth turkey hunt. a. Persons under the age of 16 years of age who possess a valid carcass tag issued for the current license year, and all necessary ch. 29, Stats., approvals may hunt turkeys for 2 consecutive days starting on the Saturday immediately preceding the beginning of the spring turkey hunting season established in subd. 1. in the turkey management zone for which the carcass tag was issued. Only one male or bearded turkey may be killed and shall be tagged immediately with a valid carcass tag for that zone pursuant to s. NR 10.25 (2). Hunters shall be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older and be in compliance with s. 29.592, Stats. One adult may not accompany more than 2 hunters and pursuant to s. 29.592, Stats., not more than one of the 2 hunters may be age 10 or 11, or be a person who does not possess a certificate of accomplishment under s. 29.591, Stats., or its equivalent from another state, country or province. All other spring turkey hunting regulations apply. |
b. A youth who does not successfully harvest a turkey during the 2−day youth hunt established in subd. 4. a. may use their unfilled carcass tag during the time period and in the zone for which the carcass tag was issued. A carcass tag that was used to tag a turkey during the 2−day youth hunt may not be reused pursuant to s. NR 10.25 (2) (b) 2. to harvest an additional turkey during the time period for which the carcass tag is valid. |
1. Statewide except in the parks listed in subd. 2. | Beginning on the Saturday nearest September 15 and continuing through the Thursday immediately preceding the gun deer season for Zone A. in sub. (3) (e) and reopening in January and continuing through March 20. The date of reopening in January shall be established each year by the department to allow for a 124−day crow season. | Daily bag 15; possession 30 45 |
2. Governor Dodge, Mill Bluff and Mirror Lake state parks. | Beginning on Nov. 1 and continuing through the Thursday immediately preceding the gun deer season for Zone A in sub. (3) (e). | Daily bag 15; possession 30 45 |
Section 6. NR 10.01 (Table (3)) (a) and (c) 2. are amended to read:
Kind of animal and locality | Open season (all dates inclusive) | Limit |
NR 10.01 (3) (a) Gray and fox squirrels. |
1. In all counties of the state except in the parks listed in subd. 2. | Beginning on the Saturday nearest September 15 and continuing through January 31. | Daily bag (total of both species) 5; possession 10 15 |
2. Governor Dodge, Mill Bluff, and Mirror Lake state parks. | Nov. 1 − Dec. 15. | Daily bag (total of both species) 5; possession 10 15 |
a. All that part of Wisconsin lying north of U. S. highway 10 from Prescott to Waupaca and state highway 54 from Waupaca to Algoma | Beginning on the Saturday nearest September 15 and continuing through the last day in February. | Daily bag 3; possession 6 9 |
b. Governor Dodge, Mill Bluff, and Mirror Lake state parks. | Nov. 1 − Dec. 15. | Daily bag 3; possession 6 9 |
c. In addition, there shall be an open season for hunting cottontails, except with the use of firearms, in Milwaukee county | All year | None |
d. In all other parts of the state | Beginning on the Saturday nearest October 17 at 12:00 noon 9:00 a.m. and continuing through the last day in February. | Daily bag 3; possession 6 9 |
Section 7. NR 10.06 (5) (Intro.) is amended to read:
NR 10.06 (5) Hunting hours. Hunting hours for bear, bow deer, crossbow deer, deer with firearms, elk and small game are 30 minutes before sunrise through 20 minutes after sunset. Hunting hours for migratory game birds are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. All waterfowl hunting starts at 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the duck hunting season established in s. NR 10.01 (1) (b). All pheasant hunting starts at 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the pheasant hunting season established in s. NR 10.01 (2) (c). The department shall establish the specific opening and closing times annually in the hunting regulations pamphlets. Opening and closing times for zone A southern and northern areas shall be based on astronomical data collected by the U.S. naval observatory, Washington D.C., 20392-5420 for Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Powers, Michigan, respectively. The hunting hours for the other zones shall be obtained by adding minutes to the Zone A a.m. and p.m. columns as follows: NR 10.12 (3) Open water restrictions. No person may hunt waterfowl in open water any portion of a navigable water body from or with the aid of any blind which may include any boat, canoe, raft, contrivance or similar device except: Section 9. NR 10.12 (3) (f) and (g) are created to read:
NR 10.12 (3) (f) Other water bodies. If any of the following apply:
1. A part of the boat, blind, or similar device is located within 3 feet of any shoreline including islands.
2. A part of the boat, blind, or similar device is located within 3 feet of a naturally occurring, un-manipulated growth of vegetation rooted to the navigable waterway’s bed or shoreline and of sufficient height and density to conceal at least 50% of the hunter and the boat, blind or similar device when viewed from at least one direction beyond the vegetation providing the concealment. For determining if the vegetation provides the minimum 50% concealment, the viewing shall occur from a height approximately the same as height of the boat, blind or similar device being used by the hunter.
(g) Normal jump shooting activities. From a non-motorized boat, canoe or raft, which is not anchored, on streams where shooting shore to shore is possible.
Section 10. NR 10.13 (1) (b) 7., 9., 10., 13., 15. (Intro.) and d., 16., and 17. (intro.) are amended to read:
NR 10.13 (1) (b) 7. ‘Artificial structures.’ No person shall construct Construct or place on the ice of any of the waters of this state any artificial house or den for the purpose of taking, catching, or killing any fur-bearing animals, or place or set therein any trap or traps of any kind which might take, catch, or kill fur-bearing animals.
9. `Steel jawed traps.' No person may set, Set, place or operate any steel jaw trap with a spread width of more than 8 inches.
10. `Toothed traps.' No person may set, Set, place or operate any steel jawed trap with teeth unless it is located completely underwater at all times.
13. `Snare and cable restraint specifications.' Set, place or operate any snare or cable restraint unless they are non-spring activated, constructed of galvanized aircraft cable and include a swivel, except that a cable restraint which is designed and placed so that it can only be activated by an animal’s foot may be spring activated.
15. `Cable restraints specifications.' Set, place or operate any cable restraint except for bobcat from December 1 to January 31 and fox and coyotes from December 1 to February 15, dates inclusive, provided the cable restraint conforms to the following specifications, or the specifications established in subd. 18 if the device is a foot activated cable restraint, in addition to those under subd. 13. d. A cable restraint shall include a breakaway device or stop rated at 285 350 pounds or less; a reverse-bend washer lock with a minimum outside diameter of 1 1/4 inches; and staked in a manner that does not allow the restraint device to reach any part of a fence, rooted woody vegetation greater than 1/2‶ in diameter or any other immovable object or stake that could cause entanglement.
16. `Incidental take of raccoons and mink.' No person may retain Retain any raccoon taken incidentally with a cable restraint during the period when the use of cable restraints is authorized under subd. 15. a. unless it is during the open season for raccoons listed in s. NR 10.01 (3) (b). No person may retain any mink taken incidentally with a colony trap unless it is during the open season for mink listed in s. NR 10.01 (4) (e).
