Rock Janesville Moose Lodge,
2701 Rockport Ave., Janesville
Rusk Ladysmith High School, Auditorium,
1700 Edgewood Ave., East Ladysmith
Sauk UW Baraboo, R.G. Brown Theater,
1006 Connie Road, Baraboo
Sawyer Winter High School, Auditorium,
6585 West Grove Street, Winter
Shawano Shawano Middle School, LGI Room,
1050 S. Union Street, Shawano
Sheboygan Sheboygan Falls High School,
220 Amherst Avenue, Sheboygan Falls
St. Croix WI Indianhead Technical College,
Cashman Conf. 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 Plum Lake Community Center,
Golf Course Road, 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),
Richard T. Anderson Bldg.,
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
NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that 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 7, 2008.
Agency Contact Person, Copy of Rule, 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 15, 2008. Written comments whether submitted electronically or by U.S. mail will NOT, however, be counted as spring hearing votes.
Analysis Prepared by the Department of Natural Resources
The proposed rules,
CR 08-011, relating to hunting and trapping, and the use of department managed land will:
1. Extend the raccoon trapping and hunting seasons by 15 days to coincide with the closing of the coyote trapping and fox trapping and hunting seasons.
2. Establish definitions for live trap and body gripping type trap.
3. Establish a new population goal for bobcat of 2,500 animals, plus-or-minus 20%.
4. Add an additional year to the experimental fall season for hunting wild turkeys with the aid of dogs in 9 counties in southwest Wisconsin.
5. Eliminate one fisher trapping closed area in Vilas, Forest and Oneida counties, another in Bayfield, Sawyer and Ashland counties, and establish unique trapping regulations to protect pine marten in those areas.
6. Allow dog training with captive wild animals by license during the period when dog training is otherwise prohibited in the northern restricted zone.
7. Prohibit paintball activity on department-managed lands except when approved by the department.
8. Establish a fee of $2.75 for a duplicate copy of the trapper education course certificate of accomplishment and make them available from any DNR license vendor.
The proposed rules,
CR 08-010, relating to fishing on inland, outlying and boundary waters of Wisconsin will:
1. Reduce daily bag limits from 2 fish to 1 fish and possession limits from 10 fish to 2 fish for flathead catfish taken from Winnebago system waters and implement a 30-inch minimum size restriction for flathead catfish taken from these waters, with an additional provision prohibiting harvest of flathead catfish between 36 and 42 inches in length.
2. Clarify the difference between landing nets and dip nets and how landing nets may be used for fishing in inland, outlying, and boundary waters of the state.
3. Require that anglers use artificial lures with barbless hooks while fishing for bass during a catch-and-release season for bass.
4. Establish a special catch-and-release season for muskellunge in inland waters north of US highway 10 and require that anglers use artificial lures with barbless hooks while fishing for muskellunge during a catch-and-release season for muskellunge.
5. Extend the end of the open season for muskellunge in waters south of US highway 10 from November 30 to December 31.
6. Remove special regulations for walleye in English lake, Ashland county.
7. Implement a 3 fish aggregate daily bag limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass in Big Dummy and Little Dummy lakes, Barron county, with no minimum size limit but no fish between 14 and 18 inches may be kept and only one fish larger than 18 inches may be kept.
8. Implement a 2 fish daily bag limit for northern pike, with a 26 inch minimum size restriction.
9.
Establish Manger lagoon, Brown county, as an urban fishing water, Note: Complaint forms are available from the Department of Regulation and Licensing, Division of Enforcement, 1400 East Washington Avenue, P.O. Box 8935, Madison, Wisconsin 53708, or from the department's website at:
http://drl.wi.gov.
10. Remove special regulations for walleye in Boot, Long, and McDermott lakes, Iron county.
11. Increase the maximum allowable size for catfish in Yellowstone lake, Lafayette county, from 18 to 24 inches.
12. Simplify muskellunge regulations on the Black river in LaCrosse, Monroe, and Trempealeau counties by increasing the minimum length restriction to 40 inches.
13. Establish Remington lake, Langlade county, as an urban fishing water, in which only children younger than 16 years of age or disabled persons may fish, and implement a 1 fish aggregate daily bag limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, sauger or hybrid, a 10 fish aggregate daily bag limit for panfish, and a 3 fish aggregate daily bag limit for trout.
14. Increase the minimum size restriction for muskellunge harvest from 34 to 50 inches in Enterprise lake, Langlade and Lincoln counties.
15. Change walleye regulations in Enterprise lake, Langlade and Lincoln counties, replace a restriction that only 1 fish larger than 14 inches may be kept with a restriction that no fish between 14 and 18 inches may be kept but that 1 larger than 18 inches may be kept. Also reduce the daily bag limit from 5 walleye to 3 walleye in Enterprise lake.
16. Establish Mirror lake, Lincoln county, as an urban fishing water, in which only children younger than 16 years of age or disabled persons may fish, and implement a 1 fish aggregate daily bag limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, sauger or hybrid, a 10 fish aggregate daily bag limit for panfish, and a 3 fish aggregate daily bag limit for trout.
17. Remove the continuous open season for bass, northern pike, and walleye, sauger and their hybrids in the Wisconsin river in Lincoln and Oneida counties, downstream from the St. Regis dam in Oneida county, and place those waters under the department's standard fishing seasons for those species.
18. Increase the minimum size restriction for brook trout in the Prairie river, Lincoln county, from R &H road downstream to STH 17, from 8 to 12 inches, increases the minimum size restriction for brown trout from 12 to 18 inches, and reduces the daily bag limit from 3 trout to 1 trout, until April 1, 2011.
19. Increase the minimum size restriction for muskellunge harvest from 40 to 50 inches in Bone lake, Polk county.
20. Increase the minimum size restriction for muskellunge harvest from 45 to 50 inches in the Chippewa flowage, Sawyer county.
21. Reduce the minimum size restriction for walleye in Sand lake, Sawyer county, from 28 inches to 18 inches and increases the daily bag limit from 1 fish to 3 fish.
22. Increase the minimum size restriction for largemouth and smallmouth bass from 14 inches to 18 inches on Big Portage, Presque Isle, Van Vliet, Averill, and Star lakes, Vilas county, and reduce the daily bag limit from 5 fish to 1 fish.
23. Extend the sunset clause on special regulations for muskellunge and walleye in Sparkling lake, Vilas county from 2008-09 to 2013-14.
24. Remove special regulations for trout in Long lake (Town of Saxeville), Waushara county.
25. Clarify regulations on Green Bay tributaries by increasing the daily bag limit for walleye, sauger and hybrids from 3 fish to 5 fish and increasing the minimum size restriction from no minimum to 15 inches.
26. Increase the daily bag limit for sauger in Lake Winnebago system waters from 0 fish to 1 fish.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
Pursuant to s.
227.114, Stats., it is not anticipated that the proposed rules will have a significant economic impact on small businesses. The Department's Small Business Regulatory Coordinator may be contacted at
SmallBusiness @dnr.state.wi.us or by calling (608) 266-1959.
Environmental Impact
The Department has made a preliminary determination that this action does not involve significant adverse environmental effects and does not need an environmental analysis under ch.
NR 150, Wis. Adm. Code. However, based on the comments received, the Department may prepare an environmental analysis before proceeding with the proposal. This environmental review document would summarize the Department's consideration of the impacts of the proposal and reasonable alternatives.
Fiscal Estimate for
CR 08-011,
relating to hunting and trapping, and the use of department managed land.
Summary
This rule proposal will have a negligible fiscal impact. The department already enforces trapping regulations during the period in February when raccoon hunting and trapping will be allowed. Trap type definitions and increased bobcat population goals will update furbearer management programs but do not significantly alter department activities. The department already enforces turkey hunting regulations and regulations related to firearms and airgun discharge on public lands.
New signs will be needed to indicate that dryland trapping is allowed in the Marten Closed Area. Dependable department partners, the Wisconsin Trappers Association, have volunteered to assist the department by placing new signs. It is anticipated that new signs and posts will cost approximately $800.
State fiscal effect
Indeterminate
Local fiscal effect
None
Fund sources affected
SEG
Affected Chapter
20 Appropriations
Long-range fiscal implications
No long range fiscal implications are anticipated. These rule proposals modify and modernize management and enforcement activities but do not require significant new efforts.
Fiscal Estimate for
CR 08-010,
relating to fishing on inland, outlying and boundary waters of Wisconsin
State fiscal effect
None
Local fiscal effect
None
Long-range fiscal implications
None
Notice of Hearings
Natural Resources
Fish, Game, etc., Chs.
NR 1—
