Rule-Making Notices
Notice of Hearings
Natural Resources
Fish, Game, Forestry, Recreation, Chs.
NR 1—
DNR # WM-01-11, DNR # FH-03-11
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to ss.
29.014 (1),
29.039,
29.041,
29.053,
29.531, and
29.533, Stats., the Department of Natural Resources will hold public hearings on revisions to Chapters
NR 20,
23 and
26, Wis. Adm. Code, relating to fishing on the inland, outlying, and boundary waters of Wisconsin. The proposed rules will:
1.
Establish a continuous hook and line fishing season for cisco (lake herring), whitefish, and hybrids in the Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters with a possession and daily bag limit of 10 in total and no size limit.
2.
Require using a quick-strike rig when fishing with a 10-inch or longer minnow as bait.
3.
Increase the statewide minimum size restriction to 40 inches for muskellunge on all waters currently at a 34-inch minimum size restriction and decrease the minimum size restriction to 28 inches for muskellunge on ten waters: English and Mineral lakes (Ashland county), Bearskin, Booth, Julia, and Squaw lakes (Oneida county), Butternut and Solberg lakes (Price county), Spider lake (Sawyer county), and Upper Gresham lake (Vilas county).
4.
Increase the minimum size restriction from 15 to 18 inches and decrease the daily bag limit from 5 fish to 3 fish in aggregate for walleye, sauger, and hybrids for all waters in 19 southern Wisconsin counties (Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Lafayette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha counties), and Lake Michigan tributaries and waters south of a line due east from the eastern terminus of Waldo boulevard in the City of Manitowoc. The minimum size restriction for walleye in the Kickapoo river downstream of the Gays Mills dam (Crawford county) will also change to 18 inches with a 15-inch minimum size restriction on sauger and hybrids in order to be consistent with Lower Wisconsin river regulations. The Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers (including Lake Wisconsin), Madison lakes including the Yahara River downstream to Dunkirk Dam, and Yellowstone Lake would not be affected by this proposal.
5.
Increase the minimum size restriction from 40 to 50 inches for muskellunge in Rice and Stump lakes (Barron county).
6.
Establish a protected slot for largemouth and smallmouth bass in Lilly lake (Brown county) that allows hook and line fishing from the first Saturday in May to the first Sunday in March, a daily bag limit of 3 in total, and no minimum length, except the possession of fish from 14 through 18 inches is prohibited and only 1 may be longer than 18 inches.
7.
Reduce the daily bag limit from 25 to 10 fish in aggregate for panfish in Lilly lake (Brown county).
8.
Eliminate the 15-inch minimum size restriction on walleye, sauger and hybrids in the Lower Fox river (Brown county) to make regulations consistent with the adjacent waters of the Lower Fox river (Outagamie and Winnebago counties).
9.
Eliminate the minimum size restriction for largemouth and smallmouth bass in all waters of Burnett County except Namekagon, St. Croix, and Totagatic rivers which would retain a minimum size restriction of 14 inches, and all waters of Washburn County except Balsam, Birch, Red Cedar and Shell lakes, Trego Flowage, and Namekagon and Totagatic rivers which would retain a minimum size restriction of 14 inches. The minimum size restriction is eliminated for all Burnett and Washburn county border boundary lakes and flowages and the dates of the open seasons do not change.
10.
Modify hook and line fishing for catfish in all waters of Green Lake and Marquette counties, which includes a continuous open season for channel catfish and an open season from the first Saturday in May to September 30 for flathead catfish; a daily bag limit of 25 in total but only 1 may be flathead catfish regardless of whether caught on hook and line, set or bank pole, or setline; and no minimum size restriction except 30 inches for flathead catfish and possession of flathead catfish from 36 to 42 inches is prohibited.
11.
Re-establish a closed area for set or bank pole and setline fishing for catfish within Lake Winnebago system waters from Lake Butte des Morts upstream to Eureka dam.
12.
Re-establish an open area for set or bank pole and setline fishing for catfish on the Fox river 500 feet above the first dam upstream from Princeton to Wicks Landing at Fox River Drive (Green Lake and Marquette counties) from the Saturday nearest May 20 to September 30. There will be no bag limit, but only 1 may be a flathead catfish regardless of whether caught on hook and line, set or bank pole, or setline, and no minimum size restriction except 30 inches for flathead catfish and possession of flathead catfish from 36 to 42 inches is prohibited.
13.
Alter the boundaries of an existing fish refuge on the Peshtigo river (Marinette county) because the existing privately-owned foot bridge boundary marker will be removed, and extend the end date of the fish refuge from May 15 to May 31.
14.
Increase the minimum size restriction from 40 to 50 inches for three spotted muskellunge brood stock lakes: Archibald and Anderson lakes (Oconto county), and Big Elkhart lake (Sheboygan county).
15.
Eliminate the current 14-inch minimum size restriction for largemouth and smallmouth bass, and increase the minimum size restriction from 15 to 18 inches and decreases the daily bag limit from 5 fish to 3 fish for walleye, sauger, and hybrids in the Minocqua Chain (Oneida county).
16.
Add the Appleton Memorial pond (Outagamie county), the Kohler-Andrae State Park pond (Sheboygan county), and the Delafield Rearing pond (Waukesha county) to the State's urban fishing program.
17.
Establish a year-round fish refuge in the Milwaukee river within the fishway at the Thiensville-Mequon dam, located at river mile 20 (Ozaukee county).
18.
Increase the minimum size restriction from 40 to 50 inches for muskellunge in Redstone lake (Sauk county).
19.
Decrease the minimum size restriction from 28 to 18 inches and increase the daily bag limit from 1 fish to 3 fish for walleye, sauger, and hybrids in Black Dan and Island lakes (Sawyer county).
20.
Establish a protected slot size for largemouth and smallmouth bass in Glen and Squaw lakes (St. Croix county) that allows hook and line fishing from the first Saturday in May to the first Sunday in March with a bag limit of 3 fish in total and no minimum length, but the possession of fish from 14 through 18 inches is prohibited, and only one may be longer than 18 inches.
NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that pursuant to ss.
23.09 (2) (p),
23.11,
29.011,
29.014,
29.059 and
29.089 Stats., the Department of Natural Resources will hold public hearings on revisions to Chapters
NR 10 and
45, Wis. Adm. Code, relating to hunting, trapping, and the management of Department lands. The proposed rules will:
21.
Repeal the sunset of a two year trial period for the extended fall turkey hunting season so that this December hunt will become permanent.
22.
Extend each of the six consecutive five day spring turkey hunting seasons by two days. New seasons would run from Wednesday through the following Tuesday.
23.
Eliminate the archery deer hunting season closure during the traditional November nine day gun deer season.
24.
Repeal the requirement that elk hunters must wear blaze orange except when a firearm deer season is open.
25.
Establish a September firearm and archery hunting season for elk. The season would run concurrently with the first 30 days of the archery deer hunting season.
26.
Allow a landowner, lessees or occupant of private land, or any other person with permission of the landowner, lessee or occupant, to shoot a cougar that is in the act of killing, wounding or biting a domestic animal and require that the carcass of the cougar be turned over to the Department. Department rules already allow landowners, lessees or occupants to shoot a wolf in the same situation, although the authority is currently pre-empted by federal rule. These sections clarify that, in addition to the landowner, lessee or occupant, the authority to shoot a wolf also applies to employees and family members should wolves be delisted at the federal level.
27.
Allow normal hunting hours for pheasants on weekends at stocked properties that otherwise close at 2:00 p.m.
28.
Require that, if asked, bear hunters must provide carcass samples to the Department at the time of harvest registration for purposes of research.
29.
Allow the use of rifles, in addition to shotguns, for firearm deer hunting in all of Waupaca County.
30.
Allow firearm deer hunting at Copper Falls State Park during the traditional nine day and muzzleloader only seasons.
31.
Include Manitowoc, Pierce and St. Croix in the list of counties where the discharge of firearms on Department lands is prohibited except while hunting, dog training, or at established ranges.
Hearing Information
NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2011, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress will hold its election of county delegates in each county. Upon completion of the delegate elections, the joint Spring Hearing/Conservation Congress meeting will convene to take comments on the foregoing rule modifications and Department and Conservation Congress advisory questions.
NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that the hearings will be held on Monday, April 11, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. at the following locations:
Adams Adams County Courthouse
County Board Room A230, 402 Main Street
Friendship, WI 53934
Ashland Ashland Senior High School
1900 Beaser, Ashland, WI 54806
Barron Old Barron County Courthouse
Lower Level Auditorium, 330 E. LaSalle Ave.
Barron, WI 54812
Bayfield Drummond High School Auditorium
52440 Eastern Ave., Drummond, WI 54832
Brown Northeast Wis. Technical College (SC132)
2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay, WI 54313
Buffalo Alma High School Gymnasium
S1618 STH 35, Alma, WI 54610
Burnett Burnett County Government Center
Room 165, 7410 County Road K
Siren, WI 54872
Calumet Calumet County Courthouse
Rm. B025, 206 Court Street
Chilton, WI 53014
Chippewa Chippewa Falls Middle School Auditorium
750 Tropicana Blvd.
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Clark Greenwood High School Cafeteria
306 W. Central Ave., Greenwood, WI 54437
Columbia Wayne E. Bartels Middle School
2505 New Pinery Rd., Portage, WI 53901
Crawford Crawford Co. Courthouse, Room 200
220 N. Beaumont Rd.
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
Dane Schwan Performing Arts Center
Monona Grove High School
4400 Monona Dr., Monona, WI 53716
Dodge Horicon City Hall, 404 E. Lake St.
Horicon, WI 53032
Door Sturgeon Bay High School Auditorium
1230 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Douglas Solon Springs High School
8993 E. Baldwin Ave.
Solon Springs, WI 54873
Dunn Dunn County Fish and Game Club
1900 Pioneer Ave., Menomonie, WI 54751
Eau Claire South Middle School Auditorium
2115 Mitscher Ave., Eau Claire, WI 54701
Florence Florence Natural Resource Center
5631 Forestry Dr., Florence, WI 54121
Fond du Lac Theisen Middle School, 525 E Pioneer Rd.
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54935
Forest Crandon High School Auditorium
9750 US HWY 8 West, Crandon, WI 54520
Grant Lancaster High School, Hillary Auditorium
806 East Elm St., Lancaster, WI 53813
Green Monroe Middle School, 1510 13th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
Green Lake Green Lake High School, Small Gym
612 Mill St., Green Lake, WI 54941
Iowa Dodgeville High School Gymnasium
912 Chapel Street, Dodgeville, WI 53533
Iron Iron County Courthouse, 300 Taconite Street
Hurley, WI 54534
Jackson Black River Falls Middle School, LGI Room
1202 Pierce Street
Black River Falls, WI 54615
Jefferson Jefferson County Fair Park Activity Center
503 N. Jackson, Jefferson, WI 52549
Juneau Olson Middle School Auditorium
508 Grayside Avenue, Mauston, WI 53948
Kenosha Bristol Elementary School
20121 83rd Street, Bristol, WI 53104
Kewaunee Kewaunee High School Auditorium
911 Third Street, Kewaunee, WI 54216
La Crosse Onalaska High School
700 Hilltopper Place, Onalaska, WI 54650
Lafayette Darlington High School Auditorium
11838 Center Hill Road
Darlington, WI 53530
Langlade Antigo High School, Volm Theater
1900 10th Ave., Antigo, WI 54409
Lincoln Tomahawk Elementary School
1048 East King Road, Tomahawk, WI 54487
Manitowoc UW-Manitowoc Theatre/Auditorium
705 Viebahn Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220
Marathon D.C. Everest Middle School Auditorium
9302 Schofield Avenue, Schofield, WI 54476
Marinette Crivitz High School Auditorium
400 South Avenue, Crivitz, WI 54114
Marquette Montello High School Community Room
222 Forest Lane, Montello, WI 53949
Menominee Menominee County Courthouse Basement
Courthouse Lane, Keshena, WI 54135
Milwaukee Nathan Hale High School
11601 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, WI 53227
Monroe Tomah Senior High School, Cafeteria
901 Lincoln Ave., Tomah, WI 54660
Oconto Suring High School, Cafeteria
411 E Algoma St., Suring, WI 54174
Oneida James Williams Middle School, Auditorium
915 Acacia Lane, Rhinelander, WI 54501
