Bow deer, youth waterfowl hunts this weekend

Thousands of hunters will be afield Saturday, opening day of the bow and crossbow deer, wild turkey and youth waterfowl hunting season.
Also opening are hunts for gray and fox squirrels, northern zone cottontail rabbits and Zone A ruffed grouse.
The early teal season is now closed. The early goose hunt ends Sunday night, but is immediately followed by the regular Canada goose season.
There’s a wealth of hunting info online at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Hunt, and a list of lands open to public hunting at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/lands.
Meanwhile, lakeshore harbors and rivers have been producing an occasional steelhead, salmon or northern pike, and Green Bay continues to give up mixed bags of perch, bass, walleyes, pike and brown trout.
On the inland scene, panfish and bass are providing plenty of action for anglers using live bait, spinners or jig and plastic combos, and inland trout action has been decent for those willing to endure the late-summer biting bugs and dense vegetation.

Birding poster
Project FeederWatchhas a new double-sided poster for anyone who sign up this month.
The poster features popular bird feeders and common birds of the east and the west.
FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds that participants can take part in.
Most people do it from home, but you can also do from school, work or any place you observe birds regularly.
You can count once a week, or once all winter.
FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers and bird clubs. When thousands of participants count birds and send their tallies to the database, the result is a treasure trove of numbers, which scientists analyze to draw a picture of winter bird abundance and distribution.
What sets this project apart from others is the detailed picture that data provide about weekly changes in bird distribution and abundance.
Importantly, the data shows where birds are as well as where they are not.
This crucial information enables scientists to piece together the most accurate population maps.
Populations vary from year to year.
Downward trends for two, three or even more years may or may not indicate actual population declines.
Such trends could be reflecting short-term weather patterns or other variations in natural food supply and abundance.
Sometimes, though, the data reveal a long-term population decline of a particular species.
When scientists become aware of such a trend, they evaluate what they know about the species, its habitat, and other factors that may be causing its decline.
Interested?
Learn more and get the details on signing up at https://feederwatch.org/about/project-overview.

Ash tree info
Since Wisconsin’s first detection of emerald ash borer in southeastern Wisconsin 16 years ago, millions of native ash trees have been killed across the state.
Most trees die within four to six years of infestation.
After Dutch elm disease decimated elms more than a half-century ago, many municipalities replaced elms with ash.
Many are struggling with the cost of removing and replacing these trees.
Chemical injections are effective at protecting individual ash trees when administered in the correct dosages and frequencies, but cost is often a limiting factor for many homeowners and communities.
Some pro-active landowners took advantage of a limited window to harvest dying trees for lumber, but many more did not.
Department of Natural Resources foresters have been busy meeting with concerned landowners, and recommending some options.
You can select the county of service and services desired at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forestlandowners/assist.

Invasive species
Want to learn more about controlling invasive species on your property?
Check out https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives, then click “Control” to learn about various options.
For restoration options, check out a list of consultants and contractors compiled by the Natural Heritage Conservation Program and the DNR at
https://widnr.widen.net/s/ccwrwvshvh/nh0699.
Another excellent resource is Glacierland Resource Conservation and Development, Inc., located in Green Bay.
It’s a nonprofit, grassroots organization committed to wise use and conservation of our natural resources and human resources.
The agency promotes sustainability on all levels — environmental, social and economic.
Learn more at www.glacierlandrcd.org, or contact invasive species coordinator Valerie O’Connor at valerie@glacierlandrcd.org, or 920-808-1225.

Water levels update
Water levels have dropped about four inches in Lake Michigan and Green Bay in the past month, but are still about four inches above the 100-year average.
Lake levels are down two inches from the same time last year.
Levels are about 30 inches below the monthly high, set in 1986, and about 34 inches above the all-time low, set in 1964.