Fish or hunt, a good weekend to get outside

Reports from archers and crossbow users on stand opening weekend of the 2016 season are that there are plenty of deer and even more mosquitoes out there.

With the wind and rain expected to wind down this weekend, it should be a good one for whitetail movement.

Hunters must still tag and register their deer. To brush up on the deer hunting rules, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/dtrfaq.html, download the DNR’s Pocket Ranger app or pick up a hard copy of the 2016 deer hunting regulations.

Woodcock and northern zone duck hunting opens this weekend; next weekend, Oct. 1, is opening day for the southern zone duck hunt.

Meanwhile, all the rain this week has brought in a surge of chinook salmon and a few bonus cohos and brown trout.

Pier anglers are scoring from time to time casting spoons, stickbaits, spawn or jigs tipped with bait, while river fishermen are focusing on upstream holes using spawn sacs, yarn flies, jigs and spinners.

On the inland scene, some perch and pike are coming from the area rivers, while bluegills, crappies and bass are hitting on the lakes. East Alaska offers some bonus muskies, and Krohn’s Lake has stocked trout.

Safety first

Hunting from an elevated device is one of the most popular ways to kill a deer, but it comes with some risk.

Studies show that about one in every three hunters falls while either climbing, descending or actually in the stand at some point in their lifetime. Many, fortunately, result in only minor injuries. But some can be deadly, or permanently disabling.

If there’s any good news, it appears more hunters are learning to use a fall-arrest device, otherwise known as a full-body harness.

Marilyn Bentz, executive director of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation, said the correct method is to attach yourself to the tree before you climb up, during your sit, and as you climb down. Always remain attached to the tree from the time you leave the ground until you get back down.

Bentz said as hunters age, commercially manufactured ground blinds have evolved and are a safe alternative to climbing into a tree stand.

Be a survivor. Educate yourself, your family and your hunting buddies about safe hunting from elevated stands.

WTU banquet

The Kewaunee County chapter of Whitetails Unlimited is holding its annual banquet Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Rendezvous Banquet Hall west of Luxemburg.

Tickets are $45 for adults, $25 for junior members (age 15 and under) and $22 for life members. There are table and raffle packages available.

For tickets or information, call Jamie at (920) 284-6548 or visit www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

Moonlight shoot

The Black Ash Gun Club’s annual Moonlight Shoot, a 100-bird Lewis event, will be held Saturday. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Kevin Naze is a freelance outdoors writer. Email him at wildtimes@wizunwired.net.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Fish or hunt, a good weekend to get outside