Outdoors: First hunting openers less than two weeks off

The return of Friday night football is as good a sign as any that hunting seasons are right around the corner.

Deer hunters have been seeing an incredible number of whitetails this summer, including some dandy bucks, and the fawn crop looks to be large.

Turkeys, too, seem to have rebounded quite a bit from back-to-back severe winters a few years ago, and plenty of young ones are being seen from the summer hatches.

First up, though, are Sept. 1 openers for the early goose, early teal and mourning dove seasons.

Of the three, the goose hunt sees the most pressure, though it draws far less participation than during the deer or turkey seasons.

The early hunt runs from Sept. 1 to 15, with a five-bird daily limit on Canada geese. The liberal bag is meant to allow hunters to reduce a growing population of locally-raised birds before the migration south begins.

With the transition to Go Wild, the Canada goose harvest registration phone number is now consistent with all other species registered. It also allows online registration at gamereg.wi.gov. The phone number is 844-426-3734 (844 GAME-REG).

Goose permits are now printed on regular white paper, rather than green thermal paper. While afield, hunters must carry their Canada goose harvest permit.

Meanwhile, this is the final year of a three-year experimental early teal-only duck hunting season. It runs Sept. 1-7, with a daily bag limit of six teal. Opening day shooting hours for the teal season will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For the remainder of the season, shooting hours will be from sunrise to 7 p.m.

3D archery shoot

The Kewaunee Trap Club’s annual 3D Archery Shoot will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 27 and 28.

This year’s shoot will consist of two 25-target courses. All the targets will be Rinehart 3D targets, with shooting brackets for abilities ranging from beginner thru advanced.

Food and beverages will be available at the club, located approximately seven miles west of Kewaunee on County F. Watch for the signs.

For more information, call Dennis at 920-255-3500, like “Kewaunee 3D Archery” on Facebook or visit www.kewauneetrapclub.com.

Fish meeting

High-priority management actions for the Lake Michigan fishery identified by charter captains, recreational anglers and other stakeholders will be shared by the Department of Natural Resources at a public meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 29 at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland, Wis., in Centennial Hall West.

Background information, including a copy of the presentation to stakeholders from a June 27 meeting, can be found by visiting the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, and searching "Lake Michigan salmon and trout meetings."

Duck numbers

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2016 continental duck population estimates are out. Numbers are down slightly, but still 38 percent above the long-term average.

Mallards and green-winged teal population estimates are at record highs —11.8 million and 4.3 million, respectively. Continental blue-winged teal estimates are at 6.7 million, which is lower than 2015 but still well above the long-term average.

Delta Waterfowl

The Packerland Chapter of Delta Waterfowl invites hunters to a fundraising dinner Sept. 27 at “The Blind” at Vandervest Harley-Davidson, 1966 Velp Ave., Howard.

Decoys, blinds, guns, hunting and fishing trips are just some of the prizes available. Call 920-676-0621 for more information or to reserve tickets.

State parks

Cast your vote for your favorite state park or enter a state park photo contest in the 2016 Friends of Wisconsin State Parks contests.

The photo contest runs through the end of August and can be from any Wisconsin state park, forest, trail or recreation area. Winning entries will be included in the 2017 Friends calendar.

To learn more, visit friendswiparks.blogspot.com.

Kevin Naze is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be reached by emailing wildtimes@wizunwired.net or calling 920-883-9792.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin: Outdoors: First hunting openers less than two weeks off