Patrick Durkin
Survey Shows Jump in Wisconsin Drumming Grouse Numbers
Six years after Wisconsin policymakers panicked over declines in the ruffed-grouse population, the state’s “thunder chickens” climbed...
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Patrick Durkin
Jul 24 min read
Jefferson County Restriction on Navigating Flooded Land Faces Likely Appeal
A Jefferson County judge’s recent ruling that forbids boaters, anglers and other water-borne recreationists from entering flooded private...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 294 min read
CWD Threatens to Wipe Out a Wyoming Mule Deer Herd
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed CWD in white-tailed deer in two more counties in April—Pierce and Waushara—which...
604 views1 comment
Patrick Durkin
Jun 224 min read
Wisconsin Set Record 28 Boating-Related Fatalities in 2023
Wisconsin set a tragic record in 2023 when 28 people died while enjoying the state’s abundant lakes and rivers by fishing, hunting,...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 154 min read
Wisconsin’s Spring Turkey Season Pleasantly Defied Expectations
Wisconsin’s turkey hunters broke the 50-K harvest mark for the first time in 15 years when the spring season ended May 28 with a...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 94 min read
Registering Nonmotorized Recreation Vehicles Makes Sense
Those of us with long memories perked up in April when voters at Wisconsin’s annual conservation hearings supported registering...
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Patrick Durkin
May 294 min read
Conservation Congress Rejects Archery Group-Hunting for Antlerless Deer
Group-hunting has been legal during Wisconsin’s gun deer seasons since the mid-1980s, but four decades later it remains a bridge too far...
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Patrick Durkin
May 254 min read
Predators Try to Make Meals from Hunters’ Turkey Decoys
Nature’s surprises often flip routine hunts into lifetime memories. Sometimes you smile, wondering why a mallard hen would expose her...
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Patrick Durkin
May 164 min read
May Brings Annual Reminders to Leave Young Wildlife Alone
Who needs dandelions, chirping robins and blooming lilacs to remind us it’s spring when we receive daily public-service warnings each May...
247 views0 comments
Patrick Durkin
May 124 min read
Bitten Tails, Broken Legs Speak to Ma Nature’s Indifference
Whether watching your birdfeeders through a living-room window or calling to wild turkeys from a camouflaged blind, you seldom wait long...
236 views0 comments
Patrick Durkin
May 15 min read
Wakeboats Again Dominate Voting in Wisconsin Fish, Wildlife Hearings
Wakeboats struck another tsunami of opposition during Wisconsin’s statewide conservation hearings in mid-April, with over 70% of voters...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 275 min read
If You Show Folks a Lake Sturgeon, They’ll Tell You a Story
Lake sturgeon were having yet another of the species’ moments in late April. First, they made the morning headlines April 22 by not...
345 views0 comments
Patrick Durkin
Apr 214 min read
Spring Turkey Season Signals Return of Young Hunters, Old Memories
My cousin Peggy greeted our group of turkey hunters as we returned to her farm’s driveway April 12 after our prep work for Wisconsin’s...
217 views0 comments
Patrick Durkin
Apr 125 min read
Researchers: Feds Should Lead Nation's Deer-Management Efforts
Three researchers from Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison think the federal government should take the lead on...
742 views1 comment
Patrick Durkin
Apr 55 min read
Rebounding Beavers Gnaw, Engineer Wisconsin Wetlands
The first Wisconsin game warden killed by gunfire didn’t die protecting deer, bears, wolves, walleyes or waterfowl. No, Einar P. Johnson,...
625 views2 comments
Patrick Durkin
Mar 295 min read
Wisconsin Spring Hearings to Address 49 Conservation Proposals
Hunters, anglers and other outdoor recreationists who attend Wisconsin’s spring conservation hearings April 8 can vote in person for the...
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Patrick Durkin
Mar 235 min read
New Research: Wisconsin Deer Hunter Numbers Still Falling
More females and crossbow hunters joined Wisconsin’s deer hunting’s ranks the past decade, but they didn’t halt the state’s nearly...
1,506 views1 comment
Patrick Durkin
Mar 164 min read
Year-Round Daylight Saving Time Reduces Deer Crashes
When the humorist Dave Barry turned 50 in 1998, he compiled a list of things that took him a half-century to learn. One of his insights...
320 views0 comments
Patrick Durkin
Mar 85 min read
Trappers Lend a Hand When Dogs Wander Far from Home
Fur trappers can seem uneasy and vulnerable, even though they’re the most skilled, regulated and well-rounded outdoors-folks you’ll find...
984 views3 comments
Patrick Durkin
Mar 45 min read
Wisconsin DNR Nears End of 7-Year Deer Study on CWD, Predators
Wisconsin biologists expect to soon complete the nation’s first and most-advanced system for estimating the past, current and future...
634 views2 comments
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