Patrick Durkin
Biologists Unravel the Mysterious Case of the Hanging Fawn
Jerry Hamm easily explains how he happened to see a dead white-tailed fawn hanging upside down 15 feet up a red oak, its hips wedged into...
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Patrick Durkin
May 20, 20234 min read
Strutting Gobbler Elbows into Father, Daughter Hunt
Sensing excitement in the elbow-shot to my ribs, I leaned closer to my daughter Leah to better hear her whispers. “They’re moving our...
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Patrick Durkin
May 14, 20235 min read
Gordon Lightfoot: Sailor, Voyager, Legendary Singer/Songwriter
The audience packing the Grand Theatre in Wausau, Wisconsin, rose to its feet when Gordon Lightfoot took the stage at age 83 on June 15,...
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Patrick Durkin
May 5, 20234 min read
Migrating Bluejays Disrupt the Best-Planned Turkey Hunt
The Department of Natural Resources questions a random sampling of turkey hunters each summer to learn important stuff like how often...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 26, 20235 min read
Wakeboats, Deer Hunting Dominate Wisconsin's Annual Hearings
A tsunami of opposition to wakeboard boats swept through Wisconsin’s statewide conservation hearings in mid-April, with 62% of voters...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 22, 20234 min read
Record Wisconsin Sturgeon of April 2012 Still Measures Up
As Wisconsin biologists tracked the nation’s largest lake-sturgeon spawning run in April, they knew they wouldn’t see the record female...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 13, 20234 min read
Flashback to First Turkey, First Turkey Hunt in April 1990
I smirked when pulling the Oshkosh Northwestern’s April 15, 1990, outdoors page from a folder in my filing cabinets a few days ago. Over...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 8, 20235 min read
Wisconsin's Deer Herd Faces Mounting Challenges
Few Wisconsin hunters noticed they had one less opportunity to share their thoughts on deer hunting and deer management this spring....
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 1, 20234 min read
Menasha Man Relaunches Springtime Sturgeon Patrol
Fish pirates have largely vanished from the Fox and Wolf rivers in recent decades, but spawning sturgeon from the Winnebago System’s big...
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Patrick Durkin
Mar 25, 20235 min read
On Wisconsin! Conservation Funding Requires Leadership
For a state ranking fifth nationally in licensed hunters and sixth in licensed anglers while generating $8.7 billion and 89,000 jobs in...
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Patrick Durkin
Mar 16, 20234 min read
Wisconsin Bobcats Faring Well, Boosting License Sales
Wisconsin’s bobcat population has grown steadily this century, expanding its range and numbers while triggering explosive interest among...
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Patrick Durkin
Mar 11, 20234 min read
Impatience Pays: Hole Hoppers Put More Crappies on Ice
Someday I’ll prove that a patient man who plants himself atop an ice hole and persists will outfish those who forever hop one hole to the...
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Patrick Durkin
Mar 4, 20234 min read
Wisconsin Fish Advisories Offer Safe, Practical Eating Advice
Let’s compliment the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the large, bold-faced “Choose Wisely” headline on the state’s...
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Patrick Durkin
Feb 25, 20234 min read
Ice-Spearing for Pike Offers Same Guarantee as Tip-Up Fishing: None
MENOMINEE, Mich. — If you’re strapping ice-creepers to your boots and heading out to catch a quick meal of northern pike from an Upper...
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Patrick Durkin
Feb 19, 20234 min read
Wisconsin Finds CWD in Record 31 Counties During 2022 Deer Hunts
Wisconsin found chronic wasting disease in a record 31 counties during 2022’s deer seasons — including newcomers Buffalo, Langlade and...
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Patrick Durkin
Feb 11, 20234 min read
Spain Researchers Document World’s Oldest ‘Trophy Room’
Researchers who studied a cave complex in Spain recently concluded that Neanderthal hunters likely turned one of the chambers into the...
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Patrick Durkin
Feb 3, 20234 min read
Icefishing in 1959 Had Many Charms and Challenges
An old, retired Northwoods bunny cop seldom disagrees when reading my columns about hunting, fishing and other conservation matters. But...
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Patrick Durkin
Jan 28, 20235 min read
Wisconsin’s New Wolf Plan Mirrors Other Plans Here and Near
One year after a federal judge in California put the Great Lakes’ gray wolves back on the endangered species list, many Wisconsin hunters...
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Patrick Durkin
Jan 22, 20234 min read
Retired Wildlife Professor Ponders CWD’s Impact on Deer Hunting
Deer hunting in Wisconsin was simpler in 2000, when we mostly argued about baiters, antlerless quotas, buck-to-doe ratios, and whether...
1,028 views1 comment
Patrick Durkin
Jan 14, 20234 min read
Pelican River Forest Plan Deserves a Public Resolution
One wonders about the legitimacy of our Legislature when a lone senator or representative can conceal their identity while blocking...
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