Get Involved And Make Your Voice Heard

Participate In Upcoming Public Input Opportunities

Photo Credit: iStock.com / JenDeVos

Have a hand in shaping deer management and the 2022 deer season by submitting comments to your County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC). We’re welcoming comments during the online comment period April 9-15.

Each county in Wisconsin has a County Deer Advisory Council to provide input and recommendations to the department on deer management within their county.

In early May, each CDAC will make recommendations to the department for the 2022 season based on deer herd metrics, county deer population objectives and public feedback. The DNR will bring its recommendations for the 2022 season to the Natural Resources Board in summer.

Learn what your CDAC is considering for this season and the other ways you can get involved by visiting the DNR’s County Deer Advisory Councils webpage.

Wisconsin DNR And Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Fish And Wildlife Hearing

In addition to participating in deer management in Wisconsin, you will have the opportunity to provide input on proposed natural resources rule changes from the DNR and advisory questions from the Natural Resources Board (NRB) and Wisconsin Conservation Congress through another online input opportunity.

The 2022 Spring Hearing online input webpage will go live at 7 p.m. on April 11 and will remain open for 72 hours. Results will be posted as soon as they are available.

This year there are 16 advisory questions from the DNR related to Fisheries and Wildlife Management. There are also two advisory questions from the NRB and 45 advisory questions from the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. All questions are available to preview here.

Last Call For Seedlings We are still accepting orders for tree seedlings to be planted this spring. Planting seedlings from state nurseries is a great way to celebrate Arbor Day (April 29, 2022) which is dedicated to increasing the number of trees across the country to help improve the environment. In 2021, Gov. Tony Evers signed an Executive Order pledging to protect and restore Wisconsin’s forestland by planting 75 million trees by 2030 as part of the U.S. Chapter of the Global Trillion Trees Initiative. By ordering seedlings, you can help. Wisconsin state nurseries have 1- and 2-year-old Red Oak, 1-year-old jack pine, 1-year-old black walnut, 2-year-old Red Pine, and 2-year-old Black Spruce available for purchase. All seedlings are grown at the Wilson State Nursery in Boscobel and are well suited to their native Wisconsin soil. The minimum seedling order includes a packet of 300 seedlings in 100 count increments of selected species, 500 shrubs or 1,000 tree seedlings. These seedlings must be planted in Wisconsin and are to be used in reforestation efforts, creating wildlife habitat, controlling erosion or constructing natural windbreaks. For information on seedling availability or place an order, contact our nursery hotline at 715-424-3700. You can find answers to common questions about tree planting on the DNR’s website.

Be Bear Aware: Hear From Experts April 19 For Tips On How To Co-Exist With Bears Join our Bear Aware Webinar at 6 p.m. on April 19 to learn about living among black bears. Wisconsin is home to a thriving black bear population estimated at more than 24,000 bears. Although the black bear primarily lives in the far northern third of the state, bears are becoming more common in the lower two-thirds of the state than ever before due to a growing population. By understanding bear behavior, you can reduce negative human-bear conflicts. Webinar attendees will hear from DNR and USDA-Wildlife Services bear experts about bear habitat and history and get tips for reducing the potential for bear conflicts around homes and businesses. Following a presentation from the experts, there will be a Q&A session where you can ask about bear biology and how to co-exist with Wisconsin’s largest carnivore. Black bears are naturally cautious animals that generally avoid contact with people for their safety, but conflicts between people and bears can arise. Bears can quickly learn to associate humans with food when food sources are available. If a bear finds food, such as bird feed or garbage near your home or cabin, it will likely return for more. Bear visits are more likely to stop when food is no longer available. Bears will periodically check sites where food was once available, so it may take several days to weeks after a food source has been removed for a bear to stop visiting food sites altogether. It is important to make sure these tasty food sources are hidden from bears at all times of the year, but it’s especially crucial in warmer months when bears are more active. While bears usually are solitary forest animals, their powerful sense of smell can lead them into urban areas to search for food, especially in the spring and fall. Black bears are secretive animals and usually try to avoid people. However, conflicts with humans can occur when bears destroy gardens, bird feeders, apiaries and trash cans. The DNR’s Living With Black Bears In Wisconsin pamphlet is a great resource for learning more about co-existing with bears in Wisconsin. More information about black bear behavior and avoiding unwanted encounters is available in the DNR’s Living with Bears in Wisconsin brochure. Event Details WHAT: Bear Aware Webinar WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 19 WHO: Brad Koele, DNR Wildlife Damage Specialist Alaina Gerrits, DNR Wildlife Biologist Randy Johnson, DNR Large Carnivore Specialist Dave Ruid, USDA-Wildlife Services Wildlife Biologist WHERE: Join via Zoom here Join by phone: 877-853-5257; Webinar ID: 886 3482 8734 Photo Credit: iStock/AwakendEye

2022 Ojibwe Spring Fishing Season Starting Soon

As we get further into spring, we’d like to remind you of the protected tribal right to fish in certain Wisconsin waterways and the legal consequences you could face if found interfering with that right during the upcoming Ojibwe spring fishing season.

“The department has zero-tolerance for harassment of tribal members who are exercising their treaty rights,” said DNR Secretary Preston D. Cole. “We fully support Ojibwe sovereignty and treaty rights.”

Each tribal fishing season, tribal members harvest using various high-efficiency methods, including spearing and netting. The DNR collaborates with the Ojibwe tribes to uphold these tribal rights.

“Tribal members have the right to hunt, fish, and gather in the Ceded Territories,” said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Any attempt to interfere with those rights is illegal and should be reported to local law enforcement and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC).”

Part of the collaboration between the DNR and the Ojibwe tribes includes working together to set a safe harvest limit for every walleye and musky lake in the Ceded Territory. These safe harvest limits ensure that the walleye and musky harvests do not adversely affect each lake’s fishery.

The spring tribal fish harvest usually begins in mid- to late-April and runs through May, or shortly after the ice melts. The season typically starts in the southern portion of the Ceded Territory and moves north as the season progresses. The tribal harvest is not a date-regulated activity, and as a result, there is neither an open nor closed season.

There are 2,300 lakes larger than 25 acres in the Ceded Territory, including 919 walleye lakes and 623 musky lakes. Each year, the Ojibwe tribal members fish a portion of these lakes outside of reservation boundaries during their spring harvest season. Tribal members rely on these lakes to preserve their cultural heritage and also act as a vital food source for their communities.

By March 15 of every year, each tribe declares how many walleyes and muskellunge it intends to harvest from each lake based on the safe harvest limits. Harvest begins shortly after the ice melts, with nightly fishing permits issued by the tribes to their members to harvest a specific number of fish, including one walleye between 20 and 24 inches and one additional walleye of any size.

All fish that are taken are documented each night by a tribal clerk or warden present at boat landings. Once the declared harvest is reached in a given lake, no additional permits are issued for that lake, and the harvest ends. The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) provides daily reports to the DNR for all fish harvested off-reservation by spearing or netting in the Ceded Territory.

Tribal Rights

In the mid-1800s, the Lake Superior Ojibwe Tribes ceded more than 22,000 square miles of tribal territory across Northern Wisconsin, including all or parts of 30 counties through a series of treaties with the United States federal government.

When the Ojibwe ceded lands to the federal government, they maintained their rights to hunt, fish and gather off-reservation land within the Ceded Territory. However, after Wisconsin became a state, state and local officials frequently assumed statehood superseded Ojibwe treaty rights and regulated or prohibited off-reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering by tribal members.

In 1983, a federal court ruling reaffirmed the Ojibwe had the right to hunt, fish and gather off-reservation in the Ceded Territory, including the right to catch fish by spearing and netting.

Interfering With Tribal Rights

It is illegal to interfere or attempt to interfere with tribal members who are exercising treaty rights, including the spring harvest of walleye. Prohibited conduct against any tribal member includes, but is not limited to, stalking, obstructing access to lakes, recklessly operating watercraft, creating hazardous wakes, threatening violence and committing acts of violence.

“The DNR is committed to ensuring all tribal spring harvest seasons are safe and enjoyable,” Cole said. “The Ojibwe spring harvest, which includes spearfishing, is an integral and respected part of Wisconsin’s history. The DNR is actively engaged with tribal law enforcement officers to protect tribal rights not only for the upcoming season but for generations to come.”

These treaties and court decisions remain in place today, ensuring the Ojibwe can continue to exercise their right to hunt, fish and gather off-reservation in the Ceded Territories. To assist in regulating those activities, 11 Ojibwe bands have formed GLIFWC, which provides fully trained wardens who patrol the Ceded Territory to make sure tribal members are following applicable tribal conservation laws. Violations are cited into tribal courts for prosecution. Ojibwe spearing and netting are carefully monitored and regulated by staff from both GLIFWC and the Wisconsin DNR.

Anyone violating tribal rights could be charged under several Wisconsin laws, fined up to $10,000 and sentenced up to 9 months in prison. Additionally, any tribal member whose rights are violated may bring civil action for damages and seek a restraining order.

Wisconsin’s Hate Crime Provisions

Wisconsin law includes hate crime penalty enhancements for many crimes if they are committed, at least in part, based on a “belief or perception regarding the race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry of” the victim. For example, when a hate crime penalty enhancement applies to a felony, the maximum fine can be increased by up to an additional $5,000 and the maximum prison term can be increased by up to an additional 5 years.

Reporting Tribal Rights Infringement

If you have witnessed or been subject to infringement of tribal rights to hunt, fish and gather that is active and involves physical harassment or a verbal threat of physical harm, report that to local law enforcement immediately by calling 911.

If the threat has passed, please contact local law enforcement at the non-emergency number. Call or text the confidential DNR Tip Hotline at 1-800-TIP-WDNR, as soon as possible to make a report of the event.

The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) also recommends reporting any instances of infringement in order to maintain a record and provide appropriate follow up. Call GLIFWC Enforcement at 715-685-2113 to document an incident.