Bob Schuh Outdoor Report for the County

Wisconsin DNR reveals latest CWD data & more news in the latest Manitowoc outdoors report
Most of the 1,786 samples that tested positive for CWD were in the DNR’s Southern Farmland Zone.

Wisconsin DNR reports 1,786 positive CWD cases from 17,399 deer sampled in 2024.
The DNR seeks public assistance in the investigation of an illegally killed bull elk in Jackson County.

Multiple outdoor events are scheduled, including a Delta Waterfowl banquet, Bird Breakfast at Woodland Dunes, and a Spring Star Party.

With the conclusion of the 2024 deer hunting seasons, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shares a summary of the year’s chronic wasting disease sampling efforts.

For the 2024 season, the DNR focused on increasing sample collection in designated 2024 Fall Priority Areas. As usual, testing was available statewide, but the additional samples tested from the priority areas helped the DNR better understand disease levels and distribution in areas with recent detections.

In total, 17,399 deer were sampled throughout the state during the 2024 CWD year, with 1,786 samples testing positive. Most (89%) of these detections were in the Southern Farmland Zone.

A full breakdown of sampled and positive totals by zone and year is available on the DNR’s Summary of CWD Statewide Surveillance webpage. Results by county are also available on the DNR’s CWD Deer Testing Results by County webpage.

A total of 242 sampling locations were available throughout the state, including 166 self-sampling kiosks and 76 staffed sites. Disposal sites (154 in total), including dumpsters, landfills and transfer stations, were available for deer carcass waste. The average number of days statewide from when a sample was dropped off at a sampling location to when the CWD result was emailed to the hunter was 8.4 days.

Delta Waterfowl banquet is May 15
Packerland Chapter of Delta Waterfowl will hold its annual banquet May 15 at The Marq Supper Club, 3177 French Road in De Pere. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.

Call Emmie Kucera at 715-938-3402 or email [email protected] for more details.

Bird Breakfast is May 17 at Woodland Dunes
Woodland Dunes Nature Center & Preserve in Two Rivers will hold its 2025 Bird Breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. May 17.

Admission is $7 per person for members and $9 per person for non-members while kids younger than 4 are admitted free.

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and the return of many migratory songbirds. Guided bird hikes will be available throughout the morning — registration is appreciated for the 7 and 8 a.m. hikes. Self-guided activities for the family will also be available. A ham and pancake breakfast will be offered and Barnwood Coffee Company will serve certified bird-friendly coffee.

Reservations and details about the breakfast and guided bird hikes are available at https://www.woodlanddunes.org/calendar-events/events/bird-breakfast/.

Wood duck and bluebird houses still available
Maribel Sportsmen’s Club and Francis Creek Sportsman’s Club still have a few wood duck and bluebird houses available for the public.

When this batch of birdhouses is gone, we will not be building anymore until next January.

If you would like some of these houses to place out on the landscape, call me, Bob Schuh, at 920-682-3106 to make arrangements to pick them up.

Reedsville summer trap league begins May 21
Reedsville Sportsman Club will start its summer trap league at 6 p.m. May 21.

For more information, contact Gerald Fischer at 920-901-3907.

DNR seeks public’s help in probe of illegal killing of bull elk
The DNR says it needs the public’s help to gather information about the illegal killing of a bull elk in Jackson County.DNR staff received and responded to a report of a dead elk on the morning of March 18. The elk was found off East Snow Creek Road and on private property north of the city of Black River Falls, where department staff were conducting elk capture efforts to radio-collar and relocate a small group of elk.

Following a necropsy to investigate the cause of the mortality, it was determined the bull had died from injuries sustained from a gunshot wound.

The bull, known as No. 244, was wearing a GPS radio collar that, along with nearby cellular trail cameras, has provided investigators detailed information related to the illegal shooting.

The bull was one of the last remaining elk originally brought from Kentucky in 2016 and has served as one of the primary breeding bulls for the Central Elk Herd.

“The illegal shooting of bull 244 is a tremendous loss for the central elk herd and citizens of Wisconsin,” said Christina Kizewski, DNR central elk herd biologist, in a news release. “The illegal harvest of a bull of this magnitude reduces opportunity to the hunting community and to recreationalists attempting to photograph or see elk within Jackson County.

“Bull 244 was one of the largest and most photographed bulls in the state and has contributed to the successful growth of the newly established herd through his breeding efforts,” Kizewski added.

The DNR asks the public to share any information with the DNR’s confidential Violation Hotline online or by calling 1-800-847-9367.

No other information was immediately available as the investigation is ongoing.

Read more: Love horses? Picnic with Ponies set May 17 at Crossfire Ranch in Valders
Spring Star Party at Woodland Dunes May 17
Woodland Dunes Nature Center & Preserve will present a Spring Star Party from 9 to 10 p.m. May 17.

View night sky constellations with astronomers Al and Ben, along with the moon and other celestial objects, through the big telescope in the Sky Shed. You can even take your own telescope if you need help figuring out how to set it up.The event will be held weather and sky conditions permitting. The program takes place outside the Nature Center.

Registration appreciated by May 15. To register, email Jess at [email protected] or call 920-793-4007.

That’s it for this week, so have fun in the great outdoors.