Manitowoc Unit of Fish & Game completed its election of officers in December.

The 2024 roster of officers and directors were reelected unanimously to serve another term in 2025.

This means Terry Busse will continue as president with Anne Busse as vice president.

The club also held a drawing for a special Fish Fry Raffle and awarded three related prizes to the winners, who all attended the meeting.

A reminder was shared during the December meeting that the January meeting, scheduled for Jan. 8, will return to Lincoln Park’s Cabin No. 1.

Fish & Game’s Member Development Committee previewed a new mantyfg.com website. The new site will go live Jan. 6. On the site, calendars for Unit Meetings, Director’s Meetings and Special Events are updated and there is also a new interactive map function with locations of club meetings, area lake access and all 450 acres of public properties owned by the organization.

A Membership Table will be featured at the Manitowoc County Fish & Game Annual Meeting Jan. 30 at City Limits in Manitowoc. The event will include speakers and information about the work being done in Manitowoc County by the 24 clubs in the organization.

The group will also have a booth at the Country Visions Outdoorsmen Expo Feb. 8 at the County Expo grounds.

A reminder was shared during the December meeting that applications for grants from the FORWARD Endowment close Dec. 31. FORWARD (or Friends of Resources Wildlife and Recreational Development) is a charitable trust funding Manitowoc County projects in hunting, fishing, conservation and related education. Grant applications are available on the Fish & Game website.

Fish & Game works to promote and protect the rights and resources of sporting men and women in the county through a variety of projects and education programming. It supports youth programs to get young people involved in the outdoors. It is one of 24 clubs that work together in Manitowoc County. Learn more at mantyfg.com or contact Anne Busse, unit vice president, at [email protected] or [email protected].

Read last week’s column:A first buck, gun deer season totals & more in the latest Manitowoc outdoors report

Reedsville club plans Rabbit Hunt & Pig Roast

Reedsville Sportsman Club will hold its Rabbit Hunt & Pig Roast Jan. 11.

Registration is 5-9 p.m. Jan. 10 with food being served from noon until it’s gone Jan. 11. Refreshments will also be available.

Proceeds will be used for the Reedsville Sportsman Club Youth Trap Program.

For more information, call Gerald Fischer at 920-901-3907. The club is 2 miles north of Reedsville on Pleasantview Road.

Mishicot club moves meeting to Jan. 2

Mishicot Sportsmen’s Club normally meets the first Wednesday of the month. In January, the first Wednesday would be Jan. 1, so they moved their meeting to Jan. 2.

The meeting will start at 8 p.m. Jan. 2, and the public is welcome to attend.

Mishicot Sportsmen’s Club is just west of Mishicot at 13804 Jambo Creek Road.

DNR opens public comment on draft rule for deer management boundaries

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the start of a public comment period for a draft rule that would rework portions of the state’s deer management unit boundaries.

The public comment period runs until Jan. 10.

This draft rule would allow the DNR to carry out the deer management unit boundary changes being proposed as part of this year’s deer management unit review process.

Generally, the draft rule proposes a return to habitat-based deer management units in the Northern Forest Zone and adjusts a portion of the Central Forest Deer Management Zone boundary and select Metropolitan Sub-unit boundaries.

The DNR is also hosting a virtual public hearing at 5 p.m. Jan. 8 to give the public another chance to provide a formal comment on the draft rule.

The public is encouraged to visit the DNR’s Proposed Permanent Administrative Rules webpage (under the Wildlife Management section) for a link to the draft rule and details about the public hearing.

People can submit comments by Jan. 10 to: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, C/O Scott Karel, DNR Policy and Regulations Specialist, P.O. Box 7921, 101 S. Webster St., Madison, WI 53707, or at [email protected].

Visit the DNR’s Deer Management webpage to learn more about the deer management unit review process and view the recording of the recent virtual open house on the topic. The recording includes an explanation of the proposed changes and ensuing question-and-answer session with the public.

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Warning about snowmobile trails & ice conditions

Snowmobilers need to understand public trails are not open — regardless of how much snow is on the ground — until the county they want to ride in declares them to be open.

Each county has a hotline for outdoor enthusiasts to call to find out if the area trails they want to ride in are open. In Manitowoc County, that number is 920-758-7669, or call the Manitowoc County Snowmobile Alliance at 920-645-5771.

Also, stay off the ice, as conditions just are not safe in most areas. Checking with local fishing clubs or bait shops just might be the best way to get ice condition reports.

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