Last ice shanty removal deadline is Sunday, March 17

Contact(s): April Dombrowski, Section Chief of Recreational Safety and Outdoor Skills, DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement, 608-852-9456

MADISON — Ice anglers are reminded that the last deadline to remove permanent ice shanties from state waters is this Sunday, March 17, when shanties must be removed from waters north of Highway 64 and all other outlying waters by the end of the day. Warm temperatures and rain in the forecast could complicate removal so state officials are urging anglers not to wait until the deadline.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Chief Conservation Warden Todd Schaller says owners experiencing problems can seek local assistance from fishing clubs, vendors and other anglers. If the deadline has been missed, please contact the DNR Violation Hotline (1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367) provide a status report of ongoing attempts to remove, as well as shelter location.

“The information will be passed on to the local conservation warden who will use discretion in the enforcement of the deadline,” Schaller said. “The important thing is to continue to work to remove the shelter.”

In addition, if the public is aware of shanty owners who aren’t taking responsibility for their shanty, they should also contact the DNR Violation Hotline.

Deadlines to remove shelters help eliminate spring shoreline litter and boating dangers this spring. Schaller says abandoning the shelter or burning the shelter atop the ice will not satisfy the deadline.

“The debris now goes into the waterbody impacting water quality, shoreline litter or spring boating hazard. Your conservation wardens ask for assistance in helping with this problem so clean up or removal doesn’t get pushed onto others or your license dollars. I know anglers prefer their license fees go to programs to improve fishing not clean up the mess left by someone else. If you have information make the call.”

After the shanty removal deadlines pass, anglers can continue to use portable ice fishing shelters daily if they feel the ice is safe — and if they remove their shelters daily and when not actively being used. Permanent shelters, meaning those normally not removed daily from the ice, must be removed from the ice no later than the specified removal date for that water body.

Previous removal dates include:

• Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters by March 1
• Removal daily after the first Sunday following March 1, inland waters south of Highway 64 (Sunday, March 3, 2019)
• Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters by March 15
• The Fox River downstream from the De Pere dam in Brown County, ice fishing shelters must always be removed from the ice daily and when not in use.