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Wisconsin Waterfowl Association
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Dedicated to the Conservation of Wisconsin's Waterfowl and Wetland Resources.
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Thank You To WWA's
2017 Sponsors & Donors
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LIFE SPONSORS
- Dale Arenz
- Ted Olson
- Jack Olson
WETLAND LIFE MEMBERS
- Tom Lutes
- Patrick Smith
- Erich Pitz
LIFE MEMBERS
- Randy Hess
- Raymond Petersen
- Bruce Urben
- Brian Hadler
- David R. VanLanen
- John Wetzel
- Scott Zoellick
- Cal Barstow
- Terry G. Doughty
- Bill Peebles
- Jim Weix
- Leonard & Arleen Wurman
- Jeff Nania
- Rob Monette
- Guy McFarren
- John Regan
- Jerry Burns
- Jerry Gadamus
- Don Moore
- Arthur Anderson
- Don Kloetzke
- Buzz Balzer
- David Uihlein, Sr.
- Robert Kieckhefer
- Mark Drollinger
- Jason Alvarado
- Scott Hedin
- Austin Wheaton
- Tom Seibert
- Larry Kirby
- Sharon Kirby
- Keith A. Pamperin
- Lance Voeltner
- Benjamin Larson
- Randy Helbach
- Don Kirby
- Robert Swanson
- Michael Alaimo
- Joseph Porten
- Eric Urben
- Bryan Urben
- Erich Schultz
- Jon Bergquist
CANINE LIFE MEMBERS
- Creed Ferch
- Gunner Seibert
- Reggie Rechek
- Sophie Vanden Boogart
- Moose Vanden Boogart
- Max White
- Eve Monette
- Ziva Fisher
- Nixx Urben
- Pearl Olson
- Lynard Sitton
- Phez Bartelmez
- Jax Braun
- Sapphire Klug
- Rolf Timm
- Neka Otten
LEGACY LIFE MEMBERS
Gone but not forgotten
LEGACY CANINE LIFE MEMBERS
Gone but never forgotten
- Zoe Regan
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Thanks to all those that have cherished the memory of a loved one by donating in memoriam to the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association.
Those recently memorialized were:
Mr. Robert J. Kuehl
Donor: Ms. Penny D. Kuehl
Mr. John Held
Donor: Ms. Kathy Shurts
Mr. John Holmes
Donors: Dale W. Arenz, Jon Bergquist
Mr. Jay Reed
Donor: Bob & Cookie Olson
Mr. Norman J. Brady
Donor: Dale W. Arenz
Mr. Robert E. Strous
Donor: Bruce Urben
If you'd like to consider a lasting and meaningful memorial fund contribution for that friend, hunting partner, co-worker or relative with WWA, please
contact us. Each contribution will offer:
- A personalized letter to the family of the deceased,
- A letter from WWA sent to the donor confirming contribution for tax purposes (address & individual donation amount must be supplied),
- The option for the donor to designate which WWA program they wish their contributions be put towards, and a listing in this section for the duration of one year
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The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission focuses on wetland and upland habitat restoration, youth and adult environmental education and environmental- and hunter-based legislation.
Sincerely,
Don Kirby
Executive Director
Wisconsin Waterfowl Association
PO Box 427
Wales, Wisconsin 53183
wwainfo@centurytel.net
800-524-8460
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Happy New Year!
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Don Kirby, Executive Director, 262.224.4949
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BRRR!
It's been plenty cold lately, which is good news from the perspective of WWA project work, as Peter had a couple of projects from last winter that weren't worked, due to the exceptionally mild weather we had last year (I had my family out on the Fox River in the boat, in mid-February, remember?). With this sustained cold, he should have enough frost in the ground to be able to get those projects rolling, which will allow us to finish off those grants, as well.
Aside from the weather, it's been plenty HOT around WWA, the past few weeks. Thank you to everyone who took time to share their concerns with elected officials, just before the Christmas holiday, and the public hearing for AB547/SB600, the "wetlands bills". The committees had to open two extra remote rooms to hold the gallery & registered speakers waiting to testify. While no announcements have been made yet regarding the future of these bills, we clearly made the concerns of the conservation community known, and shared our strong desire to see the "wetlands bills" re-worked in significant fashion.
If it's the holidays, it must be Conservation Calendar time, and we've got more than 3500 stubs received & recorded already, out of the 4500 pieces available to be sold in this 9th edition of our calendar, with just one week remaining before the first drawing on January 10th, and so we've got the  deadline looming for stubs and monies to be mailed to Kelcy at the Wales office, by this Friday, the 5th. A very limited supply of Calendar raffles are available for purchase on-line, yet, and a few may be available at the very last moment, at the first drawing event. Again this year, drawings are the 2nd Wednesday of any given month, returning to The Marsh Inn, in Collins, right across the road from the WDNR Wildlife Area of the same name. Thanks to everyone who has helped participate in this terrific fundraising effort, one of our biggest of the whole year!
And finally, just before Christmas, we released our 2018 Wisconsin waterfowl hunter survey. This effort, in conjunction with the Migratory Committee of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, was made to help gather information to lead our efforts for this year, and beyond, in advocacy on a number of different topics.The 20 questions should not take a long time to run through, and I'd very much appreciate your input. As of yesterday, we've already received more than 300 responses, and the survey will close after 30 days, on January 22nd. Some survey takers have commented that they didn't want to offer input on hunting zones that they don't hunt in. In a year where we may consider having "one state-wide opening day", to reduce concerns of "zone-hopping" & resulting overcrowding in some spots, it becomes very important to understand the relationships between all the zones (it is one state, after all), and how you would structure things, to accomplish competing goals like: December hunting opportunities, no split seasons, warm-season hunting, etc. Please take a moment to share your thoughts on these, and all the other inquiries.
Thank you for your
support of our Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, and a prosperous 2018 to us all!
See you on the water, Don
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2018 WWA Annual Meeting
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Join Us Saturday, January 27th!
Our 2018 board of directors election concluded last month, and we again have a full board, with new director Mike Depies, past Cedar Creek chapter chairman, joining the group. Their first business meeting is followed by our "open house" meeting, filled with opportunities for all members to learn more about the activities WWA is engaged in, & the volunteers that make it happen.
This year, we've got a jam-packed agenda, including the 2nd induction class for the WWA Hall of Fame, the detailed presentation of our 2017/2018 habitat project program by Peter Ziegler, and to finish the afternoon, we are very excited to welcome new WDNR Migratory Game Bird Ecologist, Taylor Finger. Taylor will present information on the Early Teal experimental hunting seasons, and then president Bruce Urben will lead a moderated discussion/question & answer session, where you can share your thoughts about this potential hunting opportunity with Taylor. This has been a very polarizing topic for our members, over the period of the experiment, and we are glad to be able to offer this special opportunity to participate in this forum.
Although we are still confirming one item, the balance of the day's agenda can be seen here and we'd be happy to have any members join us, even if you're not currently a part of any of the organized chapter groups. It's a good time to learn about what we've got going on, our plans for the future, as well as offering your input, and getting questions answered. Registration begins at 11:30am.
Please come and join us for a delicious "Wilderness Traditional Deli Bar" luncheon, including water, coffee, or soda, from 12-12:30pm for just $10, paid by 1/23, or $17.50 at the door. Alternatively, space may be available to join just the meeting portion, after 12:30. Please RSVP for the day's events, ASAP, both for the food, and to reserve your spot, as seating will be limited to the first 60 respondents (in addition to our HOF invitees & award-winning chapters).
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LAST CALL: Get Your 2018 Conservation Calendars!
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We have only a few left in stock but we're updating our inventory as our sellers round up any unsold calendars, so please
check back regularly if you haven't gotten your calendar yet!
Featuring 365 Fabulous Prizes, Including:
- 57 Rifles & Shotguns
- 20 Pistols & Revolvers
- 14 Mathews Archery Mission Compound Bows
- 84 Cabela's Gift Cards and Packages
- 12 Parker Crossbows
- 6 Guided Fishing Trips from Conro's Family Resort
- And more!
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Adopt-A-Wildlife Area Program Updates
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By Mike Alaimo, Lead AWA Volunteer
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WWA volunteers purple loosestrife seeding at Rome Pond, July 2017
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As this year is coming to an end, it seems like everyone is busy closing out their books and documenting 2017. The same holds true with our Adopt-A-Wildlife Area (AWA) contracts.
The Rome Pond AWA report was just submitted to the DNR as the final report for our two year contract. Over 100 hours were donated by volunteers and $150.00 in materials in 2017, with two major projects associated with clearing the boat launch lane and purple loosestrife beetle seeding. Wood Duck box maintenance is just around the corner, so we will be submitting for a new contract in January to keep our work moving into the future.
What lies ahead? Well, some of that planning is in flux with DNR priorities shifting to higher classified properties. Rome Pond and Lake Mills will most likely be ranked medium for funds, so there could be an abundance of projects for us to tackle. Based on WWA Project Director Peter's article about Black Terns, we identified a small population of them on Rome Pond and may experiment with floating nest platforms. Based on the Wood Duck hatch success, more wood duck boxes and Mallard tubes will be added. There is also ambition to expand the loosestrife beetle seeding.
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SouthEast Missouri Outfitters
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By Bruce Urben, President, 920.660.2773
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Bruce (pictured 2nd row, far right), with the results of a successful hunt with SouthEast Missouri Outfitters
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The only good thing about the end of duck season in Wisconsin for me is the anticipation of our Missouri duck hunt right after Christmas. My two sons, Eric and Bryan, along with myself and a good friend from the Madison WWA Chapter have been going to Missouri for their late duck season the last 4 years. SouthEast Missouri Outfitters (SEMO),owned by Shane Garner and his family, have been guiding duck hunters on his farm for over 15 years. By trade, Shane is a cash crop farmer, but his full attention switches in November to ducks and geese.
Garner farms thousands of acres in Southeast Missouri near Advance and manages his farm for waterfowl. He will tell you he has a passion for waterfowl, and it shows. Many of his habitat improvement projects would be the envy of State Wildlife agencies. His management includes resting acreage, hunting acreage and refuge areas on the farm. While we were there last week everything around us was frozen up tight with the exception of his farm, as he had 5 deep irrigation wells each pumping 500 gpm to keep the acreage open for waterfowl. Flooded corn, milo and beans keep the ducks close during cold stretches. Shane has numerous pit blinds and elevated blinds on the property that he uses depending on hunting pressure, weather and waterfowl feeding patterns. His lodge provides accommodations for up to 12 hunters and has cooking and relaxing amenities.
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Here we are with some of our harvest!
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To date, Shane's guests have harvested well over 2,000 ducks and geese from his property and our experience was no different again this year. We finished with 4-man limits every day, with up to 7 different species of waterfowl. This year we were lucky enough to harvest a mallard Drake banded in 2010 in Pennsylvania!
Shane's "SEMO" Outfitters is our new "State Hunt" sponsor this year (the hunt will be held in 2019). I know Shane is excited to have the 2018 WWA  State Hunt raffle winner and his crew there in 2019. If past hunts I have participated in are any measure, this year's winner will get a hunt of a lifetime from SEMO!
Look for the State Hunt raffle at our events this year, you can't go wrong on this one.
If you want to learn more about SEMO you can also check them out on Facebook and watch "GunDog TV" on the outdoor channel, you may see Shane and his lab clover in action as they are frequent visitors to the lodge and film several shows each year. In fact the day we left, Gun Dog TV was coming in to film a show for 2018. Check out this YouTube video on SEMO as well:
I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events.
Have a happy and prosperous New Year!
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Tom's Event Corner
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By Tom Seibert, Regional Director
I wish you all a Happy New Year. We're starting out 2018 with some exciting news about some new items for you to win or bid on at our events this year. Thanks to our amazing sponsor Cabela's, you will have a chance to win the Polar Cap 60 cooler on wheels! I am sure you will find the cooler stuffed with goodies at many of our events. This is the latest in coolers that you fill with ice and keep items cold for a week.
Our 2018 State Waterfowler's Dream Hunt is another wonderful trip. It is a 4-person, 3-day guided hunt in Southeast Missouri with SEMO Outfitters. Check our Bruce's article, above, for the hunt he just took with SEMO to see what's in store for one lucky winner! This is a for sure get into raffle.
I will keep you updated on more and exciting items coming to our events in the upcoming newsletter. These two items were just too good to keep a secret any longer.
We are looking for chapter volunteers to help run a 2018 banquet event in the La Crosse and Racine County areas. If you live in those or any areas without a WWA event and would like to start one please contact me and we will put forth our talents and try and make that happen.
Check out the events page for upcoming happenings. We have new locations for our shoot series and a new date for the Fox River chapter banquet.
If you have new ideas for merchandise and raffle items let me know as we are still looking to fill some spots yet. If you work for or know of a company who would like to show off their product line or donate goods to a home state charity, please let me know.
Thank You for all your support in 2017 and here is wishing all of you a prosperous and enjoyable New Year
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Sponsor Spotlight: Nutro/Mars Pet Food
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For many years, WWA has benefitted from the sponsorship support of the Nutro Company. In 2016 Nutro merged with Mars Pet Foods, and their family of brands, including Eukanuba, and others. Thankfully, for WWA, their  support has continued, and so we got to enjoy both the continued financial support we get to see their product reps at many of our events, where they could potentially answer product questions for dog owners about their canine hunting partners' health and nutrition. The opportunity for our members to be able to talk with animal nutrition experts, while they hanging out, waiting for their ticket number to be called, or waiting for their buddy to return from the bar with the next round, is a special deal, indeed!
We saw another great example of this support at our WWA Christmas Bash, early in December: "Nutro Marty" provided us with 60 Nutro "Tervis Tumblers" (retail = $20 each!) which we used as a buyer's spiff for an incredible Yeti Cooler raffle from Sherper's, over-stuffed with goodies from Robert's Specialty Meats. With the awesome value of the drink tumblers and the Nutro coupons available, we were able to quickly sell out this amazing raffle, and Marty spent the evening, available to answer animal nutrition questions from any members who were interested. All of us at WWA thank the "Nutro guys", for all their years of support, and attendance at our events. We're proud to partner with this fine company and offer their products to our members. For more information about Nutro animal foods, check out their website, for more information about Eukanuba animal foods, visit www.eukanuba.com. And for information on Mars, visit http://international.mars.com/global/brands/petcare.aspx
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JANUARY 2018
FEBRUARY 2018
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WWA'S 2018 CALENDAR RAFFLE
Thank you to everyone who purchased our 2018 Conservation Calendar! This raffle was again an immensely successful fundraiser for our organization's mission.
Drawings will be held on the SECOND WEDNESDAY of each month and all drawings will be held at Marsh Inn, 220 S. Hwy W in Reedsville, WI, at 6:00 p.m. The drawing is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend.
Winner's results are posted online by noon on the Thursday following the drawing and the month's drawing results can also be obtained by request via email or by calling (262) 968-1722 or writing to PO Box 427, Wales, WI 53183.
Good luck to all who are entered!
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The Decoy Corner: Animal Trap Company of North America
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By Bruce Urben, President
The Animal Trap Company of North America (ATCNA) produced hunting decoys for a greater number of years than any other decoy factory. Long before they produced decoys they were a major producer of animal traps. In  1918, they began to produce wood decoys in Lititz, Penn. and later in Pascagoula, Miss. This company produced a number of models, sizes, and in various finishes. Their wood decoys were all made on ducplicating lathe machines. Most of the wood decoys were cold stamped on the bottom with the word "Victor" which was ATCNA 's trade name.
In a quest to be the largest manufacturer of decoys, the ATCNA purchased the Pratt decoy business in 1937 and the assets of the Mason Decoy Co. (see previous decoy corner article) in 1939. Another acquisition was made in 1940 when Animal Trap purchased the Poitevin Decoy Co. in Pascagoula, Miss. and consolidated all decoy manufacturing there. Additional acquisitions were made in 1944 (Cumbest Decoy Co.) and 1946 (Moulded pulp products Of Gilbert Clock Corp.).
Animal Trap is best known for their wood decoys but they also produced the Veri-Lite paper mache' and Victor plastic (tenite) models. All Victor plastic decoys produced until 1976 were made by Majestic Moulding in Ohio. Animal Trap Co. ended their wood constructed decoys in the 1950's.
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A 1930's Animal Trap Company decoy
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The ATCNA ceased manufacturing in the 1970's because of hurricane Agnes in 1972 but continued to sell purchased decoys sold under the "Woodstream" name for a number of years later.
According to "Warman's Duck Decoys" by Russell Lewis, the value range of Animal Trap decoys are as follows:
- Paper mache' decoys-$75-$250
- Plastic decoys-$10-$75
- Wooden decoys-$50-$300
As always, values for rare produced species or decoys in excellent condition command higher values. Check with reputable Decoy Collectors in your area for actual value.
Animal Trap Co. produced millions of decoys during their heyday 1918-1972 so it is not uncommon to find these at Auctions, garage sales, antique shops or hidden away by forgotten waterfowlers.
I hope those of you with a "Victor" decoy on your mantle enjoy the history of the largest Decoy Manufacturer in North America!
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Members' Tips: Decoy Anchor Cord
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By Dale Arenz, WWA Life Sponsor and former Board President
After extensive search, I have located the perfect decoy anchor cord. I have used a cord that I have been unable to replace, it worked perfect because it did not fray when cut. I use lead strap discs and I insert the cord in the holes in the disc, then vice-grip the lead to might it tight; so I need anchor cord that does not fray. If it frays when I cut, it won't slip into the holes in the disc. These lead discs avoid having to use knots to tie on the anchors and decoys and, of course, these knots come untied. Unfortunately the anchor cord I have been using has no label and I have been unable to locate it anywhere and, in fact, it may have been discontinued according to one dealer.
Read the full article here.
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OPINION: The White House Turns Its Back on America's Birds
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From The Birding Wire, January 3, 2018
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Photo Courtesy The Birding Wire |
WASHINGTON-"Christmas came early for bird killers. By acting to end industries' responsibility to avoid millions of gruesome bird deaths per year, the White House is parting ways with more than 100 years of conservation legacy," said David O'Neill, Audubon's chief conservation officer, in response to the
Trump Administration's decision to no longer enforce the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in cases of incidental bird deaths.
"Gutting the MBTA runs counter to decades of legal precedent as well as basic conservative principles-for generations Republicans and Democrats have embraced both conservation and economic growth and now this Administration is pitting them against each other. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is one of the most important conservation laws we have.
"We will engage our 1.2 million members to defend the MBTA from this and any other attack on the laws that protect birds."
Congress passed the MBTA in 1918 (2018 will be its centennial year) in response to public outcry over the mass slaughter of birds, which threatened egrets and other species with extirpation. The law prohibits killing or harming America's birds except under certain conditions, including managed hunting seasons for game species. The law protects more than 1,000 bird species in part because it requires industries implement commonsense best management practices like covering tar pits and marking transmission lines.
Read the full article here.
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Support WWA with Badger Sportsman
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Subscribe to Badger Sportsman magazine and support WWA at the same time!
Get Badger Sport
sman
Magazine delivered right t
o your door six times a year for only $19.95. Plus, with this subscription, 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. Subscribe now and help fund our efforts to restore Wisconsin's waterfowl and wetland resources!
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