My New Mud Motor is Sitting in My Truck
By Bruce Ross, Executive Director
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My new mud motor finally arrived – and I’m itching to hang it on the back of my duck boat – but here I am, days into the season, and there it sits. In a box. Nowhere near my skiff. Or the marsh. I’m hoping Thursday’s the day, and that I can break it in this weekend. I’ll share pics on
Facebook
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I absolutely MUST make time to waterfowl this week… but it’s going to be tough. In part, because there’s an amazing amount of things WWA is keeping me busy with! Here’s what I’ve been working on recently:
- Writing articles for Badger Sportsman on Duck ID and how to stay out of trouble with the wardens this fall when eclipse plumage makes some species of ducks look all-too-similar. Read on...
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11th Anniversary Limited Edition, featuring 365 fabulous prizes, including:
- 33 Shotguns
- 51 Handguns
- 36 Rifles
- Vortex Optics...
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Time for a Change? Duck Zones in Wisconsin: We Need Your Input
By Bruce Urben, President
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On Tuesday of last week, WWA was invited to attend an Ad Hoc Waterfowl Committee meeting to discuss duck zones for the 2020 season and beyond. According to federal requirements, state zones can only change every 5 years, so the WDNR has assembled a number of organizations, including WWA, to seek input on possible options for the next 5 years.
Read on & submit your vote on the 8 zone options!
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Check out the video, top left of this year's banding at Collins Marsh. Thanks to Steve Easterly, WDNR Wildlife Biologist and videographer, Rebecca VanLanen for a glimpse into the banding process.
And take a quick second to view the video at bottom left showing DNR nets coming down on the feeding ducks before banding, captured by WDNR's trail cameras.
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Geese immediately flocked to this new WWA restoration site even with minimal water in July. The site is now holding 2-8" over large sections, perfect new waterfowl habitat for hunting.
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Habitat Program Updates
By Peter Ziegler, Project Director
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Hope everyone had an enjoyable opening weekend. I know over here in southern Wisconsin, where I’m located, the birds bird have lots of places to go after recent heavy rains. Ponding is frequent in many fields...
Read on!
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Jackson Marsh Disabled Accessible Blind Ready
By Mike Alaimo, Lead AWA Volunteer
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Thanks to Mike Depies & team, the disabled accessible blind over at Jackson Marsh is ready for opening day.
Learn more...
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Abrams Property Ready to Hunt
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On Sunday, September 15th, a small work party (Bruce Urben, President and Don Kirby, previous Executive Director) completed the brushing of the 3 duck blinds at the WWA’s Abrams’ property
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Read on...
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Ethics & New Waterfowlers
By Ian Bartelmez, Committee Chair
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I'm writing this month's article from duck camp in central North Dakota, surrounded by a great group of fellow WWA members, some long-time, some intermediate, a lifer and our mother hen on theses annual "research trips", our soon-to-be-retired regional director, Tom Seibert. All in all, a great crew. But the most important member of the crew this year (pictured at left) just just joined WWA this past spring.
Read on...
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Sponsor Spotlight: Midwestern Shooters Supply
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If you came to the WWA-Sanctioned Wisconsin
State Duck and Goose Calling Contest, you know Midwestern Shooters Supply in Lomira, WI. We held the event during their annual Fall Fest, hosted on their business grounds, which attracted thousands of regional visitors. This is just part of how part-owner Randy (pictured here with some of the youth callers) pays back the community. He donated thousands of dollars of prizes for our contest winners, making it one of the most attractive calling contests across the country. And he brought in all the big-name shotgun manufacturers to let those of us in attendance pull the trigger on some super high-end guns - talk about try before you buy!
Learn more...
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Consider volunteering to help one of our Chapters make a difference by improving the wetlands, waterfowl, and wildlife in Wisconsin. Thanks for all your past and future support.
I want to help!
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Class A "Need Not be Present to Win" Raffles
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Throughout the year most of our chapters hold
Class A raffles
, many featuring multiple prizes and some extremely desirable guns (that you probably wouldn’t buy for yourself, but sure would like to own). If you can’t attend every event, and who can, you can still get in on a chance to win the chapter’s showcase prizes, most with great odds to win.
Check them all out here
!
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This month's featured Class A is for our Waukesha Chapter which will be drawn at our December 5th Christmas Bash! Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20,
only 200 will be sold
& you could win a
Sig Sauer P320 M17-FDE 9mm Pistol
Get your tickets here.
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Have an idea you want the wardens to answer in the new year?
Let us know!
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Duck Identifications Worth the Work to Perfect, Here Are Tips and Resources to Help
By WDNR
Conservation Warden Nate Ackerman
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It’s that great time of year again, when the cooling temperatures cause the leaves to change and waterfowl to migrate.
For duck hunters, we live for those perfect days when new birds push into an area. The next step is to identify those new birds that have arrived
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Read on...
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The Decoy Corner: George J. Hartmann Another Wisconsin Original
By Bruce Urben, President
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George J. Hartmann was born in 1913 and lived most of his life in the Milwaukee, WI area. During the 1930’s, in the wake of the “Great Depression”, George decided to make decoys for his own use. George was an avid waterfowler and routinely hunted the Lake Poygan area. This was the beginning of a decoy carving career for George.
Learn more...
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Mark your calendars for the next WWA event near you and visit our
Events Calendar for everything happening in 2019:
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Wet Conditions Call For More Scouting
By Taylor Finger, WDNR Migratory Game Bird Ecologist
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With the extra water on the landscape it tends to distribute the birds across a much larger area and not necessarily concentrate birds on the known “go to” hunting spots or bodies of water.
Learn more...
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AIS Spotlight: Common Reed/Phragmites
By:
Christopher Acy, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator,
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
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Common reed, or more commonly known as Phragmites, is a subspecies of Phragmites australis that is native to Europe and Asia. Common reed is a perennial wetland grass that lives in moist habitats including roadside ditches, lake shores, and river banks. However, it can also grow directly in water.
Learn more...
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Thank You to Our 2019 Sponsors & Donors
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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. Lawrence "Butch" Spaight - Donors: Jim Holwerda, Jeffrey & Katherine Nelson, Conservation Wardens of the Northern Region, Carol Mast, Richard & Cathy Bauman
- Mr. Glenn Zachow - Donors: Greg Rausch, Tony LaMacchia, Jim Freck, Mike Depies
- Mr. David E. Hughes - Donors: Mr. & Mrs. Jim Tavares, Mr. & Mrs. Fred Welch
- Mr. Joseph Porten- Donors: WWA 2018 Board of Directors and Staff
- Attorney Dan Fay - Donor: Dale W. Arenz
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.
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