Madison – Wisconsin’s additional spring turkey tag sale begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 18, beginning in Zone 1 that day. Each zone has a designated sale date starting at 10:00. The sale runs for five consecutive days, and customers can purchase one tag per day. The leftover tag sale for Zones 5 and 7 is scheduled for Friday, March 22. There are no leftover tags for Zone 6 this year.
Any remaining tags for all zones will go on sale on Saturday, March 23, from 10:00 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents. Hunters must purchase a spring turkey license and stamp at or before the time of purchasing a bonus tag. The sale lasts until stocks last or the end of the season.
Evers signs bill increasing archery hunting license fees for non-residents
Madison (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers recently signed a Republican-authored bill that increases the cost of bow and crossbow deer hunting licenses for nonresidents by an additional $35 to $200. The DNR estimates this boost will generate an additional $543,200 annually in the state Fish and Wildlife bill.
Fees for modern purchasers of non-resident archery licenses increased by $17, from $82.75 to $99.75. This change brings the cost of archery and crossbow licenses in line with the cost of firearms licenses.
The DNR projects that failing revenues from license sales will create a deficit of nearly $16 million in the state’s next budget. Both the Senate and Assembly passed the bill unanimously earlier this month.
MORE COVERAGE FROM WISCONSIN OUTDOOR NEWS:
The Lac du Flambeau Tribe is ready to break through the Minocqua Chain of Lakes in Wisconsin
International Crane Foundation: Only 17.4% of Wisconsinites support crane hunting
A Wisconsin archer catches an extremely scarce golden bowfin
The modern DNR fishing regulations guide is available online
Madison-DNR 2024-25 Wisconsin Fishing Regulations Guide is now available online and includes changes to inland walleye/sauger catch limits.
This year, several modern regulations and changes to baggage limits have been introduced, including:
• A statewide daily bag limit of three walleye/sauger per day in all inland waters;
• Walleye bag limits for the Great Lakes and waters bordering Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan will not change, nor will bag limits for any waters with a bag limit of less than three;
• The daily bag limit is five fish, but a person must fish two different lakes or rivers with a daily bag of three fish;
• Daily bag limit of 10 panfish in Lake Mendota;
• The size limit for muskies is currently 50 inches on the Wisconsin River from the Lake DuBay dam upstream to the first dam at Merrill;
• An urban fishing pond will be built in the village of Suamico;
• New bag and size limits apply to waters in Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Iowa, Iron, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marquette, Oconto, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, St. County Croix, Taylor, Vilas, Walworth, Waukesha and Waushara.
All residents and non-residents age 16 and older must purchase a fishing license ($20 for residents; $31 for married couples).
As of April 1, modern DNR registration rules for miniature fishing tournaments are in effect
Madison – Effective April 1, a modern DNR rule is in effect regarding free registration for miniature fishing tournaments that are statewide or regional, seasonal, without specific fishing dates, or with fewer than 20 boats or 100 participants.
The DNR regulates fishing tournaments that award money or prizes through a paid permit system to protect fish populations from overfishing and avoid crowding or conflict among users. This modern registration requirement will aid the DNR collect data on the number and types of all fishing competitions.
Tournament organizers may submit their entries using online or paper forms, which must include information about the organizer’s event, including bodies of water where fish will be fished, dates, species and expected number of boats or participants. For tournaments recurring within a series, only one registration per calendar year is required. Applications must be submitted 72 hours before the tournament.
Horicon Marsh Visitor Center temporarily closed for boiler repairs
Horicon, Wis. – The DNR has temporarily closed the Horicon Marsh Educational and Visitor Center at N7725 Hwy. 28 in Dodge County due to a boiler failure.
On March 6, the service technician found a crack in the heat exchanger, which resulted in carbon dioxide leaking from the boiler. Although the level was not hazardous, the boiler was shut down for repairs. Until the boiler is replaced, the building is not heated and it is too frosty to conduct business. Reopening information will be posted on the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center website.
Art competition for state stamps with turkey, pheasant and waterfowl 2025 now open
Madison – The DNR is now accepting art submissions for its 2025 turkey, pheasant and waterfowl stamp contests. Sales of these three stamps raise hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for species management across the state, including habitat management, restoration, education and projects research. Hunters must purchase stamps to harvest these game birds.
Rules and entry information are available on the DNR postage stamp contest website. Applications must be picked up or mailed to
August 1. Judging will take place on August 24 at the Waterfowl Hunters Expo in Oshkosh. The 2024 competition winners are: Jim Tostrud of Kenosha, Turkey; Robert Wilkens of New Holstein, pheasant; and Ryan Rickaby of Suamico, waterfowl.
