Wisconsin Mixed Bag: Bonus turkey tags on sale starting March 17 – Outdoor News
Madison — The sale of remaining spring turkey harvest permits begins Monday, March 17, starting with Zone 1, and continuing, by zone, each day through Friday, March 21. Sales are on a first-come, first-served basis. Sales begin each day at 10 a.m. and run through midnight for five consecutive days.
Turkey hunters may buy one “tag” per day. Remaining “tags” for all zones go on sale the sixth day at one per day until sold out or the season ends. The cost is $10 for residents and $15 for nonresidents. When buying a bonus permit, hunters must already have a spring turkey license and stamp, or buy a license and stamp at that time.
The scheduled sales dates for bonus tags, by zone, are: Zone 1, Monday, March 17; Zone 2, Tuesday, March 18; Zone 3, Wednesday, March 19; Zone 4, Thursday, March 20; Zone 5, Friday, March 21.
There are no bonus permits available for zones 6 and 7. Remaining permits for all zones go on sale Saturday, March 22, at 10 a.m. Zones 1 and 3 have some tags left for the third season; Zone 2 has tags left for the fifth and sixth seasons.
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Meeting on Walleye Rule Change for Oneida County’s Crescent Lake Tuesday, March 18
Rhinelander, Wis. — The DNR will host a public meeting to discuss a proposed walleye regulation change for Crescent Lake in Oneida County at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, in person at the Rhinelander DNR office and virtually via Teams.
The DNR proposes to change the walleye reg to match the standard ceded territory walleye regulation of a minimum length of 15 inches, but walleyes from 20 inches to 24 inches may not be kept. The daily bag limit would allow three fish, with only one fish longer than 24 inches.
This meeting was requested in response to a public notice published on Feb. 18. This proposed change comes after the Crescent Lake rehabilitation partner group detected a strong year class of age 1 walleyes this past fall. Under the current regulation, juvenile walleyes are more likely to be exploited. The goal is to minimize the harvest of juvenile walleyes and protect the current spawning adult population.
If the public favors the change, the new rule would take effect on Saturday, May 3, with the fishing opener.
Elk Application Period Runs Through May 31
Madison — The elk permit application period for the 2025 fall season opened March 1 and continues through May 31. This year, there will be increased opportunity within the Black River Elk Range, as antlered and antlerless harvest authorizations will be available through the state licensing process.
Applicants must select a zone when applying (either the Black River Elk Range or Clam Lake Elk Range). This year’s elk quota for the Black River Elk Range will be four bulls and five antlerless elk. The Clam Lake Elk Range quota will be eight antlered elk, with 50% available to members of the state’s six Chippewa tribes.
For those who apply for Black River Elk Range tags, the first four applicants drawn will receive a bull tag. The next five applicants drawn will have the option to accept an antlerless tag. If that applicant declines, another applicant will be drawn as a replacement until the five antlerless tags are accepted. Any applicant who declines an antlerless tag may still apply in the future.
Only Wisconsin residents may apply; only one tag can be issued (regardless of sex) per person in their lifetime. Winners will be notified by early June.
Applications cost $10 ($7 goes to elk management) and are available through the DNR’s Go Wild license system, or in person at a license sales agent. If selected, an elk license costs $49.
During the 2024 inaugural elk hunt in the Black River Elk Range four hunters each shot a bull early in the season. Bull-only hunting has been offered every fall since 2018 in the Clam Lake Elk Range.
Friends of Trempealeau Refuge March 15 Open House Celebrates Refuge’s 90th Birthday
Trempealeau, Wis. — The Friends of Trempealeau Refuge will host an open house Saturday, March 15, at the Outdoor Wonders Learning Center from 10 a.m. to noon.
The open house will include the annual Best of Refuge Photo Contest winners, with the winning entries on display, the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge’s 90th birthday celebration, and an observance of the 122nd anniversary of the establishment of the national wildlife refuge system. The friends group will provide coffee and doughnuts. This event is free and open to the public.
Nonresidents Are Eligible to Apply for North Dakota’s Bighorn Sheep Tags
Bismarck, N.D. — Unlike North Dakota’s resident-only moose and elk hunts, nonresidents may apply for a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn sheep tag through the North Dakota Game and Fish website. There is a $5 fee for residents, with successful applicants paying $30 for their resident licenses.
Nonresidents face steeper costs, with a $100 nonrefundable application fee and a $500 license fee for those drawn. However, nonresidents have slim drawing odds. Only one nonresident may draw a license per year. In the program’s history, it has happened only once – when James Mobley, of Morrilton, Ark., was selected in 2000.
Hunting a bighorn ram in North Dakota places sportsmen in an exclusive group. Even famed explorers Lewis and Clark failed to bag one during their 1804 expedition.
“The animals were so shy they could not get a shot at them,” Meriwether Lewis wrote.
