Wisconsin Mixed Bag: National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame conducting youth writing contest – Outdoor News
Hayward, Wis. — The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, of Hayward, has received $25,000 from the Outdoor Journalist Education Foundation to conduct an annual writing contest for kids ages 12 through 15, according to Emmett Brown, hall of fame executive director.
The Lindsay Sale-Tinney Awards have celebrated aspiring young outdoor communicators since 2011. Starting this year, the annual contest will be offered as an outreach program of the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, Brown said. The contest will award three places to stories written about the entrants’ most memorable fishing trips of the year. Entries from 2025 will be accepted through January 2026.
“Part of the fun of fishing is in the preparation, traveling, and being outdoors with family and friends, so we encourage contestants to include content about things they see and do before, during and after their outing,” said Lisa Snuggs, contest committee chair.
Stu Tinney, inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 2009, provided the seed money for the award named in honor of his late wife, Lindsay Sale-Tinney.
“I am beyond thrilled that the Hall of Fame is providing a new home for the Lindsay Sale-Tinney Award,” Tinney said.
Contest information is posted on the hall of fame website.
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Eau Claire County CWD-Positive Farmed Deer Triggers Clark County Baiting Ban
Madison — The DNR was notified by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection that an Eau Claire County farm-raised deer tested positive for CWD within 10 miles of Clark and Jackson counties, resulting in a new two-year baiting and feeding ban for Clark County that began March 1.
State law requires that the DNR enact a three-year baiting and feeding ban in counties where CWD has been detected and a two-year ban in counties within 10 miles of a CWD case.
Eau Claire and Jackson counties already have baiting and feeding bans in place from recent wild CWD-positive deer.
DNR Taking Entries for Turkey, Pheasant and Waterfowl Stamp Design Contests
Madison — The DNR is accepting artwork entries for the turkey, pheasant and waterfowl stamp design contests, with the winning designs to appear on the 2026 collection of stamps.
Each year, Wisconsin artists compete for an opportunity to showcase their talents and promote wildlife conservation across the state. Hunters must buy a species-specific stamp to legally hunt any of these game birds. Stamp sales generate hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for species management.
Entries must be received or postmarked by Aug. 1. Judging will take place Aug. 23 at the Waterfowl Hunters Expo in Oshkosh.
The 2025 winners were: Robert Leum, of Holmen, turkey and pheasant; Jon Rickaby, of Suamico, waterfowl.
Avian Flu Virus Confirmed in Wild Merganser Found in Milwaukee County
Milwaukee — Laboratory tests have identified the H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) in a wild merganser collected from Milwaukee County last week. Testing was completed at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison.
The DNR has received reports of sick or dead waterfowl, mostly mergansers, along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. In total, these reports have involved less than 50 birds. Since mid-December, the H5 HPAI virus has been detected in six counties – Dane, St. Croix, Wood, Brown, Racine, and Milwaukee. The majority of mortality reports have been for swans and Canada geese.
“Avian influenza is still present in Wisconsin,and we are seeing it affect birds in isolated areas around the state,” said Jasmine Batten, DNR wildlife health supervisor. “This winter’s HPAI detections in wild birds have remained relatively low. The best advice we can give is to remain aware and avoid handling wild birds as much as possible.”
According to public health officials, the risk to the general public from avian influenza remains low. Still, people should avoid handling sick or dead wildlife or allowing their pets to come into contact with sick or dead wildlife when possible.
Wolf Killed in Southeast Minnesota
Spring Valley, Minn. — On Saturday, Jan. 11, the Minnesota DNR received a call that a gray wolf had been illegally shot in southeastern Minnesota’s Fillmore County, several miles north of the Iowa-Minnesota border, by Lucas Heusinkveld, 21, of Spring Valley, who was hunting coyotes in early January, according to a DNR report.
Heusinkveld was convicted in mid-February of a petty misdemeanor for unlawfully taking a protected wild animal. The case file said he paid a fine of $685. Heusinkveld has 30 days to appeal.
Ryan Tebo, area wildlife supervisor, said he didn’t hear of the wolf’s presence until after it had been killed. While wolf sightings in the region are rare, they’ve become less atypical in recent years.
North Dakota Announces CWD Test Results
Bismarck, N.D. — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department tested 1,456 deer for CWD during the 2024 sampling season, with 17 positive cases (15 shot by hunters). Two were clinical deer confirmed through diagnostic examination. Sampling efforts fell short of the 10% goal in units where CWD surveillance was concentrated.
