WI BHA REPORT

Welcome back to the Wisconsin BHA Report! Alec & Paul highlight the Wisconsin chapter priorities for 2024, including: accessing landlocked public land, Sturgeon & the ESA, Sandhill crane hunting, doe harvest up north, and solar farm development in Wisconsin. Have feedback or want to get involved? Email: wisconsin@backcountryhunters.org

May brings turkey hunting, fishing, and a little known conservation activity called woodcock banding. Woodcock banding involves federally inspected handlers and their dogs finding and safely netting woodcock hens and their chicks in order to band them and study their population. This episode is all about the woodcock and how much we love them. Your hosts Kelly and Bill are joined by Kyle Daly of the Minnesota Woodcock banding program to talk all things timber doodle, dogs, and conservation. To contact Kyle - kyle.okeefe.daly@gmail.com What is a woodcock? American Woodcock Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology What is bird banding? Bird Banding: A Conservation Tool within the Migratory Bird Program (Ducks, Geese, Doves, and more) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (fws.gov) Woodcock Banding a Conservation Story https://youtu.be/G9UZVbvebkc by Project Upland

We believe R3 is an important piece of conservation and we are excited to bring you the 2023 episode! Hosts Bill and Kelly are joined by WI BHA R3 Coordinator Brock Rosencranz and hunters Elizabeth Baker and Erika Gonzalez to talk R3, learn to hunts, and the effect of social media on hunting culture. WI DNR Learn to Hunt info - Learn to Hunt | FOR NEW HUNTERS OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS | Wisconsin DNR WI BHA info - Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Save the date for our state Rendezvous on August 5th at Rib Mountain Bowmens club

We are excited to be back for the 2023 podcast season! Your co-hosts for this episode are Kelly Vanbeek, Paul Schecklman, and Bill Koepke. In this first episode of the year we chat with state wildlife biologist Alaina Gerrits about how hound hunting, species management with hounds, and public perception of hound hunting. Join us at the upcoming trivia night March 08, 2023 at 6:00pm - 9pm WHERE Iron Hop Taphouse 10 Brodhead St Mazomanie, WI 53560 United States email joe.steffen.bha@gmail.com Important links National Forest Petition - https://www.wpr.org/groups-seek-bar-use-hounds-while-hunting-chequamegon-nicolet-national-forest WI bear zones - https://widnr.widen.net/s/jc2m7mmnxr/bear-management-zone-boundaries Artemis Ambassador Search - https://artemis.nwf.org/artemis-ambassadors/

Podcast hosts Kelly, Trevor, and Bill are joined by WI BHA policy board member Mike Amman. Mike is a forester in Northern Wisconsin for Bayfield County. Mike joins the group to talk with Rebekah Luedtke the Executive Director of the WCFA. Rebekah shares her early experiences outside and her love of the outdoors with us. We dive into the history of logging in Wisconsin to modern day, the history of the WCFA, how Knowles Nelson fits into county land, and how we can all support it by talking to our legislators in support of County Forest. 95% of County Forest in the USA is in Wisconsin and Minnesota for a total of 5.4 million acres. Wisconsin logging on public and private land creates a yearly product total valued at $22.9 billion and 59,000 jobs. Knowles Nelson Funding covers half the cost of County Forest land purchases. Learn how Foresters like Mike are caring for the land and wildlife found in these areas. (Not just game species.) Wisconsin County Forest Association News | Wisconsin County Forest Association (wisconsincountyforests.com) REGISTER FOR THE STATE RENDEZVOUS 2022 Wisconsin BHA Rendezvous - Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

WI BHA report hosts Kelly and Bill are joined by WI BHA board chairs and R3 leaders Joe and Brock to chat with Chris Kilgour of the Wisconsin organization Color in the Outdoors (CITO.) We talk about R3, what it means for each of us, our organizations, and how Chris started CITO. More on Chris. Founder of Color in the Outdoors (CITO), Christopher has spent his entire life exploring and enjoying the outdoors in one capacity or another. His main motivation for starting CITO was to be able to connect people with the outside world and with other like-minded individuals and organizations. The guiding principles behind CITO hold a strong space in advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion and it is with these concepts in mind that all of the activities, partnerships, links, and resources are developed and presented. More on CITO Exploring Diversity in Our World. Subscribe to their newsletter and get on their mailing list for more information. https://www.colorintheoutdoors.com/ More on WI Tribal land, culture, and history. https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/map/ Text your city or zip code here (855) 917-5263 BOOK LIST Black Faces, White Spaces https://uncpress.org/book/9781469614489/black-faces-white-spaces/ Native People of Wisconsin https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/native-people-wisconsin/ Braiding Sweetgrass https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass The Adventure Gap https://joytripproject.com/the-adventure-gap/ SAVE THE DATE WI RENDEZVOUS 2022 - July 30 Horicon Bowmans Club!!!

Kelly and Bill are joined by Kylie the BHA Collegiate coordinator to talk with Harrison, Adam, and Jeffrey of the UWSP BHA chapter about their upcoming pint night in Stevens Point. Join the University of Wisconsin Stevens Backcountry Hunters & Anglers club for a night out for conservation at their inaugural Beer & Gear Bash, a banquet-inspired-Pint Night that's an event all of its own! As the name implies, you can expect killer beer from District 1 and the chance to win TONS of amazing gear like an NRS inflatable kayak, Savage 22, Matthews Vertix bow, Traeger Ranger and more. Earn more raffle tickets and increase your odds of winning by trying your hand at Plinko, cornhole, or trivia. Food will be available for purchase from Kasun's Smokehouse. Funds raised will support the UWSP BHA club, BHA Collegiate Program, and BHA's mission to be the voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. Wondering what the UWSP BHA club has been up to for your public lands? https://www.backcountryhunters.org/gear_beer_bash?fbclid=IwAR2QUSFILRMOl1z-Z4VM3iSlTOaa8Bivogu6znRCau0L_6egWuMOt6uKF4c

We know the Wisconsin deer season is over so we had to get Dean Muthig on the podcast to get us fired up for next season. Dean joins us to talk all this big game recovery with dogs. We focus on primarily deer recovery. What questions hunters should be asking to find an experienced tracker, how deer react to different shot placements, how to get started with training your own recovery dog, and much more. Special thank you to Dean for sharing his passion and knowledge on this episode of the podcast. Many deer would go missing if it was not for Dean and his team. Like he says in the podcast, a well trained dog is one of the best tools we can use for conservation. Don't Forget to submit your WI deer CWD results to wibhacwdraffle2021@gmail.com to be entered to win a $1000 Fleet Farm gift card. (Winner is drawn February 14th 2022) Muckdog Deer Recovery Muckdog Youtube WI BHA Landing Page

In this episode your hosts Bill Koepke and Kelly VanBeek are joined by Wisconsin Western Upland Pheasants Forever chapter members Randy and Steve to talk their new chapter and inaugural banquet in February. The four of them interview PF Farm bill biologist Britta Peterson on the role local chapters play in supporting the mission of Pheasants Forever as "the habitat organization." Banquet Info and ways to donate to the Western Upland Chapter - https://explorelacrosse.com/event/western-upland-pheasants-forever-inaugural-banquet/ WI BHA info and how to become a member - https://www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin Don't forget to check out the National podcast and information. BHA podcast and blast link - https://www.backcountryhunters.org/bha_podcast

Co-Host and Wisconsin BHA Board Chair Joe Steffen and Bill talk with Trevor Hubbs about the Great Lakes Armed Forces Initiative What it is, why it exists, how it is helping veterans enjoy the outdoors through hunting, fishing, trapping, and community. Find out more about Trevor Find out more about AFI here Want to get more involved with Wisconsin BHA!? Visit this link to complete the survey. Subscribe, share, and enjoy our public lands. Enjoy the episode. Good luck this gun season.

In this Episode of the Podcast Bill, Noah Wishau (WI BHA co-chair) and Sarah Topp (MI BHA board member & Artemis Great Lakes Leader) talk non-lead ammo and tackle with Chris Parish and Leland Brown of the North American Non-Lead Partnership. We cover why their group exists, sportsperson education, and what we can all do to help their mission. We cover many of the common challenges and myths out there when it come to non-toxic and non-lead ammo and tackle. Share and Subscribe. Don't forget to check out our newsletter for more information into our current Board Member Search and the 2021 CWD Fleet Farm gift card raffle. Thank you to Sarah Topp for being a great co-host. You can find her on the "Her Upland" podcast, MI BHA, as well as Artemis Great Lakes helping empower women in the outdoors.

In today's Episode of the report Bill, Kelly, and Trevor talk with Britta Peterson a Farm Bill Biologist with Pheasants Forever. We dive into what Farm Bill biologists do for Wisconsin habitat, mentored pheasant hunting, individual R3 efforts, and Habitat Hikes as part of their Women on the Wing series. Also get caught up on WI policy, hike to hunt, and more outdoor talk. WI BHA Rendezvous - https://www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin_bha_chapter_rendezvous Spring Green - https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Lands/naturalareas/index.asp?SNA=102

On this episode of the WI BHA report we sit down with Skye Goode to talk WI public land traps and what gun dog owners should look for and know about. This is part 1 of a multiple part series where we talk public lands, trapping, and hunting with dogs. Subscribe, review, and reach out with feedback! Help grow the network of public land users. Reminder for our July 17th 2021 Castle Rock Flowage clean up day. State Rendezvous is July 31st at Racine Instinctive Bowman Club.

In this episode Kelly VanBeek and Bill Koepke chat with Dr. Elizabeth Baker and retired DNR biologist Mike Foy talk about the state of Chronic Wasting disease in Wisconsin. Great information for public land hunters, private land hunters, land owners, and anyone that benefits from Wisconsin's whitetail deer population. CWD dashboard - https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Animals/AHDServices/diseases/Chronic%20Wasting%20Disease%20Program/Pages/CWD-Dashboard.aspx

WI BHA Board Chair Noah Wishau and state member Kelly VanBeek interview Mike Carlson of Gathering Waters to talk about the WI Knowles Nelson Stewardship fund and what we all can do to help get it reauthorized.