Releasing 75,000 ring-necked pheasants into appropriate cover, mostly on state land, is what Kelly Maguire and her crew at the Department of Natural Resources Poynette Game work for each year,

“All the birds are in outside pens now and we even see color on some of the youngest birds,” Maguire said.

Not all of the chicks hatch at the same time so the fall flock is staggered, as are the releases, which reduce the amount of feed it takes to serve the hunters and their dogs a steady diet of releases during the October 19 (9 a m) to January 5, 2025 season.

The thousands of birds were also farmed out to conservation clubs in a day-old-chick program of growing and releasing those birds, which adds into the mix for hunting.

This season’s release plan is similar to past years, except that the late start date of the nine-day, gun deer season will eliminate a typical break weekly in releases toward the season’s end.  The typical holiday release on limited sites will be the last dump.

“As for our hatching and raising this spring and summer, everything continued to go well at the game farm,” Maguire said.

Hunters can hunt “native” birds that are found in good pheasant habitat areas in Wisconsin.  Surveys, many conducted by rural mail carriers during 2024, documented an increase from 2023, from 0.46 crows per stop in 2023 to 0.62 this past 2024 spring.  That number, 0.62 crows-per-stop, was 20 percent higher than the five-year average of 0.52.

The conservation reserve program has declined in acres and that is blamed, in part, for the overall decline in “wild” ring-necked pheasants.

Ginseng diggers and admirers, while with a two month season closing November 1, 2024, are finding many plants are dried down and have lost their yellow, compound leaves.  Most of the berries are off, too.

An unidentified, long-time Vernon County wild ginseng digger recently spent 15-20 minutes unearthing each of five plants, using only gloved hands and a long standard screwdriver.  The purpose of this special care was to avoid breaking a root, or damaging it so replanting, if choosing, was possible.  Also, if the root is going to be sold, its value is reduced.

Each root was assessed during initial stages of digging to determine its size and whether it meets the digger’s strict ethical standards.  If any would not have met those characteristics, the root, “neck,” and bud would be replanted to grow again next spring.  The root is perennial.

Autumn continues to slip away but development of more green leaves are losing chlorophyll and adding or uncovering yellow and red pigments.  While the oaks have not begun to participate in a changeover, black walnuts are nearly bare barring an ample supply of fruits still on the trees.  

An interesting early autumn trip on an ATV crossed paths with a pond muskrat, an immature green heron, a preying mantis, doe and grown fawn, and three bachelor gobblers.  While small glimpses of autumn, coupled with very low humidity and low temperatures score as high as a road trip to northern Wisconsin.

Some of the most common decorative vegetation, there for the taking, includes beautiful brown, curled compass plant leaves and perfectly flat sprays of white cedar boughs with attached tiny seed cones.

Deer and turkey registrations are beginning to pile up on the DNR website that already shows 817 wild turkeys documented and 10,864 deer.  Of that deer total, 5,217 were antlered and 5,647 antlerless.  Crossbowers killed 4,415 deer and archers 4,129 as of the last entry, which is updated once weekly.

Chronic wasting disease remains a concern for deer hunters and venison consumers, according to Erin Larson, WDNR health specialist.  To deal with that concern testing of deer is available statewide with special emphasis where the state would like more samples are central and northern Wisconsin.

New CWD cases have been detected this year in Jackson, Pierce, Polk, Trempealeau, and Waushara counties as well as in six captive deer facilities.

Sampling for CWD is available statewide though several means including self-service kiosks, some private businesses, and by appointment.  Test results are possible by several methods.

Dumpsters for disposal of waste material continue to increase as weather cools.