Damage to multiple hunting tree stands in western Wisconsin is going beyond simple vandalism, said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald.

There’s no shortage of tradition or targets as deer hunters in northwest Wisconsin look forward to the gun deer opener next Saturday.

DURAND — Conservationists are urgently petitioning legislators to reconsider approving a $1.1 million state stewardship grant requested by Landmark Conservancy to purchase 1,024 acres from Xcel Energy to expand the Tiffany Wildlife Area along the Chippewa River in western Wisconsin.

Lightning flashes illuminate the shadows where my dog and I stand huddled beneath a patch of backyard pines.

Preliminary data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shows hunters harvested 3,648 bears during the 2019 Wisconsin black bear season, nearly equal to the 3,680 reported in 2018.

ROCK FALLS — Members of the Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Team moved quickly through their July 16 orders of business, making, seconding and passing unanimously a motion culminating their year and a half of effort after an Eau Claire County deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

When it comes to birds, Audubon is the name to trust.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has received results from the first year testing from the ruffed grouse West Nile virus surveillance project.

PLUM CITY — “When I first saw what they did, I was on board … It was the beauty of it,” said Jeff Van Holtum as he looked over a section of his farm where Plum Creek meandered through his property.

Sitting in a local coffee shop, the jovial Rev. Don Wisner has just come from putting away his beloved oar-powered western-style drift boat, dubbed “Row vs. Wade,” for the season. It’s a ritual that leaves this highly-respected theologian and widely-admired fly fisher with a feeling of grati…

October is like an old friend who returns each autumn.

Fire is a potent and powerful force of nature.

State wildlife officials have confirmed that tissue samples collected from three deer in Crawford County and two deer from Richland County have tested positive for the virus that causes epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD. Department of Natural Resources staff confirmed the occurrence of t…

Every year about this time of late summer, the usual predictions for the upcoming hunting seasons of various game species come out — projections for upland birds, ducks, deer and bear.

Three outdoor organizations are joining together in order to celebrate the unique public lands in Northwest Wisconsin on the 26th annual National Public Lands Day on Sept. 28 near Solon Springs.

BRAINERD, Minn. — On a recent 50-ish degrees early fall day, the calm, mostly deserted waters of Gull Lake would add to a treasure chest of memories for a foursome boat of anglers hopelessly caught up in sportfishing’s circle.

Some hunters in West Central Wisconsin will be required to have their deer tested for chronic wasting disease during the entire nine-day gun deer season Nov. 23 to Dec. 1.

The moods of Mother Nature are easily changed by the seasons. Now, at the end of summer, she spreads her warmth across the landscape and provides almost unlimited food to sustain the wildlife of the region.

After the final and most successful winter trapping effort, 60 more elk joined Wisconsin’s growing herd. The elk are now settling into their new home in northern Wisconsin after their release from the acclimation and quarantine pen.

Taylor Storch goes about his duties as co-owner of Northern Lure Resort and Campground at Gordon Lake near Glidden with great optimism for the operation he and his wife Tiffany have run for the past five years.

SAWBILL LAKE, Minn. — Anyone who travels in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness becomes obsessed with portages.

When the Barron County Board’s Property Committee passed an order earlier this summer requiring boaters to use decontamination stations at landings, it was another way of raising awareness of how boaters can help keep invasive species out of lakes.

GRANTSBURG — Most people have that special place where they like to go to escape for a while. It is the place where you can reload, charge your batteries and just disappear for a few hours. For me that spot is often the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area near Grantsburg, a sprawling wetland prairie …

STOUGHTON — “There are times for quiet reflection and times for interacting in groups. Those who are most successful with managing their PD do both.”

ROCK FALLS — Hunters in parts of Eau Claire, Dunn and Pepin counties will be required to have deer killed during the nine-day gun-deer season in November tested for chronic wasting disease if the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources implements the recommendations the Chippewa Valley CWD…

Tick-borne illnesses are exploding in Wisconsin and across the nation, and scientists don’t have good answers for how to slow their spread, treat their symptoms or even diagnose them reliably.

With camera in hand, I set out to explore familiar locations, places I visit regularly in search of wildlife. I was a little later than normal. It had been one of those “five more minutes of sleep” mornings when the bed was comfortable and the cat was snuggled next to me, lying on my arm … y…

We’ve all heard about Murphy’s Law — anything that can go wrong will go wrong. And, in our day-to-day living, we have all probably found that, to some degree, this is true.

ROCK FALLS — Testing for chronic wasting disease would be mandatory during the nine-day 2019 gun-deer season in six townships surrounding the sites where three deer returned CWD-positive tests in 2018 if the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources implements the recommendations of the Chip…

SPOONER — Summer days are days created by God for kids to enjoy. No homework, no tests, no getting up and rushing to catch the bus each morning. Kids can enjoy freedom. And that is what being a kid is really all about, isn’t it? Freedom to just, well, be a kid!

A panel of researchers has raised concerns about the science behind the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's latest push to remove gray wolves in the lower 48 states from the endangered species list.

RINGLE — Gail Piotrowski discovered the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in the 1970s.

BARNEVELD — Fred Casper of Westby was presented the 2018 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Ethical Hunter Award by WDNR Chief Warden Todd Schaller and Customer Sales Specialist Ryan Muckenhirn of Vortex Optics in Barneveld.

Spring and early summer are two of the better times to add color to yards and gardens by attracting migrant and resident birds.

Mississippi River waterfowl watchers can view their favorite birds from the comfort of their homes courtesy of a new flyway cam. The video recording system set up in Pool 7 is now active and capturing wildlife activities as well as migrations.

Adam Armenta of Verona told his son Riley, 11, he’d likely spend the rest of his life trying to top the large turkey he shot during a Learn-to-Hunt session before the regular season opened in mid-April.

Preston Cole, Department of Natural Resources secretary nominee, leans scientifically in approaching chronic wasting disease, possible water contamination problems, and communications with the public.

ASHLAND — Laine Stowell made a near-fatal error. He separated an elk cow from her calf — and this four-legged mom wasn’t standing for it.

An incomprehensible part of gathering morel mushrooms is finding the season’s first fungus fruiting body. After that, everything seems beautiful.

With an increasingly urban population in the state of Wisconsin, it can be a challenge to get city residents the access to the wild spaces they desire.