Revisiting Wisconsin’s Migratory Bird Zones – AGAIN

By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s June, 2024 Newsletter edition.

I just got out of a DNR hosted ad hoc committee looking at the future of duck and goose zones here in the state.  This was last looked at five years ago.  Then, the discussion and hunter input led to the elimination of the Mississippi Zone and the establishment of the Open Water (or Lake Michigan zone).  There was a lot of controversy surrounding this decision, but in the end, the DNR implemented the changes, which WWA supported based on its survey results.  And the new zone saw a lot of growth in bird hunting activity.

Every five years, the US Fish and Wildlife Service gives states within the Mississippi flyway a chance to re-consider the zone structure they use.  It’s that time again.

WWA will be surveying  hunter desires again in the next couple of months, and hosting a forum at the Waterfowl Hunters EXPO to collect input from our members (and other EXPO attendees).  We will then be advocating for our members’ positions with the DNR.  WWA’s survey results have been VERY persuasive in the past, and there’s no reason to expect that to change now. So look for that survey and take the 10 minutes or so needed to complete it.  Expect it in late June.

In the meantime, here’s a link to the presentation that the DNR’s Migratory Game Biologist Taylor Finger offered the meeting attendees.  I admit that some of the slides might make more sense with the notes I took – and will be using to design the survey – but this will offer deep background on the various information the DNR collects to inform their decisions.  Some pretty interesting stuff for the hardcore waterfowlers among us.  Pay particular attention to the last slides that show different zones options.  We will narrow them down to five for the DNR to consider, and advocate for the top one or two most preferred options (from our survey).