2025 DNR Annual Spring Fish & Wildlife Public Hearing

	A	B	C	D	E
1	This is how Kate is voting. Provided as an FYI only.		Website to read the full questions and submit answers here.
2	DNR Annual Spring Fish & Wildlife Public Input		Kate's Vote
3	#	Question	Answer	Priority	Why

4	Citizens Resolutions (Dane County)
5	130425	Would you support installing the rare Hine’s Emerald dragonfly as the state insect and reclassifying the European Honeybee (Apis mellifera) as the state agricultural insect?	Yes	Low	Sure! Having a dragonfly as the state insect sounds nice. I'm not sure this is a DNR issue, but sure.
6	130625	Do you support that mandatory trapping signage be required of trappers on all our public lands to alert Wisconsin citizens that traps are in the area?	Yes	High	I think trapping is cruel and dangerous to other animals as well. Labeling seems warranted.
7	130725	Would you support the option that deer harvest reporting includes the township in which the harvest took place?	Yes	Med	More data sounds good!
8	130825	Do you support DNR establishing a hunting season for coyotes from October 18 – February 15 which would begin after birthing and raising of pups, coincide with the trapping season, and when pelts could have the greatest value?	Yes	High	This would reduce the amount of time coyotes can be hunted.
9	PROPOSED WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT RULE CHANGES
10	1	Do you support allowing hunters who quarter their deer in the field to leave non- edible parts at the site of harvest?	No	Med	Although I like the idea of leaving out the extra bits for scavengers, the lead fragments are bad news.
11	2	Do you support using technology to meet the trap tending requirements?	No	High	Adding a webcam does not meaningfully improve animal welfare. Trapping remains an inherently cruel method
12	3	Do you support extending the fall turkey season in zones 6 & 7?	No	Low	Extending the fall turkey season in Zones 6 and 7 may not be advisable given the current population levels and the DNR's cautious management approach in these areas.
13	4	Do you support allowing disabled hunters to hunt statewide while the two-day October youth firearm season is open?	No	High	Sounds like a loophole to allow additional firearm hunting outside the youth-only framework.
14	PROPOSED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT STATEWIDE RULE CHANGES
15	5	Do you support allowing motor trolling with up to 3 hooks, baits or lures (“3-lines”) per angler on all inland waters of Lincoln, Sawyer, Sheboygan and Waupaca counties and restricting motor trolling to 1 hook, bait or lure (“1-line”) on all waters of Forest County?	No	Med	They only evaluated the impact of trolling on self-reported fisherman catch rates. What about other things, like snagging swimmers, injuring wildlife, or leaving behind hooks and plastic that pollute the lake and harm animals. 1 trolling line is enough! 3 seems very prone to tangling.
16	6	Do you support changing the statewide general open season for trout and salmon on inland streams, springs, and spring ponds to the first Saturday in April at 5 a.m.?	No	Low	Seems like a big extension of fishing season...
17	7	Do you support having only one statewide county-based regulation of 5 trout in total with no minimum size limit?	No	Low	Just because people are following the size minimums doesn't mean you should eliminate the rules.
18	8	Do you support establishing a catch-and-release season for lake sturgeon from the first Saturday in June through the first Sunday in March on the waterbodies listed above where lake sturgeon populations can support these activities? This proposal would maintain the existing hook-and-line harvest season, and anglers would not need a harvest tag to catch and release lake sturgeon.	Yes	Low	I'm glad that they did a study on whether the fish survive catch and release.
19	9	Do you support closing the shovelnose sturgeon fishing season on the Lower Wisconsin River below the Prairie Du Sac Dam to the confluence with the Mississippi River to protect spawning fish that are vulnerable to fishing from the Monday following the first Sunday in March to the first Saturday in July?	Yes	High	Protect those sturgeon!
20	10	Do you support applying a uniform regulation (beginning in 2027) for the migratory walleye population in the St. Louis River and Western Lake Superior (WI-1), of 15-inch minimum length limit with a bag limit of 2 but only 1 over 20 inches?	No opinion		Not really clear whether this would support Walleye or not.
21	PROPOSED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT LOCAL RULE CHANGES
22	11	Do you support applying a 25 to 35-inch protected slot limit and a daily bag limit of 2 northern pike on Crooked Lake (Adams County); Cedar Lake (Manitowoc County); and Wallace Lake (Washington County)?	Yes	Low	Larger pike would be cool
23	12	Do you support implementing 25 to 35-inch protected slot limit and a daily bag limit of 2 northern pike on Lake Puckaway and portions of the Fox, Montello and Grand Rivers (Green Lake and Marquette counties)?	Yes	Low	Larger pike would be cool
24	13	Do you support applying a 25 to 35-inch protected slot, 5-fish daily bag limit for northern pike on Nelson Lake, Sawyer County?	Yes	Low	Larger pike would be cool
25	14	Do you support applying a 26-inch minimum length limit and a daily bag limit of 2 northern pike on Silver Lake (Manitowoc County)?	Yes	Low	Given that conditions have changed, this updated rule seems reasonable.
26	15	Do you support the proposed daily bag limit of 5-fish and no minimum length limit on northern pike in Pike Lake (Marathon County)?	No	Low	This proposal does not appear to improve size structure, which is a key goal of effective harvest regulation.
27	16	Do you support applying the 25 to 35-inch protected slot length limit and a daily bag limit of 5 northern pike to Wilson Flowage in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (Price County)?	Yes	Med	More Pike!
28	17	Do you support creation of extending the catch-and-release season until July 1 for smallmouth bass in the waters of Green Bay and within 5 miles of the Door County shoreline in Lake Michigan? This will also include the Fox, Oconto and Peshtigo Rivers up to the first dam. This does not include waters within ¼ mile of the town of Washington Island which have different regulations.	Yes	High	This will help protect smallmouth bass during spawning season and support population health.
29	18	Do you support applying a no minimum length limit for largemouth bass and an 18- inch minimum length and a daily bag limit of 1 smallmouth bass to the Pike Lake Chain (Bayfield County)? The combined daily bag for bass would remain 5 fish.	Yes	Low	Seems like it will help bass
30	19	Do you support applying a no minimum length limit and 14 to 18-inch protected slot size with a daily combined bag limit of 5, except only 1 fish can be over 18 inches for large and smallmouth bass to Crooked Lake, Camelot Lake, Lake Sherwood, and Lake Arrowhead (Adams County)?	Yes	Low	While reducing the size limit raises some concerns, the simultaneous reduction in the daily bag limit suggests a balanced approach to managing harvest pressure.
31	20	Do you support applying a daily combined bag limit of 5 fish and no minimum length limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass to Turtle Lake and Pleasant Lake (Walworth County) and Upper Gresham Lake (Vilas County)?	Yes	Low
32	21	Do you support applying a no minimum length limit and 14 to 18-inch protected slot size with a daily bag limit of 5 (largemouth and smallmouth bass combined), except only 1 fish can be over 18 inches on Pelican Lake (Oneida County)?	No	Low	Removing the minimum size limit may encourage overharvest of immature fish before they contribute to the population.
33	22	Do you support applying no minimum length limit with a 5-fish combined daily bag for largemouth and smallmouth bass on Crescent Lake (Oneida County)?	No	Low	No size limit could jeopardize size structure—smaller bass may be harvested too early.
34	23	Do you support applying a trout regulation of 5-fish daily bag limit, no minimum size but only one fish over 12-inch on Gordon creek (Iowa County), Willow Creek, Camp Creek, Knapp Creek, Mill Creek (Richland County), Elk Creek (Vernon & Richland counties), Big Green River, Borah Creek, Little Grant River, Crooked Creek (Grant County), Mt. Vernon Creek (Dane County)?	Yes	Low	Protects larger trout while allowing modest harvest of smaller fish.
35	24	Do you support opening all trout streams in Waushara and Marquette counties during the early trout season?	Yes	Low
36	25	Do you support applying a 2-trout bag with a 12-inch minimum length limit and no bait restrictions to the Onion River downstream of CTH E to CTH N (Sheboygan County), and the Platte River (Grant County)?	Yes	Low	Bigger trout!
37	26	Do you support applying regulation of 5 trout in total (daily bag), brown trout and rainbow trout no minimum length limit, but all brook trout caught shall be immediately released to Nichols Creek (Sheboygan County)?	Yes	Low	Protects native brook trout populations while allowing harvest of introduced species.
38	27	Do you support applying a regulation of no minimum length except only one over 12 inches may be kept and a 5-trout combined daily bag to all Pierce County trout streams that extend into Dunn, St. Croix (Kinnickinnic River and tributaries, Rush River and Eau Galle River) and Pepin County (Plum Creek), excluding Cady and Pine creeks?	Yes	Low
39	28	Do you support applying a 5-trout daily bag limit and no minimum length limit for brown trout, but all brook trout caught shall be immediately released on North Fork of Clam River, Spring Lake Road to CTH H (Burnett County)?	Yes	Low	Supports healthy trout fisheries while prioritizing conservation of brook trout.
40	29	Do you support applying the following regulation to Lee Creek and Martin Creek (Iowa County), Sixmile Branch (Grant and Iowa counties) and Big Spring Branch downstream of Pine Tree Road (Grant County): daily combined bag limit of 5 trout, no minimum size on brown and rainbow trout, but brook trout must be immediately released, and only artificial lures may be used?	Yes	Med	Protect the trout!
41	30	Do you support applying the following regulation: a daily bag limit of 5 trout, no minimum length limit on brown and rainbow trout, but brook trout must be immediately released; to Unnamed Tributary to Melanchthon Creek, Grinsell Branch and Hanzel Creek (Richland County)?	Yes	Low
42	31	Do you support applying an 18-inch minimum length limit, except fish from 22 to 28 inches may not be kept, with a daily bag limit of 1 for walleye for walleye on Crescent Lake (Oneida County)?	Yes	Med	Protect the walleye!
43	32	Do you support applying an 18-inch minimum length limit, except no fish from 22 to 28 inches may be kept, with a daily bag limit of 1 for walleye to George Lake (Oneida County)?	Yes	Med	Protect the walleye!
44	33	Do you support applying an 18-inch minimum length limit, except fish from 22 to 28 inch may not be kept, with a daily bag limit of 1 for walleye to the Pike Lake Chain (Bayfield County)?	Yes	Med	Protect the walleye!
45	34	Do you support applying an 18-inch minimum length limit and 3-fish daily bag limit for walleyes to Redstone Lake (Sauk County)?	Yes	Low
46	35	Do you support applying an 18-inch minimum length limit and 3-fish daily bag for walleye to Sand Lake (Sawyer County)?	Yes	Low
47	36	Do you support adding Unnamed Lake (T30N R23E S21; Marinette County) to the DNR’s Urban and Community Fishing Program?	Yes	Low
48	PROPOSED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PANFISH RULE CHANGES
49	37	Do you favor adding species-specific 5-bag limits to the panfish regulation toolbox, and applying the daily bag limit of 25 panfish but no more than 5 crappies to Black Dan Lake, Island Lake, Osprey Lake, Round and Little Round Lake, and Windigo Lake (Sawyer County)?	Yes	Med	Gives the DNR the ability to help a certain type of panfish as needed.
50	38	Do you favor adding species-specific 5-bag limits to the panfish regulation toolbox, and applying the daily bag limit of 25 panfish but no more than 5 bluegills to Long Lake (Manitowoc County); Deerskin Lake, Partridge Lake, High Lake, Fishtrap Lake, and Rush Lakes (Vilas County); Graham Lake and Hartman Lake (Waupaca County)?	Yes	Med
51	39	Do you favor adding species-specific 5-bag limits to the panfish regulations toolbox, and applying the daily bag limit of 10 panfish but no more than 5 bluegills to Parker Lake (Adams County); Sea Lion Lake (Florence County); Crystal Lake, Long Lake T33N R10E S35, Mary Lake, Meyer Lake, White Lake (Langlade County); Crystal Lake, Echo Lake, Hilderbrand Lake, Hilts Lake, and Pesobic Lake (Lincoln County); English Lake, Cedar Lake (Manitowoc County), and Silver Lake (Washington County)?	Yes	Med
52	40	Do you support applying a 10-fish daily panfish bag limit in aggregate to Crooked Lake, Camelot, Sherwood, and Arrowhead lakes (Adams County); Lake Eau Claire and portion of Eau Claire River (Eau Claire County); Halsey Lake and Spread Eagle Chain of Lakes (Florence County); Wabikon-Riley Chain of Lakes (Forest County); Big Twin, Dynamite, Moose, and Mueller lakes (Langlade County); Deer Lake and the Lake Nokomis/Rice Reservoir Chain (Deer Lake, Bridge Lake, Lake Nokomis, and the Rice River Flowage combined in Lincoln and Oneida counties); Bullhead Lake (Manitowoc County); Mud Lake (Marathon County); Amber Lake, Boom-Rhinelander Flowage Chain of Lakes including Boom, Bass Lake, Lake Creek, and Thunder Lake (Oneida County); Emily and Lime lakes (Portage County); Durphee, Schoolhouse, Winter and Lost Land/Teal lakes (Sawyer County); White Clay Lake (Shawano County); Rib Lake (Taylor County); Gilbert Lake, Big Cedar Lake and Little Cedar Lake (Washington County); White Lake, Stratton Lake, School Section Lake, and Shadow Lake (Waupaca County); and Witters, Porters, Irogami, Kusel, Big Hills and Big Silver Lake (Waushara County)?	Yes	Med	Makes effective conservation experiments permanent, supports panfish size structure, and avoids future overharvest risks across a broad but well-justified lake list.
53	41	Do you support applying a daily bag limit of 10 panfish in aggregate to Peppermill Lake (Adams County); Colfax Gravel Pond (Dunn County); Wolf Lake (Fond du Lac County); Big Green and Little Green Lake (Green Lake County); Lake Dubay, Norrie Lake and Wadley Lake (Marathon County); Wood Lake (Marquette County); Crooked Lake (with Bass Lake and Gilkey Lake) (Oconto County); Pelican Lake and Willow Flowage (Oneida County); Mc Dill Pond, Lake Helen and Lake Dubay (Portage County); Shawano Lake and connected waters, including Washington Lake, Loon Lake, Shawano Lake outlet channel, Wolf River Pond, and Wolf River from the Shawano Lake outlet channel upstream to the Balsam Row dam (Shawano County); Island Chain of Lakes, including Chain, Clear, Island, and McCann lakes combined (Rusk and Chippewa counties); Green Lake (Washington County); and Pleasant Lake (Waushara County)	Yes	Med	Long-term fishery health
54	42	Do you support a special regulation of 10 aggregate bag limit for panfish with no more than 5 yellow perch for Harpt Lake (Manitowoc County)?	Yes	Med	Long-term fishery health
55	43	Do you support applying a special regulation of a 25-panfish daily bag limit but only 5 yellow perch on Kentuck Lake, Vilas and Forest counties?	Yes	Med	Help the yellow perch!
56	NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD ADVISORY QUESTIONS
57	44	Do you favor requiring that all active bear baits on public land in Wisconsin to be labeled with either the individual responsible for the bait’s customer ID or their name and address?	Yes	High	Bear baiting is crazy in the first place, and that it's not labeled is even crazier.
58	45	Do you support an exemption from Wis. Stat. s. 227.139 for rules regulating PFAS in the environment?	Yes	High	Allows the DNR to proceed with regulations, even if costs more than $10 million.
59	46	Do you support the legislature providing DNR statutory authority to require submittal of the same federal PHMSA reports to the Department for additional spill notifications?	Yes	High	More information about spills please!
60	WISCONSIN CONSERVATION CONGRESS ADVISORY QUESTIONS
61	Environmental Committee
62	47	Would you support phasing out uses of lead so that it is not left behind on our lands and in our waters?	Yes	High	Get the lead out!
63	48	Would you support increasing funding for nonpoint source pollution control and the establishment of an independent team of experts to recommend changes that protect our water, lakes and streams from pollution by spreading animal manure and commercial fertilizer?	Yes	High	Manure runoff poses a serious threat to water quality—yes to increased funding.
64	49	Would you support the protection of Wisconsin's navigable waters by amending state regulations to require seasonal campsites with stationary RVs using wastewater treatment systems adhere to similar minimum lot sizes as required for residential homes?	Yes	High	Untreated human waste in water is a serious health and environmental issue.
65	50	Would you support increasing the wastewater discharge design standard to 100 gallons-per-day for seasonal campgrounds?	Yes	High	Handle that human waste correctly!
66	Fur Harvest Committee
67	51	Would you support opening beaver trapping season within the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge to make it concurrent with the season opening date of adjacent beaver management zones in the state?	No	High	I am against trapping because it's cruel, and this would extend the season.
68	52	Would you support allowing the use of foothold traps with a jaw spread of up to nine inches in the water?	No	High	Trapping is terrible.
69	53	Would you support a rule change which would require a favorable BMP rating, irrespective of jaw spread, for traps to be legal for use in Wisconsin?	No	High	Trapping should not be promoted, even with BMPs. I oppose efforts to expand it.
70	Legislative Committee
71	54	Would you support legislation that would allow DNR wardens to enforce local ordinances on our lakes?	Yes	High	Let the DNR enforce laws. This is about those wake surf boats that generate large, amplified wakes. They are cause shoreline erosion like crazy, and other issues.
72	55	Would you support legislation that increases the guide license fee, requires proof of current CPR/First Aid certifications, and proof of commercial liability insurance when applying for a guide’s license each year?	Yes	Low	Higher training standards for guides. (Teen babysitters have to take CPR class!)
73	56	Would you support legislation establishing a $5 annual habitat stamp to fund upland, warm water lakes and streams habitat projects?	Yes	Med	When more money comes from non-hunters, our voices will be heard louder
74	57	Do you support the DNR helping Wisconsin’s farmers to mitigate livestock conflicts with non-lethal preventative solutions using education and state-funded financial assistance?	Yes	High	Helping farms live in peace with wolves is good.
75	Warm Water Committee
76	58	Do you support changing the daily bag limit on Beaver Dam Lake from the historic 25 per day to a reduced limit of 10 per day?	Yes	Med	If the DNR thinks the bag limit is too high, it probably is!
77	59	Would you support a ban on the use of SCUBA while underwater spearfishing?	Yes	Med	Again, if someone at the DNR thinks it's too much, then it probably is because they usually error on the other side.
78	Land Use Committee
79	60	Would you support having the Wisconsin DNR’s Bureau of Parks and Recreation build additional site appropriate camper cabins in campgrounds to allow more opportunity for those with physical disabilities to go camping?	Yes	Low	Sure, sounds nice for disabled people. If they would have provided more data, they could have made a stronger case.
80	Migratory Committee
81	61	Would you support returning the Mississippi River Zone to its former goose season structure and dates, opening and running concurrently with the duck season with splits if applicable and continuing open at the end of the duck season within federal framework dates?	No opinion		Seems like it won't have a big effect either way.
82	62	Would you support legislation that creates a Sandhill Crane Stamp to help farmers reduce crane-caused crop damage?	Yes	High	This would make a voluntary donation route to help compensate farmers for the chemical that deters birds eating their seeds. The International Crane Foundation is in favor of this stamp idea, so I am too. https://savingcranes.org/news/resources/a-sandhill-crane-stamp-for-wisconsin/
83	63	Would you support the DNR adding two additional dates for servicemembers and veterans for waterfowl hunting that are distinct from the youth hunt dates?	No opinion		I don't feel strongly about this either way
84	Migratory Committee
85	64	Would you support allowing CDACs the option to extend the late archery season archery hunt to January 31st without having an approved Holiday Hunt in their county?	No	Low	Lets not extend the power of the CDAC
86	65	Would you support increasing resident deer hunting license fees for archery and firearm to an amount that is more in line with our neighboring states? (This increase would also be reflective of an increase in the sportsman’s license and patron’s license).	Yes	Low	Consumptive hunters use up more resources than the rest of us, so it's good to have them pay their share. But what I don't like about this is that it gives them a louder voice as well, since it means they fund more of the DNR....
87	Great Lakes Committee
88	66	Would you support the Conservation Congress working with the DNR to allow the use of cast nets in the harvest of Smelt?	Yes	Low	As long as the by-catch is low. It's not a very popular sport in general anymore, so I don't think it will have a big effect.
89	67	Would you support the creation of a Wisconsin Sport Fishing Board with all of the responsibilities, rights and privileges as the existing Commercial Fishing Boards?	Yes	Low	I like the idea of pushing back against commercial fishing.
90	68	Would you support a daily bag limit of 3 steelhead for Lake Michigan and its tributaries?	No	Med	The current limit is 1, so 3 would be more
91	69	Would you support legalizing the harvest of white deer in Jefferson County?	No opinion		They are talking about leucistic deer here. I seriously think white deer from deer farms escape a lot and breed with wild deer, making luetistic offspring. I don't think they are sacred. But I guess some native americans do, so maybe we should respect that? I'm not sure...
92	70	Would you support legalizing the harvest of white deer in Jefferson County?	No opinion
93	71	Would you support legalizing the harvest of white deer in Jefferson County?	No opinion
94	72	Would you support legalizing the harvest of white deer in Jefferson County?	No opinion
95	73	Would you support legalizing the harvest of white deer in Wood County?	No opinion
96	74	Would you support the State of Wisconsin creating a K9 Unit (handler/dog teams) program within the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division?	Yes	Med	Can they also make a TV show of this? Sounds great!
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