Fall waterfowl hunting season public hearing schedule available

Public hearings for Wisconsin’s proposed 2020 waterfowl season structure will be held March 9-12. After public comments have been collected, the final season structure will be set by the Natural Resources Board at its April 9-10 meeting in Madison.

“The 2020 waterfowl seasons will be based on the 2019 continental waterfowl population estimates, which were at near-record estimates since U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) surveys began 64 years ago,” said Taylor Finger, DNR migratory game bird ecologist. “With above-average precipitation last fall and this winter in Wisconsin, we expect populations to remain high in 2020. If we have favorable conditions this fall, hunters can expect good waterfowl hunting opportunities.”

The fall waterfowl hunting season public hearing schedule is:

_ Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in La Crosse. at the State Office Building, Rooms B-19 and B-20, 3550 Mormon Coulee Rd.

_ Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in Rice Lake at AmeriVu Inn, 1710 South Main Street.

_ Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. in Appleton at Fox Valley Technical College, D.J. Bordini Center, Room BC141, 5 N. Systems Dr.

_ Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m. in Pewaukee at Wildwood Lodge, N14 W24121 Tower Place.

The department will accept public comments on the proposed waterfowl season structure at each public hearing. If you would like to provide input directly or are unable to attend a hearing, comments will be accepted through midnight Friday, March 13.

Written comments can be sent to Taylor Finger or Jeff Williams, Wisconsin DNR, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707, via email to Taylor.Finger@wisconsin.gov or jeffrey.williams@wisconsin.gov or by calling 608-266-8841 or 608-261-6458.

To view and provide input for the 2020 waterfowl season options online, visit https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/ hunt/waterfowl.html.