Gypsy moth populations have been increasing to damaging levels in parts of Wisconsin, according to state forestry officials, who stress that this is the best time of year for landowners to determine if trees on their property could be defoliated by this pest next summer, and if so, to determine the best course of action to address the problem...

Duck hunters will enjoy a full 60-day hunting season in Wisconsin and again have expanded shooting hours when the duck season opens in the Northern Zone on Sept. 22. The season opens at 9 a.m. instead of noon as in previous years...

Interest in pursuing the “timberdoodle,” as woodcock is also known, throughout the forests of Wisconsin remains high with more than 19,000 woodcock hunters spending 72,000 days in the field in 2006, according to federal harvest surveys. Wisconsin ranks second in the nation for woodcock harvest at almost 43,000 birds...

Deer hunters who hunt over bait should review Wisconsin’s deer baiting and feeding rules prior to deer hunting, according to state wildlife managers and conservation wardens...

Over the past four years, state fisheries managers have been able to dedicate more than $10 million to maintain and enhance the salmon and trout fisheries in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and their tributaries with more than half of the funding coming from the stamps anglers purchase to fish the Great Lakes...

The up to 200,000 Canada geese that migrate through Horicon Marsh each fall attract an estimated half a million visitors, but these migratory geese are just one of the attractions that have earned the marsh designation as both a “Wetland of International Importance” and a “Globally Important Bird Area.”

People interested in hands-on tips to improve their outdoor photography skills can attend a two-day course this October at the Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center near Babcock...

A sure sign of autumn’s approach is the opening of several major hunting seasons this weekend, including fall turkey, the early archery deer season, ruffed grouse, cottontail rabbit and squirrel...

Cooler temperatures and northwesterly winds have accelerated bird migrations across the state. The warbler migration is at peak statewide with birders reporting as many as 20 species in a single outing. Water levels at Horicon Marsh are at full pool due to the recent rains. A great variety of ducks are beginning to show up on Horicon Marsh. The first migrant Canada geese commonly return to Horicon around the Sept. 15, with peak numbers building up by late October. ..