Family-Outdoors

Panorama view of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Pike Lake Unit near Hartford Wisconsin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Cold weather to greet opening of Winnebago System sturgeon spearing season; cancels some candlelight events Northern Wisconsin once again received up to 2 to 3 inches of snow in the last week with the south again missing out, causing counties in the south that had opened snowmobile trails to close them. Trails remain open in the most northern counties with conditions ranging from fair to excellent on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's  Snow Conditions Report  (exit DNR). The new snow that did fall allowed parks and forests to touch up cross-country ski trails and they generally remain good to very good in the north and poor to fair through central and southern parts of the state.  The Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and Blue Mound State Park continue to have some of the best conditions in the lower part of the state. Very cold ...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Winter anglers and late-season hunters are reminded to consider ice conditions before traveling onto and across North Dakota lakes, as most small and mid-sized waters currently give the appearance of safe foot travel.     State Game and Fish Department boat and water safety coordinator Nancy Boldt said ice thickness is never consistent, especially this time of the year, and can vary significantly within a few inches. “The edges become firm before the center,” Boldt said. “So, with your first step the ice might seem like it is strong enough, but it may not be anywhere near solid enough once you progress away from the shoreline.” This was apparent last weekend as one hunter experienced this while trying to retrieve a duck that had landed on ice. “He went through up to his neck and his waders filled with water, and the freezing temperature instantly took his breath away,” Boldt said. “He was extremely fortunate to be able to pull himself ou...

Weekly Fishing Tip: Targeting walleye at the end of ice season Walleye are a popular target for many ice anglers, particularly as the season wears on. Pursuing these aggressive fish can be a great adventure, especially if you follow some of these tactics.  Focus on using jigs with spoons or minnows or tip-ups with live bait to see the most success. You might want to use a few tip-ups and then jig around that same area. Think about the depth of water as well as the time of day. Walleye fishing through the ice usually begins and ends in shallow water areas with deep water more productive during the heart of the winter. Learn more about walleye fishing during Michigan’s winter by visiting their page on our  Michigan Fish and How to Catch Them website .   Great Lakes Temperature Map Click on the links below to jump to the report section that interests you most: Southeast Lower Peninsula Southwest Lower Peninsula Northeast Lower Peninsula Northwest Lower Penin...

    There is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice. ·           The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recommends a  minimum of four inches of quality ice for fishing and at least five inches for snowmobiles and ATVs.  ·           Ice thickness is not uniform on any body of water.  Things like current and springs slow ice growth.  R ocks, trees or docks   that poke through the ice like will conduct heat and make the ice around it less stable.  ·           T here could be pockets of thin ice or places where ice  recently formed , so it would be wise to check ice thickness as you go out . ·           The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. ·           S afety items in the bucket:...

Ice Ledge (Photo credit: Bob.Fornal ) State Game and Fish Department officials are cautioning hunters to be wary of where they hunt, as late-season weather is freezing North Dakota’s small and mid-sized waters, giving the appearance of safe foot travel. Nancy Boldt, department boat and water safety coordinator, said hunters should be cautious of walking on frozen stock ponds, sloughs, creeks and rivers. Ice thickness is not consistent, Boldt said, as it can vary significantly within a few inches. Hunters walking the edge of a cattail slough will not find the same ice thickness in the middle. “The edges firm up faster than the center,” she added. “So, with your first step the ice might seem like it is strong enough, but it may not be anywhere near solid enough once you progress away from the shoreline.” And in the case of snowfall, Boldt cautions hunters to be aware of snow-covered ice. Snow insulates ice, inhibiting solid ice formation, and makes it difficult to check ...

Image via Wikipedia Gov. Mark Dayton, with the support of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association (MnUSA), has proclaimed Jan. 15-21 as Snowmobile Safety Awareness Week in Minnesota. “We see the excitement to ride building up as people wait for that first ‘good’ snow of the season to arrive,” said Capt. Mike Hammer, DNR Education Program coordinator. “We see a lot of pent up riding excitement during these low-snow seasons. Our concern is all of the anxious snowmobilers suddenly hitting the trails at once when that good snow finally arrives.” To legally ride a snowmobile in Minnesota, residents born after Dec. 31, 1976, need a valid snowmobile safety certificate. More than 1,800 volunteer instructors teach DNR snowmobile safety courses across the state. Read about  the dates and locations of these safety courses. DNR and MnUSA remind snowmobilers of a few basic safety tips: DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE  – Drin...

Image via Wikipedia MADISON – Following three drownings over a three-day period after people broke through thin ice on Wisconsin waters, state recreational safety specialists are again strongly cautioning that ice on many state waterways is not thick enough to safely support a human -- much less any type of vehicle. Conservation Warden Todd Schaller, recreation safety chief for the Department of Natural Resources, says the ice is always unpredictable, but this winter’s mild weather has resulted in ice levels much thinner that normal for this time of year. A car with two occupants broke through thin ice on the Big Eau Pleine Reservoir near Mosinee on Saturday. One occupant was able to exit the vehicle and make it out of the water but another drowned. Early Sunday a man walking on thin ice on the Fox River in Oshkosh broke through. His body was recovered Monday. On Monday, a rural Warren man drowned after falling through the ice on a private pond in Monroe County. The man w...