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RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY BANQUETS & EVENTS Online Info: June 27: Traverse City, MI Youth Fun Shoot
July 31: Indianapolis, IN banquet
Aug. 14: Winchester, WI banquet
Aug. 17: Minneapolis, MN banquet
Aug. 19: Blackduck, MN banquet
Aug. 19: Madison, WI banquet OTHER EVENTS Now through Labor Day: Town of Eagle in Waukesha County, WI - Eagle Springs Lake 2nd annual carp attack. $500 reward for catching or shooting one of 6 tagged carp. If you get one, Contact: Tom Day at 262-594-3231. Dispose of untagged carp in the dumpster at the public boat landing.
June 25-27: Deer Fest, Wisconsin's largest all-deer festival, Sunnyview Expo Center, Oshkosh. Meet Lee & Tiffany Lakosky, The Bone Collectors, the Buck & Duck Commanders, Pat Reeve & Nicole Jones. Seminars, exhibits, demos and more. Online Info: June 26: Introduction to shotgun shooting sports for women at Stone Bank Sportsmen's Club, 9 a.m.-noon. Online Info: Contact: Kim Laughland 262-820-1827 July 3: Car/Motorcycle Wash to benefit the family of Alexander Becker, of Kewaskum, who died after an accident at Kiwanis Park in Kewaskum on Father's Day, June 20. Glenn Curtiss Motorsports, 4345 Highway 33, West Bend, 11 am - 2pm. Contact: Glenn Curtiss Motorsports 262-338-3684 July 11: Elliot Kahle & Ethan Galaska Memorial Fishing Tournament, Pewaukee Lake. 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Smokey's Bait Shop, 129 Park Avenue, Pewaukee. $50 fee per boat. Proceeds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Register by July 10. Contact: Smokey's Bait Shop 262- 691-0360.
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| Annual survey indicates slight drop in Ruffed Grouse population: Three out of four regions show decrease
MADISON – Wisconsin's ruffed grouse population appears to have deviated from its four-year rise, according to data that state wildlife managers collected during the 2010 spring drumming counts.
“Statewide, the ruffed grouse population decreased about 5 percent between 2009 and 2010,” said Sharon Fandel, Acting Upland Wildlife Ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources. 
“The southwest showed the greatest decrease in drumming activity over the last year with a 21 percent decrease,” Fandel said. “The central and northern regions showed a slight decrease of 4 percent and 6 percent, respectively, whereas the southeast region experienced a large increase of 60 percent more drums than in 2009. The southeast region contains the least amount of grouse cover in the state and minor increases in grouse drumming numbers can have a large influence on the drumming index.”
For reasons not well understood, grouse populations cycle up and down over an 8- to 10-year period. The previous high was in 1999, and it would appear that Wisconsin has reached the peak of the current grouse cycle. Biologists note that while the 5 percent statewide decrease from last year's drumming survey results supports the idea that the ruffed grouse population may be on the downswing, the change is not statistically significant and may be due to random chance or smaller samples sizes representing a given area.
Ruffed grouse are one of Wisconsin's most popular upland game birds. Their characteristic “drumming” noise is readily recognized and is produced by males during the spring breeding season. The male grouse will stand on drumming logs and rapidly beat their wings with the intention of attracting female grouse.
Ruffed grouse drumming surveys are divided into four regions around the state. Each spring since 1964, wildlife biologists, wardens, foresters, members of the Ruffed Grouse Society, and other volunteers have driven survey routes, stopping to listen at predetermined locations for the unmistakable sound of drumming ruffed grouse. These drumming counts and observational data on breeding success are used to estimate grouse population changes.
“Ruffed grouse drumming surveys are helpful in tracking statewide population changes over the long term,” says Krista McGinley, Assistant Upland Wildlife Ecologist. “However, they are not good predictors of local harvest or hunting opportunities. The most successful hunters are usually those who spend the most time in the field and cover the most ground.”
There are two ruffed grouse management zones in the state. The hunting dates for Zone A are Sept. 18, 2010 through Jan. 31, 2011. The dates for Zone B are Oct. 16, 2010 through Dec. 8, 2010. Daily bag limits are 5 birds per day in Zone A and 2 birds per day in Zone B. Possession limits are twice the daily bag limit. Additional information can be found on the ruffed grouse page of the DNR website.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Krista McGinley, Assistant Upland Wildlife Ecologist (608) 264-8963 or
Sharon Fandel, Acting Upland Wildlife Ecologist (608) 261-8458
Operation Dry Water – June 25-27, 2010
MADISON – Because driving while intoxicated is a dangerous move whether behind the wheel of a car or a boat, Wisconsin's boating law administrator says state officials will be participating in "Operation Dry Water," a national campaign to target enforcement efforts on this dangerous practice. 
Operation Dry Water is coming to state waterways the weekend of June 25-27, says Roy Zellmer, Department of Natural Resources conservation warden and boating law administrator. State conservation wardens along with local boating law enforcement officers will be out in force on state waters that weekend looking for boat operators who are impaired.
”Operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs contributes to nearly two in five recreational boating fatalities in Wisconsin,” Zellmer said. “In 2009, 38 percent of boating fatalities involved alcohol and the average blood alcohol content in those fatalities was 0.227 percent – that's nearly three times the legal limit.”
Wardens and boat patrol officers will be aggressively detecting, screening and arresting intoxicated operators. Impaired boaters caught this weekend can expect penalties to be severe.
“In Wisconsin they include fines, jail and possible impoundment of boats,” Zellmer said. “A little planning goes a long way, designating a sober driver will make all the difference."
Operation Dry Water, launched in 2009 by National Association of State Boating Law Administrators in partnership with the United States Coast Guard.
Last summer, agencies and organizations from 46 states and 5 territories participated in the first ever Operation Dry Water weekend.
During that 2009 three-day weekend, 2,442 marine law enforcement officers made contact with 17,454 recreational vessels and issued 5,320 boating safety warnings, 283 BUI citations and 1,127 citations for other violations. This included 13 OWI citations in Wisconsin as well as hundreds of contacts between marine officers and boaters. This year, all 56 states, trusts and territories are expected to participate.
More information is available on the boating safety education pages of the DNR website and at Operation Dry Water.org .
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SHOW #526 | 2010 JUNE 26 
INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON - POLL s526: 
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