Patrick Durkin
‘Teacher of the Year’ Learned her Craft in Wisconsin's Outdoors
You’d never suspect that Lori Danz, Wisconsin’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, hated school as a youngster. Danz, 57, a biology teacher and...
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Patrick Durkin
Aug 13, 20225 min read
Deer Czar Kroll Fails to Assess Impacts of His 2012 Report
When James Kroll addressed Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board last week, he fired up a PowerPoint presentation titled “The 2012 Deer...
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Patrick Durkin
Aug 7, 20224 min read
Wood Turtles Don’t have it Easy in Wisconsin
If you feel persecuted because your boss says you’re slow, and drivers don’t yield when you step into crosswalks, be grateful you’re not...
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Patrick Durkin
Jul 30, 20225 min read
Deer Czar Kroll to Meet with Natural Resources Board
Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board will welcome back Texas’ Jim Kroll to its meeting Aug. 10 to catch up on all things white-tailed...
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Patrick Durkin
Jul 23, 20224 min read
Research: Biologists Spend Ample Time in Deer Woods
One baseless accusation heard again in June during our eternal deer debates is that this biologist or that forester is only “book smart,”...
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Patrick Durkin
Jul 16, 20225 min read
Mid-July Trip to Northwoods Delivers Fish, Enduring Bonds
Scrapbook photos from August 2011 show sturdy piers, tightly stacked firewood, a proud grandfather, and an 11-year-old grandson shooting...
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Patrick Durkin
Jul 7, 20225 min read
Tiffany, Grothman Co-Sign Bill to Cripple Conservation
When hunters share hunting’s conservation scorecard with folks who know little or nothing about it, we boast of paying for wildlife...
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Patrick Durkin
Jul 2, 20224 min read
Too Soon to ‘Fix’ Turkey Hunt Format, Permit Numbers
If you weren’t impressed that Wisconsin hunters bagged 39,007 turkeys this spring, a 5% increase over 2021, you probably saw few gobblers...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 25, 20224 min read
Wisconsin Board Rudely Overrules Locals and Deer Science
The good ol’ boys holding a 4-3 majority on Wisconsin’s Natural Resources reduced Bayfield County’s antlerless deer recommendations for...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 18, 20224 min read
Shipwreck Museum a Reminder of Region’s Deadly Waters
When storms lash inland oceans like Superior and Michigan, we cringe when thinking of the thousands killed on the Great Lakes in...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 10, 20224 min read
Red Fox Raids Grackle Nest High Up a Spruce Tree
A pair of grackles near Stoughton learned the hard way in early June that red foxes can climb trees far better than what humans claim in...
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Patrick Durkin
Jun 4, 20225 min read
Ol’ Maynard Made Ducks and Duck Hunting Memorable
Maynard James Christensen was one of those people you knew by one name, and it wasn’t “James” or “Christensen.” Yes, his given name is...
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Patrick Durkin
May 27, 20225 min read
With Kazmierski, ‘Lost in Translation’ is Standard Communication
Greg Kazmierski, reigning chairman of Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board, often described himself falsely the past three decades, but...
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Patrick Durkin
May 22, 20224 min read
Turkeys, Spiders and Bears, Oh My!
My humble hunting goal for the spring 2022 turkey season was to be a helpful, competent, memorable guide for three special people. Pfft!...
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Patrick Durkin
May 14, 20224 min read
Time to Turn Great Wildlife Book into a Wisconsin Classic
Here’s a book every Wisconsin hunter, birder, trapper and all-around history-loving conservationist should own: “Wildlife in Early...
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Patrick Durkin
May 7, 20225 min read
Northwoods Gobbler States its Heartfelt Intentions
The turkey’s gobble was just distant enough to doubt, obscured as it was by light winds swishing through red-pine boughs overhead. Tom...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 30, 20224 min read
Wisconsin DNR Depicts State Scenes with East European Photos
Details that look trivial to casual observers reveal the essentials to experts and specialists. In fact, nothing can damn a hunting or...
1,359 views1 comment
Patrick Durkin
Apr 22, 20226 min read
Wis. Conservation Hearings 2022: Another Record-Setting Event
Wisconsin’s outdoor community favored a 350-wolf population goal, and stricter safeguards for hunter education and drinking water when...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 14, 20224 min read
Anglers Often Set the Hook into Everything but Fish
A self-righteous fisherman once wrote that fishing is more sporting than hunting because the line creates a fragile, spiritual link...
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Patrick Durkin
Apr 8, 20224 min read
Hungry Redpolls Flocked to Wisconsin this Winter
Redpolls flocked to Ryan Brady this winter like, well, choose your trite analogy: moths to light, bears to honey or pigeons to bread...
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