Mornin' to the 88-year-old Marine Vet who found success through Wisconsin’s Learn To Hunt program. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

Last week we wrote about Co-Founder Kevin’s attempt to set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) around Lake Winnebago. Well cripes, he and his buddy Will did it! They ran the ~72 miles in 14 hours and 8 minutes, beating the previous record by 10 minutes! Congrats boys!

This week’s weekly:

• First Central Elk Herd hunt in Wisconsin 🦌 

• Two new Rustic Roads 🚗 

• NEW: Our fav gear recs 👇

First Central Elk Herd Hunt

Last year we celebrated Wisconsin’s Elk herd passing the 500-animal mark.

This year, we’re popping bottles beers once more, this time in honor of the first Central elk herd hunt since reintroduction (in addition to the Northern elk herd hunt, now in its ~7th year).

Something to bugle about:

• Central herd will have 2-4 tags issued, and 7-8 tags for the Northern Herd

• Hunters selected may only shoot bulls (we need the cows to ensure herd growth!)

• WI elk herd at all-time modern high of 515 animals

Elk Conservation 101

Wisconsin’s Elk population numbers at a whopping 515, but it wasn’t always that way.

Elk used to roam our nation to the tune of some 10 million animals. Wisconsin, too, had its own thriving herd—until ‘Scons began to develop the state.

Like other large fauna (moose, caribou, etc) poaching and land use dwindled the elks numbers until they were gone entirely.

After a failed attempt to reintroduce elk in the 1930’s, we finally had success in 1995.

25 Michigan elk were captured, quarantined, and released into the Clam Lake area.

Then in 2015, another herd was established in the Black River Range.

Both herds are growing nicely, with the Central herd (Black River Range) growing fastest at 17% year-over-year.

Why hunt

The DNR has a long-term goal of 1,500 elk in Wisconsin, so you may be wondering:

Why hunt the elk if we’re trying to grow the population!?

The math is simple, yet effective: By selecting a few of the older, mature elk to hunt, we can ensure 2 things for the remaining population:

1. That there is enough food and mating opportunities for the remaining herd

2. That conservation can be adequately funded through application/tag fees

As they say, money makes the world goes round. Without conservation dollars, we couldn’t pay for game wardens, state biologists, and others who ensure our wildlife is protected + conserved for long-term viability.

To date, more than $1 million dollar has been raised for elk conservation in WI (in 2023 alone, over 21,300 residents applied to the elk hunt).

Fill ‘da freezer (with Elk)

Interested in bagging one of these giants (and helping conserve the herd)?

Applications are now open until May 31st, with the Black River Elk Range also being open for the very first time.

The fee is $10 to apply, and it’s limited to one per resident. Note: $7 of this fee will go directly to elk conservation!

The number of tags is still to be decided. For now, we can guess there will be 2-4 tags issued for the new Central Black River herd, and 7-8 for the Northern Clam Lake herd.

Winners will be notified by early June, and required to take a mandatory elk hunter education class ($49).

The season will run from Oct 12-Nov 10 and Dec 12-20.

If you are lucky enough to get out ‘der for an elk, know that it will be your only chance—there’s a lifetime limit of 1 tag per ‘Scon!

Now get out der!

Wiscampsin Team Gear Picks*

*Note: We are not paid to promote the below gear favs, but in the future we may try to secure exclusive discounts for Wiscampsin readers. Show your interest by checking out the links below!

Bedrock Sandals: Co-founder Kevin once hiked 20+ miles through rain, muck, and rocks in these durable, trail-ready hiking sandals. Plus, they’re low profile and super comfy!

Coleman Classic Propane Gas Camping Stove: Tough as nails, dependable, and compact—that’s what you can expect from this 2-Burner camp stove. Great for feeding your family or the whole camp. 30% off with code: APRIL

Hest Dually Camp Mattress: Tired of blowing up air mattresses, just to get a crummy night’s sleep? Opt for the Hest Dually instead. This memory foam camping mattress is perfect for your truck bed, tent, or even your backseat, and will give you your best outdoor night’s sleep ever. (Co-founder Forrest just bought one, reply to this email to hear his thoughts).

Kelty Loveseat: Ideal for cozy nights next to the campfire, the Kelty Loveseat is a heavy-duty double camp chair that comes with a carrying bag and plenty of space to make memories.

JOOLCA: JOOLCA has been shaking up the camping game with a pretty cool lineup of outdoor showers, power banks, portable “kitchen” units, and even an inflatable hot tub—perfect for turning camping into glamping (we won’t judge).

Wiscampsin Weekly Poll

Last week’s poll was tricky - only 17.5% of readers got it right. Lake of the Woods is the largest lake in the US by area outside of the Great Lakes. The tricky part about it is that Lake of the Woods is….. mostly in Canada!

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🚘 Two new Rustic Roads: Pop the top, let your hair down, and turn up the radio—the Department of Transportation just announced two new Rustic Roads for us to enjoy. Rustic Road 125 (9.4 miles) and Rustic Road 126 (variable length) give great viewing of “dense canopy of our Northwoods” and “Southeastern Wisconsin’s rich farmland near one of the state’s early schoolhouses.” Learn about Rustic Roads here.

🦉 Remaining egg not viable: The remaining egg of River, the famous horned owl of West Bend will unfortunately not hatch. River laid two eggs in a West Bend woman’s flower pot in March, but after eating the first egg and now departing the nest, it is unlikely the egg left behind is still alive.

🥚 Celebrate spring Sturgeon spawn: The DNR is hosting a spring open house at Wild Rose Fish Hatchery Education Center in Wild Rose, WI from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. Come celebrate Wisconsin’s oldest fish species! Click here.

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Meme of the Week 😂

A review from the trail… Just like the cheddar aging in my basement