Mornin' to the three tornadoes that touched down in Wisconsin this past weekend. 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.

This week’s weekly:

• Free Fun Weekend 🎣 

• Cicada beer? 🍺 

• 4,500-year-old dugout canoe found 🛶 

Free Fun Weekend is Here

Give a ‘Scon a fish, and he’ll eat for a day.

Let a ‘Scon fish for free, and he’ll drag his whole family out ‘der to fill da freezer!

That’s right folks: Free Fun (and fishing) Weekend is here!

Can’t beat F-R-E-E

• Allows you to fish without a fishing license, trout stamp or salmon stamp

• Also gives you access to all State Parks, forests, trails, etc without an admission fee/pass

• Takes place June 1-2 weekend

Free fun for everyone

Wisconsin is home to 50 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, and roughly 15,000 lakes (take that, Minnesota).

It’s also home to a whole plethora of fish worth catching—and eating—like walleye, pike, bluegill, crappies, bass, and more.

And this weekend it’s all free.

Free Fun Weekend is back, meaning you don’t have to pay a dime to go fishing with friends, or take the family to your favorite state park.

It’s open to both residents and non-residents, with the goal of getting more people in the great Wisconsin outdoors!

Why it matters

Free Fun Weekend started as a broader attempt to get more ‘Scons hooked on fishing and State Parks in general.

Currently, Free Fishing Weekends occur twice a year, once in winter and once in summer.

What’s the ultimate goal with Free Fishing Weekend? To sell more fishing licenses.

Hunting and fishing licenses make up a huge chunk of the states fish and wildlife funding, which faces a $16 million deficit by 2026.

Although fishing license sales saw a boom during COVID-19 with 944,000 licenses being sold to residents, that number is on the decline again.

In the last year, just 804,000 licenses have been sold.

What’s to blame? Competition with other activities (after-school sports and clubs), anglers “aging out” (i.e. getting too old), and probably things like social media, tv, and video games.

The same goal holds true for the State Parks: Free access this weekend will hopefully spur sales of State Park Passes.

As we’ve covered before, our state funding for State Parks ranks just 48th in the nation while our visitation sits at 19th.

In sum: Our outdoors are heavily reliant on user-funding!

How to get out ‘der

State Parks are open from 6am-11pm. Find a State Park near you!

Anglers: Remember that bag limits and regulations still apply, so read up.

Beginners can check out learn-to-fish events and even places you can rent fishing tackle for free.

And when you are ready to buy a fishing license, first-time buyers (or buyers with a 10-year lapse) can snag a license for just $5!

State Park Passes can be bought for $28, with discounts available for certain ‘Scons.

Now grab buddy, forward this email, and get out ‘der!

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Wiscampsin Weekly Poll

For the eight of you who voted “You Betcha” for indulging on some of the “Shrimp of the Trees,” we will see you at Cicadapalooza.

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🦌 2024 elk harvest quotas set: Eight bulls can be taken from the Clam Lake Elk Zone, and four bulls for the inaugural season of the Black River Elk Zone. Per treaty rights, “the Ojibwe tribes may declare up to half of the harvest quota within the Ceded Territory, which includes the Clam Lake Elk Zone” (DNR). ‘Scons must apply by May 31 for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Application fees are $10. Read more about WI elk here.

🍺 Cicadas + Beer = Your weekend plans: Put that Miller down! There’s a new beer in town that you don’t want to miss: Cicada Beer! Join ‘Scons from all over as they celebrate all things cicadas at Cicadapalooza in Lake Geneva. It’s free to attend and takes place from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. There will be a "cicadalicious" dessert prepared, and even beer brewed with dehydrated, ground cicadas.

🛶 More dugout canoes found: Researchers found more dugout canoes in Lake Mendota, with one believed to be 4,500 years old, the oldest canoe found in the Great Lakes area. Researchers think there could be 10 canoes at the site, including the two they found in 2021 (1,200 and 3,000 years old). Experts predict that natives could have stored the boats in the water over winter to prevent them from freezing or warping.

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Meme of the Week 😂

A review from the trail… In life, 5 cheeses is the bare minimum