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How do you count 20,000 bats?
Plus: exceptional drought up north, a book of 80-plus Wisconsin wonders, and a Dec. 10 bear deadline
Forrest Koslowski
October 29, 2026
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Mornin’ to the Appleton police, who were searching an apartment complex after a reported break-in when a deer burst out through a window and fled the scene. Suspect description: brown coat, white tail, still at large.
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This week’s weekly:
🏜️ Northern Wisconsin hits “exceptional” drought
📚️ A new book of 80-plus Wisconsin wonders
🐻 Bear hunters beat the target
🦇 STORY OF THE WEEK: How do you count 20,000 bats?
🏜️ Northern Wisconsin hits “exceptional” drought LINK
Last week we mentioned the drought up north. Parts of Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Sawyer and Iron counties are now at the top of the scale. It’s only the second time since 2000 that Wisconsin has gotten there, and the biggest area yet.
Some farms lost their corn or soybeans outright. Lake Owen sits 14 to 18 inches low, and thirsty deer, foxes and coyotes cut through a resort there to reach the water. The hanging-basket flowers keep vanishing overnight. Room service.
Next up is a mild El Niño winter. Rain before freeze-up would help; thin snow would let frost dig into dry roots. Live up north? File a drought report.
📚️ A new book of 80-plus Wisconsin wonders LINK
Wisconsin author Lily Comp’s new book, Scenic Natural Wonders of Wisconsin, covers more than 80 spots across the state, from Devil’s Lake to Timm’s Hill in Price County, the state’s highest point.
One of her picks is Rest Area 54 on I-94 near Black River Falls, where a forest path leads to a scenic view. We’ve been driving past a hike this whole time.
For fall she likes the paved Ice Age Trail stretch along the Rock River in Janesville, historic bridges and all. If she could teleport anywhere for a crisp weekend, it’s Eagle Tower at Peninsula State Park.
🐻 Bear hunters beat the target LINK
Hunters took 4,275 bears this fall, a little over the DNR’s target of 4,160. About 28% of license holders got one.
The northwest came in above expectations, and the DNR pointed to the drought there. Zone D, around Barron, Burnett, Polk and Washburn counties, had its biggest harvest ever. Down south, big acorn crops pulled bears away from bait piles. Same reason we skip leftovers on fish fry Friday.
A record 146,000 people applied this year. Apply on Go Wild for a 2027 license or preference point by Dec. 10. Skip three years in a row and you lose your points.
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How does it work? With every stop, enjoy 50% off two coffee or tea drinks. Use one discount today and one later (or treat a friend and use both in a single visit).
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🦇 STORY OF THE WEEK: How do you count 20,000 bats? LINK
It’s Bat Week, which runs through Halloween. Somebody planned that.
Every June and July, more than 150 scientists and volunteers sit outside barns and bat houses at dusk and count the bats as they fly out. This summer’s Great Wisconsin Bat Count tallied more than 20,000 bats at 120 roosts.
Why summer. That’s when mother bats pack together in big colonies to raise their pups, so they’re all in one spot. The first count night comes before the pups can fly. The second comes a few weeks after.
Why count at all. White-nose syndrome. It’s a fungus that reached Wisconsin in 2014. It wakes bats up in the middle of hibernation, when there are no bugs to eat, so they burn through their fat and starve. In one Grant County hibernation spot, a colony of nearly 1,000 bats fell to nine.
What they found. Little brown bats came in near 17,000, about 3,000 fewer than last year. Big brown bats were down about 750. The DNR isn’t sure the drop is real. The weather was bad on count nights, a cold spring was hard on pregnant bats, and big browns tend to move around in July heat and come back later.
UW-Madison’s David Drake says little browns may have recovered enough to fill the roosts that get counted. Big browns are coming back slower. Tricolored and northern long-eared bats aren’t coming back much at all. Four of Wisconsin’s eight bat species are still threatened.
Why you should care. Bats eat bugs. One estimate says they save farmers around the world about $1 billion a year in pest control. And the DNR’s bat hibernation expert says nearly half the little brown bats in the country spend the winter in just a few Wisconsin mines. Fewer bats, more mosquitoes. We have enough mosquitoes.
What you can do. Put up a bat house, as high off the ground as you can. If bats are in your attic, now is the time to get them out without hurting them. Seal up the gaps once they leave, before it gets too cold for them to find a new winter roost.
Now get out ’der, around dusk.
WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY POLL
Last Week's Trivia Check
We asked why beavers pile bitter branches on top of their winter food cache. We stumped you! 33% bet on natural tannins preserving the wood, and 29% figured it disguised the pile from muskrats. Only 26% nailed the real trick.
The Correct Answer: To weigh down the good stuff so it stays below the thick winter ice sheet.
The Takeaway: Beavers know the top few feet of the pond will freeze solid. Piling heavy, unappealing branches on top sinks their favorite aspen and willow snacks deep into the unfrozen water right outside their front door.
This Week's Trivia
Late October brings "fall turnover" to Wisconsin lakes. When chilly air cools the surface water to 39 degrees, it reaches maximum density, gets heavier than the water below, and sinks straight to the bottom. The whole lake flips top-to-bottom in just a few days.
Why does a lake turn into a tough-to-fish "dead zone" right when turnover starts?Give it your best gut check: |
Well, how'd we do this week? |
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