The July wind storm that damaged tens of thousands of acres in Langlade and Oconto counties has produced another caution from the DNR: careful when your hunting in damaged areas.
Area wildlife supervisor Chuck McCullough says some people don't go to an area until hunting time, and when they do, this time they might be shocked at what they see...
"...That means there's a lot of trees down. The place that you hunt may look a lot different than you expected to look. There may be trails blocked by down trees. Your tree stand might not exist anymore if it's a permanent stand. It might be crumpled by downed trees...."
McCullough says they're encouraging hunters to scout out the area before the start of the gun deer hunting season....
"...to look around and see if they want to hunt where they've been hunting. Is it safe to be there? Think about other places to go on Friday night before gun-deer season. Trying to get folks who aren't thinking about gun-deer season to think about it a few weeks early...."
McCullough says the downed trees are hazardous and require extreme caution when walking in the blow down area.
In Langlade County, straight-line winds had a significant impact on approximately 1,800 acres of state-owned land, including portions of Peters Marsh Wildlife Area and the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest also sustained significant damage as did other properties in the greater White Lake and Mountain areas. Salvage timber sale establishment is in progress on both state properties. The Langlade county forest reported 30,000 acres of public land affected by this storm.
