Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s sandhill cranes are beautiful but damage our crops. Let hunting help. | Opinion

Published

1 year ago

February 1, 2025

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Wisconsin’s sandhill cranes are beautiful but damage our crops. Let hunting help. | Opinion

In addition to crane festivals and viewings, hunting can honor the bird — and carefully manage flocks while funding more conservation.

Brian Reisinger
| Special to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The sandhill crane descending on the Wisconsin countryside is a beautiful thing.

Its gray wings are long and graceful, and it doesn’t swoop — it floats in, like a cloud slipping from the sky. Its forehead is a proud red. It often travels in pairs, because it tends to prefer one mate for life. And it is prone to dance, bowing and leaping in a ritual that it has honed for eons as one of Earth’s oldest animals.

The problem is in between, it eats the hell out of your local farmer’s crops.

That’s the rub that has made such a striking bird the subject of fierce political debate as Wisconsin considers a sandhill crane season this year. As a farm boy and a conservationist, I’m here to tell you the reality: If we want to save the sandhill crane, it’s time to organize a responsible hunt. At the root of this argument is the idea that hunting is conservation — one I know not everyone who loves the sandhill crane supports. But for the sake of our gray feathered friend, I hope you’ll hear me out and reserve hate mail for the end.

Regulated hunting and conservation have protected endangered wildlife

Good hunters know that to continue to enjoy their way of life, a hunt must have boundaries so that our natural resources of woods, water, and game can persist. It’s the reason our country did away with unregulated hunting in favor of seasons and bag limits. It’s the reason hunters fund so much conservation, not only through government license fees, but also through voluntary organizations like Ducks Unlimited that have literally restored or conserved millions of acres of natural habitat, and raised billions of dollars. And it’s the path for transforming a once protected bird into a sustainable success story.

Almost wiped out in the 1800s by unregulated hunting and habitat loss, the sandhill crane has since surged to more than 1 million, with experts of all stripes acknowledging stable populations in Wisconsin and numerous other states. Reported crop damage in Wisconsin, meanwhile, has reached more than $2 million annually, mainly corn and wheat.

Now, the crane is at a crossroads. It can go the way of the sustainable success story, like the whitetail deer, the wild turkey and the duck, all persisting in Wisconsin as a beloved animal that nature-lovers and hunters alike are able to appreciate in abundance. Or, it can go the way of the invasive presence like the coyote in Wisconsin, the wild boar in many parts of the country, and other animals facing open season — without limits — to thin them out.

Comparing the sandhill crane to a mangy coyote is where some may get hot, if they’re not already, given the crane’s history and beauty. Yes, there are reasons particular to coyote and boar that they’re capable of becoming so problematic. But let’s not insult the clever coyote — also a sight to behold slipping from field to woods in the early morning — or the proud boar once held in high regard by western civilization.

Gray wolves show how attitudes about animal’s can change

And we’ve seen how attitudes about animals can change.

Consider the gray wolf, once deeply endangered, now going off and on the endangered species list depending upon which political party is in power. The crane is headed toward similar division. The first time I saw a crane was as a kid in the 1990s, when my mom told me the story of their recovery as two cranes drifted across an evening field, then issued their softly purring trumpet of a call before taking flight. I remember her gasping at their beauty. Today I usually hear them referred to as “those dang things,” if profanity isn’t involved, as they ravage farmers’ fields.

A responsible hunt — with well-timed seasons to protect the hatching of new cranes, bag limits, and fees to fund game law enforcement and even more conservation — can prevent this. Keeping the crane in its hallowed, no-hunt status for too long simply leaves it vulnerable to future generations not giving a damn what happens to it.

This spring, North America’s sandhill cranes will begin their great journey north, from as far south as Mexico. They’ll rest on the Platte River in Nebraska near the sandhills that gave them their name, a sight National Geographic calls “one of the greatest wildlife phenomena in North America.” Then they’ll stop off in the fertile fields of Wisconsin.

You can believe that nature is a delicate ecosystem, with a natural balance that we must protect to preserve such a sight. I certainly do. All I’m saying is, mankind is a part of that balance.

Brian Reisinger is a writer who grew up on a family farm in Sauk County. He contributes columns and videos for the Ideas Lab at the Journal Sentinel, and is the author of “Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family’s Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer.” Reisinger works in public affairs consulting for Wisconsin-based Platform Communications. He splits his time between Sacramento, Calif. — America’s “farm-to-fork capital,” near his wife’s family — and the family farm in Wisconsin. You can find him on X at @BrianJReisinger

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for March 8, 2026

Published

4 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for March 8, 2026

The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 8 drawing

Midday: 2-3-5

Evening: 2-2-5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 8 drawing

Midday: 6-2-7-6

Evening: 4-8-7-6

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning All or Nothing numbers from March 8 drawing

Midday: 02-04-05-07-09-10-12-17-19-20-22

Evening: 02-03-05-06-08-09-12-13-14-16-18

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Badger 5 numbers from March 8 drawing

05-15-17-20-24

Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning SuperCash numbers from March 8 drawing

05-11-19-29-30-31, Doubler: Y

Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.

Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?

No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.

When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.

That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **

WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Wisconsin

Smith: DNR shares positive summary of 2025 Wisconsin deer hunting seasons

Published

16 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Smith: DNR shares positive summary of 2025 Wisconsin deer hunting seasons

Hunters in the 2025 Wisconsin white-tailed deer hunting seasons registered more bucks than any year since 2007 and the most deer overall since 2012, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

What’s more, the harvest of antlerless deer – the key to herd control efforts – showed a year-over-year increase of 5% and the archer, crossbow, holiday, late antlerless and youth seasons all showed higher deer registrations.

“All in all, our harvest numbers were strong, the strongest we’ve seen in a couple decades,” said Ryan Haffele, DNR acting deer program specialist.

Haffele and several DNR colleagues presented the 2025 Wisconsin deer hunting season summary at the Feb. 25 Natural Resources Board meeting in Madison.

The 2025 statewide deer hunting opportunities opened Sept. 13 with the crossbow and archer (vertical bow) seasons and included a Oct. 11 and 12 youth, Nov. 22-30 gun, Dec. 1-10 muzzleloader and Dec. 11-14 late antlerless hunts.

Many deer management units also included a Dec. 24 to Jan. 1 holiday hunt and late bow seasons that closed Jan. 31.

All told, hunters had more opportunity than ever to take a deer in Wisconsin.

Their pursuit was further aided by a statewide deer population estimated at 1.82 million following the 2024-25 hunting seasons, highest on record, according to the DNR. Two consecutive mild winters helped bolster the herd in the northern and central forest zones and deer numbers in the agricultural zones have generally swelled over the last decade after the Wisconsin Legislature prohibited Earn-A-Buck regulations and the early gun hunting season for antlerless deer.

Both the central and southern agricultural zones showed record high deer populations, according to the 2024 post-hunt estimate by the DNR.

The Feb. 25 report was dominated by positives as hunters took advantage of the higher deer numbers and excellent late season conditions.

The 2025 results are especially impressive since the number of deer hunters has dropped by 116,640 (or 16%) in the last 25 years, according to the DNR.

The DNR data showed hunters in 2025 registered 389,481 deer, including 165,754 bucks and 173,727 antlerless deer. The totals, through the end of January, will increase when registrations on agricultural damage tags and tribal harvest are added in the coming weeks.

The seasons started out strong with 8,480 deer registered in the two-day youth hunt, 18% higher than the five-year average.

The only season in 2025 that didn’t show a year-over-year or five-year increase was the nine-day gun hunt. Hunters registered 183,094 deer in the season, which has the most annual participants and contributes the biggest harvest. But hunter effort over the last three days was hampered by a heavy statewide snowstorm and the deer kill fell 4% from the previous year.

Once the storm passed, though, the snow cover persisted through December and helped hunters see and track deer in the muzzleloader, late antlerless and holiday hunts, Haffele said.

In the muzzleloader season, hunters registered 11,911 deer, 68% higher than the five-year average, while the total in the four-day December antlerless season was 10,591 deer (30% higher) and holiday antlerless deer hunt was 11,278 deer (77% higher).

Haffele said the 2025 data helps illustrate an important aspect of deer management.

“It helps tell the story of how a lot of our hunting harvest can be condition-based,” Haffele said. “When conditions are good we still have the capacity to get out there and have excellent harvest conditions. But the counter of that is when conditions aren’t as good it can also bring down our harvest, which we don’t have control over most of the time.”

Continuing a trend since 2014 when crossbows became legal for all hunters regardless of age or physical ability, the crossbow season kill of 70,050 was the highest on record.

But deer registered by archers (users of vertical bows) also was higher in 2025. The archer kill of 41,461 was 5% higher than the five-year average.

The 2025 seasons were the first with a hybrid system of deer management units. Most of the state uses county lines to designate DMUs, but last year the northern forest and central forest zones were rearranged into habitat-based units.

While it will take a few more years of data to allow direct comparisons, Haffele said the first year results looked good.

Among counties or deer management units, Marathon County showed the highest deer registration, with 11,876 deer, followed by Waupaca (10,525), Shawano (9,798), Vernon (9,344) and Dunn (8,972).

License sales: Sales of deer hunting licenses continued a trend, albeit very slightly, in the negative direction. In 2025, the DNR reported sales of 792,969 deer hunting licenses (gun, crossbow and archer combined) a 0.1% decline from 2024. The gun license sales of 552,362 were down 0.5%.

Among the licenses, the DNR reported 40,348 were sold to “new hunters,” a 0.6% decrease from 2024.

Hunting incidents: Two firearm-related incidents were reported during the nine-day gun season, including one fatality, according to the DNR.

The last decade has shown an average of five incidents for the nine-day season. Six of the last 10 have had no fatal incident.

CWD positives increase: As of March 4, the DNR had tested 18,232 deer in Wisconsin for chronic wasting disease and 2,035 (or 11.1%) were CWD-positive, according to the DNR. The number of CWD-positive deer and percentage of positive tests are highest since the state began testing for the disease in the 1990s. It continues a trend toward increasing number of infected deer and higher prevalence rates in the affected areas.

Under the current “monitor only” strategy in Wisconsin, the trajectories of higher prevalence and geographical spread of CWD are expected to continue in the state, according to wildlife disease experts.

The fatal disease was first identified in the 1960s in captive deer at a Colorado research facility. It was documented in Wisconsin for the first time in deer killed in the 2001 hunting season near Mount Horeb. It has since spread to more than half of the state’s counties.

Although CWD has not been proven to cause illness in humans, the Centers for Disease Control and other health agencies recommend humans not consume meat from a CWD-positive animal. The DNR provides free, voluntary CWD testing on deer samples by hunters and others.

Deer donation higher: Hunters provided 1,331 deer to the state’s deer donation program in 2025, a 21% year-over-year increase, according to the DNR.

The number is expected to rise since about one-fourth of processors hadn’t filed reports as of Feb. 25. They have until March 31 to do so.

The program had 58 participating processors in 41 counties for the 2025 deer hunting seasons. In another optimistic note, the number of processors increased for the second consecutive year, Haffele said.

The program relies on hunters to donate deer. Venison from donated deer is processed and distributed to food pantries across the state. Since the program began in 2000, hunters have donated over 100,000 deer, which were processed into over four million pounds of ground venison, according to the DNR.

“Overall a lot of great, positive things coming out of the 2025 deer seasons that we hope will set us up for a successful 2026,” Haffele said.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing

17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 9-3-6

Evening: 4-0-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 8-0-7-4

Evening: 4-7-8-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning All or Nothing numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 05-07-09-10-11-13-14-15-16-17-18

Evening: 01-03-04-05-07-08-11-14-16-18-19

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Badger 5 numbers from March 7 drawing

01-07-11-22-28

Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning SuperCash numbers from March 7 drawing

09-13-14-31-36-37, Doubler: N

Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Megabucks numbers from March 7 drawing

06-07-09-19-31-34

Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.

Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?

When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.

That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **

WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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