By Roger Sabota
Special to the Star Journal
One recent morning I was jolted awake by a noise that should not be so dependable. It was my alarm clock telling me that it was time to get going. Shortly after the rude awakening I heard the “Osseo Jinx”, Tom Twesme, step out of the shower and holler, “Come on, let’s go fishing!”

Recent snow and cold temperatures has brought wildlife out of hiding to find food. This squirrel at the Sabota’s feeder is getting his fill of seeds while he can.

My question was, “How cold is it out there?” Tom said the thermometer showed minus 18 degrees! Some people would brew another pot of coffee and relax for a while. Tom reminded me that he came to Rhinelander in an effort to put some pan fish in the freezer.

We compromised. The coffee was good as well as the pancakes and we headed out fishing about an hour later than usual.

We set up our pop up tent, put out tip downs, sat down in the tent and lit the propane heater. We drilled four holes in a location where we could watch them from the tent then drilled two holes side-by-side in the tent. This was my first day on the ice this season and was pleased when my auger started so easily.

Tom is a very productive fisherman for pan fish through the ice when he can use a jigging rod. He uses a very flexible rod with a spring bobber on it. He dropped his jig toward the bottom and his spring bobber jumped. He set the hook and lifted a very nice sized crappie out from the hole. We were pleased with the early action and hurriedly put our other lines down the holes.

The next bite was probably an hour and a half later but what can you expect when you are fishing with the “Osseo Jinx!”

Last Saturday I attended a County Deer Advisory Member Training meeting in Stevens Point.
The DNR, in partnership with Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress is undertaking a review of the 15 year Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Response Plan.

Last October a CWD Response Plan Review Committee was convened to recommend changes to that plan. The committee has identified action items to potentially include in the response plan. These recommended action items were available for public input from Dec. 20, 2016 – Jan. 3, 2017. The public input received will be reviewed by each of Wisconsin’s 72 County Deer Advisory Councils (CDACs) at public meetings in mid-January. The Oneida County meeting will be held Wednesday, Jan. 18 in the lower level of the airport from 6-8 p.m.
At that meeting, CDACs will provide county-specific input on the recommended action items, which will be provided to the CWD Response Plan Review Committee before making their final recommendations in early February.

The following action items were proposed. 1) Prevent new introductions of CWD. 2) Monitor for and respond to new areas of CWD infection. 3) Control distribution and intensity of CWD. 4) Increase public recognition and understanding of CWD risks and public participation in disease control efforts. 5) Address the needs of our customers. 6) Enhance the scientific information about CWD.

As previously mentioned in this column, unlike the annual spring meetings when quota and permit level recommendations are determined, the January meeting will focus specifically on CWD in Wisconsin’s white-tail deer herd. Public comments on CWD-related agenda topics will be accepted at this meeting.

Understanding Chronic Wasting Disease and the ideas that are being proposed to control the spread of CWD is important for all those who are interested in and concerned about deer and deer hunting in Wisconsin. I strongly encourage participation in this meeting on Jan.18.

Longtime Northwoods outdoors enthusiast Roger Sabota writes a bi-monthly column for the Star Journal.