The Milwaukee Post

10 • Milwaukee County Post • November 10, 2017 If you are a bowhunter, of either the compound, recurve or cross- bow variety, now is the time we've been waiting for. The rut is upon us! Local reports are seeing more daytime movement of mature bucks from trail cameras and hunters seeing them first hand. On our own property, we have a cellphone enabled trail camera that emails our computers when deer pictures are taken. So far, we've been getting a lot of pics of smaller bucks on the prowl, but the big mature bucks are mostly still moving at night. This style of cam- era is awesome because you can get Intel on your deer inventory without having to go physically check the camera because each time a person does, the woods gets contaminated with human scent or deer simply see you. Scrapes are getting tended and it won't be long before they are used by deer more as a sign of a doe in heat rather than a simply commu- nication tool. In fact, by the time you read this, things should be full out go. There are a few things to consid- er that are new this year. For one, baiting is legal in several counties, although Waukesha is not one of them — so be advised. Some coun- ties close where baiting is allowed include: Dodge, Washington and Ozaukee. For a full list on baiting and feed- ing regs visit dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/bait.html. The DNR is also offering free podcasts in an effort to help new hunters (although even veteran hunters can benefit too). Some topics include: Preparing for success, handling the harvest, habitat helper and deer hunting makes life better. All the topics are independent of each podcast so they can be watched in any order. This is such a special time of year. For about 11 months out of the year bucks are mainly thinking about food and survival. So hunt- ing food sources is a very good bet or figuring out where they like to bed. Now that hormones are kick- ing into high gear, food still is on their minds, but it's not a priority. Food sources are still good places to hunt because the does still need to eat and the bucks know this. They will hang around food sources just to try and find a doe in estrus that is looking for a date. Now, in the prerut and rut stage, calling is another tactic that can work well, especially if the deer have not had much pressure on them. Bleat cans, rattling antlers and grunt calls all have their place, especially when used with the addition of doe-in-heat scent or decoys. Around our property, we are starting to see a few fawns by them- selves, which often means that their moms have kicked them out until they are done breeding. If the does are ready to breed, they aren't that tough to find around bedding areas and food sources. If they are not ready, they tend to hunker down in thick cover in an attempt to avoid bucks driving them nuts. I'll be using a compound bow when I'm elevated in a treestand and my crossbow for when I'm hunting from the ground. I've found this to be a nice one-two punch. I still love my compound bow, but there are simply places that don't have a good tree. In those cases, there's no shame or reason the crossbow can't get fired up. It's given me a lot of freedom the last two years to not just hunt places that have the perfect tree for a stand. Oh yes, if you are a bowhunter, it's the greatest time of the year. And now that I'm done coaching football for the season, I can't wait to get out and enjoy it. (Dan Durbin writes an outdoors column for the Post. Call Durbin at 262-644-7940, or email him at ddurbin@bastdurbin.com if you have a story idea.) The rut of the bow season is upon us DAN DURBIN OUTDOORS/SPORTS Post Staff MILWAUKEE — Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt provided his first update in weeks regarding the funds he helped raise for Hurricane Harvey victims. In an Oct. 27 video posted to Watt's Twitter account, he said he was excited to share the plan of what the money will be spent on. "What we're gonna do is we're gonna rebuild homes, we're gonna rebuild child care centers, we're gonna provide food for those who need food and we're gonna p r o v i d e p r o f e s - s i o n a l m e d i c a l services," said the Pewaukee H i g h S c h o o l g r a d u a t e and for- mer Uni- versity of Wisconsin Badger star. Watt explained that he has partnered with four non- profit organizations that are currently working in Houston. Save the Children, Feeding America, SBP and Americares are the nonprof- its which have networks that reach within all the affected areas. Watt also extended anoth- er round of thanks to all those who donated money and mentioned that he would keep everyone updated with photos and videos of the ongoing projects throughout the next 18 to 24 months. Watt's YouCaring fund- raiser surpassed $35 million and he assured the donors that the money would not leave the Houston area. MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks and American Transmission Co. are bringing back their "Trees for Threes" initiative for the 2017-'18 Bucks season. The Bucks and ATC will sponsor the planting of a new tree in Wisconsin for every 3-pointer the Bucks make at home this season. Last season, the Bucks made 355 threes at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, resulting in 355 trees being planted across Wisconsin. This season, the Bucks have been throwing up and sinking more 3-pointers. New to the program this year, Wisconsin schools can register to receive trees. Schools interested in signing up may do so through April 9 on ATC's registration page: w w w. a t c l l c . c o m / a b o u t - us/atcs-trees-for-threes/. "The more 3-pointers the Bucks score at home, the more trees go in the ground," ATC's Director of Corporate Communications Anne Spaltholz said. Watt J.J.Watt provides update on Harvey relief funds Bucks expand 'Trees for Threes' to include schools 'Urban Farming' legislation eyes land, education MILWAUKEE — State Rep. Evan Goyke, D- Milwaukee, and Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D- Milwaukee, unveiled their "Wisconsin Urban Farming Futures" legisla- tive initiative last month at the Kaleidoscope Gardens, a vacant lot where a home was torn down at North 30th Street and West St. Paul Avenue. "The fields of urban farmers look very different than the dairy farm my grandfather owned," Goyke said in a news release. "Urban agricul- ture offers a modern expansion of one of Wisconsin's strongest tra- ditions and can literally transform urban communi- ties. In Milwaukee, we've seen new life spring from the ashes of old industry ,,, ." The initiative consists of several pieces of legisla- tion that promote and ele- vate the field of urban farming. The proposed legisla- tion: ■ Creates within the state Department Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection an Office of Urban Agriculture to help support those interested in urban farming and those individ- uals currently operating. ■ Requires the DATCP to develop and promote programs to support urban farming. ■ Requires the identifi- cation of land in Milwaukee's 30th Street industrial-zoned area for the future degree offering "Wisconsin School of Urban Agriculture." ■ Provides construction funding for the future "Wisconsin School of Urban Agriculture." This package is support- ed by The Institute for Urban Agriculture and Nutrition, an area multi- sector cooperative that fos- ters academic, community and civic collaborations focused on advancing urban agriculture and nutrition. The legislation is also supported by the Hunger Task Force, the Milwaukee Food Council and the Victory Garden Initiative. "There is a growing movement toward urban farming, notably right here in Milwaukee. Urban farm- ing is a community-orient- ed and concrete solution for Milwaukee residents and their families, given that much of the northwest portion of the city is ideal- ly suited for urban farming both regarding available space and the need for fresh food and produce," Johnson said. The legislation aims to help eliminate urban food deserts, encourage entre- preneurship and create new workforce opportuni- ties for those interested in agriculture.

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