We finally got some of the rain we were hoping for. Last week’s slow-moving front delivered like it was supposed to, and the end of the week felt a lot more like November –frosty mornings, a raw north wind and even a few snowflakes in the mix.

Ahead of Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season, Aspirus Health is encouraging those heading into the outdoors to prepare for the physical demands of hunting.

Last week stayed on the mild side, for sure. We had warm temps right through the weekend, with Sunday reaching the low 60s. The clocks have fallen back, so the sun is setting earlier now. This week is supposed to bring us some of the rain we’ve been hoping for. A slow-moving front looked set to bring that Monday through Wednesday, with an inch or more possible in some spots. Once that front clears, it looks like it’s going to start to feel like November.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources last week announced preliminary results for the 2026 bear season.

Last week didn’t go the way it was drawn up. We got the sunshine, and then some. Thursday through Saturday felt more like September, with highs pushing 70 and a south wind blowing, before a front slid through Saturday night and knocked things back a bit.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging the public to submit resolutions to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) for the spring 2027 hearings.

"The garter snake must have been using the last rays of sun to warm themselves in the middle of the trail. Being ectothermic and using the environment instead of their metabolism to regulate their temperature means that snakes need less than one tenth of the food required by a mammal of a similar size. It’s very efficient, except when the warmest surfaces are traversed by humans," writes Emily Stone, Naturalist/Education Director at the Cable Natural History Museum.

This week, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the launch of two new grant programs authorized by 2025 Wisconsin Acts 200 and 201, collectively known as the PFAS Laws.

As Wisconsin approaches the time of year when most deer crashes occur, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Division of State Patrol is reminding drivers to stay alert behind the wheel.

Last week finally felt like October. The Monday front knocked summer out of the air, a round of wind and rain came through Thursday night into Friday, and then Saturday morning brought a hard frost to most of the Northwoods.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is joining the nation in celebrating Forest Products Week from Sunday, Oct. 18 through Saturday, Oct. 24.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is (DNR) encouraging Wisconsinites to take action to help bats during International Bat Week and throughout the year.

Residents who hike, paddle, bike or hunt in Lincoln County, or who want to see more activity downtown, can help plan the future of both at a free two-day community workshop Wednesday, Oct. 21 and Thursday, Oct. 22, in Tomahawk and Merrill.

Well, it looks like a bit of a fall weather rollercoaster this week.

Last week we had the first real frost of the season, and now we get a softer stretch. The fishing was a bit tricky, with all species moving around to set up for fall.

With autumn setting in across the state, Travel Wisconsin is encouraging the public to check out its Fall Color Report.

While many people are ready to enjoy the cooler weather while hunting, hiking or pumpkin picking, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute research has shown an autumn surge of deer ticks, which transmit Lyme disease. In a release, Marshfield Clinic said that means being tick aware and taking preventive measures while outside this fall.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging the public to report when and where they see frogs, salamanders, lizards, turtles or snakes, known collectively as herptiles, crossing the road during the late summer and early fall.

"I’ve been admiring the rich colors of dying ferns in the road ditches, for example. But only this year’s growth is dead. Just like the trees, the ferns are allowing fragile, ephemeral parts of themselves to whither in order to protect their main roots and rhizomes under the soil. These hardy, perennial structures will send up a new ensemble of fiddleheads in the spring," writes Emily Stone, Naturalist/Education Director at the Cable Natural History Museum.

The cooldown everybody's been talking about has finally showed up.