[Intro rock music plays]
[Wild Wisconsin 2018]
[Aaron Warbritton, host] Hi, everyone.
I'm Aaron. [Jake Huehschman, host]: And I'm Jake.
You may recognize us from The Hunting Public, but we've taken
a few days out from the woods to join the Wisconsin DNR staff for
another season of Wild Wisconsin.
[Aaron]: We're excited to be here for Season 2.
We're here at Vortex Optics new headquarters in Barneveld, Wisconsin
to get you ready for the hunt.
So in this first segment, we'll share why we hunt, how
easy or challenging it can be.
Why Wisconsin is a premier hunting destination and why it's important to
pass on these traditions to others.
[Jake]: And today, Aaron will be talking with Brett Owsley.
Brett is a Wildlife Management Supervisor for the Wisconsin DNR
as well as a lifelong hunter.
[guitar plays]
[Aaron]: Hey Brett, welcome to the show.
[Brett Owsley, DNR Wildlife Supervisor] Thanks, Aaron.
It's great to be back on Wild Wisconsin.
I hear that in Season 2 there's a lot of new information coming their way.
There certainly is.
We got all kinds of stuff coming down the pipe this year.
We got public land hunting segments, wild game cooking
segments, podcasts, and tons more.
[Brett]: I hear there's bonus segments.
What are you covering there?
[Aaron]: Oh, we're going to show you guys how to find public land to hunt.
How to look at a big piece of public land and figure out maybe
where the deer are going to be, where the hunters are going to be.
So that you can make the most of your time out in the field.
[Brett]: Because I would say that some of the most important things a hunter can do
before they find success is before they're even out in the woods or out in the tree.
Before the season even opens by sighting in your firearm, sighting in your
bow, and then getting a good overview.
Scouting before, before the hunting season comes up because if you're
just stepping out into that piece of property on opening day, your chances of
having luck are diminished quite a bit.
So as a lifelong hunter, I'm always interested in hearing why
other people get into hunting.
So how about you?
How, what got you started?
[Aaron]: Uh, I got started with my family when I was super young, you
know, just like many of you guys out there, we started out hunting
public land, small tracks of private.
It was really that social experience with all those other
hunters that drew me to it.
And how much fun you could have in the woods.
[Brett]: Yeah, I think one of the things that I, you know, you talk to most
hunters, it's that social experience.
Harvesting an animal, seeing an animal sometimes is last on anybody's...
[Aaron]: That happens very few...
[Brett]: So know, it's about spending time with family and the
comradery of a hunting group that you can't find anywhere else.
You know, for me, it was all about family, you know, very few times, do
you all get together as one cohesive group to spend time together and
largely it was the hunting season.
And so, that's really what makes it special in that time with friends and
family, you can't find it anywhere else.
[Aaron]: Yeah.
And on Wild Wisconsin this year, we're trying to create
more stories, just like yours.
One of my favorites is how to help people find places to hunt.
[Brett]: Yeah.
I mean, when I was a kid growing up, I had a farm right there.
I stepped out of my back door and went hunting.
You know, that's just what you did.
That....
[Aaron]: That's changed a lot.
It's not like that anymore.
[Brett]: Absolutely.
That's not the case.
And from what you're explaining, this show is really to help target that to
where from pre-season, all the way to the end of the season, to where you're
getting ready to cook the animal that you just harvested, if you're lucky
enough. [Aaron]: We can show you A to Z.
[Brett]: Absolutely.
[Aaron]: And a great thing with Wisconsin, is there's tons of opportunity here.
[Brett]: Yeah.
I mean, you know, Wisconsin is an extremely diverse state.
What you see in southern Wisconsin, which is where I live and hunt is quite a bit
different than in northern Wisconsin, but the one thing that really remains
stable is that there's a lot of deer.
You know, Wisconsin is really well known for having trophy animals, trophy bucks.
But quite frankly there's plenty of opportunities just to get outside, see,
see a few deer and hopefully harvest one.
So a lot of great opportunity here.
Again, 7 million acres of public land here in Wisconsin.
So there's really no reason why people can't get out and enjoy it outdoors.
This year's going to be fantastic.
We're changing the way we do things here at DNR.
Tons of information, all at the palm of your hand.
So stay tuned for another great season of Wild Wisconsin.
[Aaron]: So as you can see, no matter your skill level, there's
always something more to learn.
That's the beauty of hunting.
Be sure to check out the DNR Off The Record podcast and
some of the bonus things that we'll be shooting in the field.
[Aaron]: And be sure to watch the next segment of Wild Wisconsin and get an
early look at this year's season forecast.