Valley Sentinel - 11-16-2023 by Valley Sentinel

ANNUAL WISCONSIN GUN DEER HUNT SPECIAL EDITION

Spring Green, Wisconsin FREE, Single-Copy

Inside this edition

Arena loses full time police department

Pages 1, 5, 7

Spring Green named to Wisconsin’s Regular Gun Deer Hunt: Columns, Forecast & More ‘50 Best Places to Travel in 2024’

Pages 1, 2

Pages 8, 9, 10, 11

Citing ‘low morale’ due to village board Arena PD moves to part-time immediately after Arena police oﬃcer, DNR warden basis.” receive Life Saving Awards Oﬃcers will serve village part-time, hold additional positions elsewhere Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern Sergeant Wyatt Miller of the Village of Arena Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden Benjamin Gruber received ‘Life Saving Awards’ at the Nov. 7 Arena Village Board meeting. The two men were recognized for responding to an emergency call, performing CPR and thereby saving a woman’s life the night of Oct. 11. After giving the men their awards, Nicholas Stroik, Arena Police Department chief of police, announced that the entire department would be going part-time.

Police Resignations

Stroik, explaining who made the decision for Arena oﬃcers to resign, said: “[Myself] and Sergeant Miller requested to change employment status

Photo by Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern From left, Arena Police Chief Stroik presents life saving awards to Sgt. Miller and DNR Warden Gruber. from full-time to part-time, the Public Safety Committee voted to accept the employment status change, and [it] was ultimately approved by the village

board. The Arena Police Department will continue to provide the same professional level of safety and security to the community, but on a part time

“Many factors played into the decision to change status to part time, including low morale,” Stroik explained. “However, ultimately, the decision was made in the best interest of our officers and their families.” Stroik says the low morale is in large part due to the Arena Village Board of Trustees. “As Chief of Police, with two decades of law enforcement experience, it is my responsibility to ensure that our officers are operating within the law, policy, parameters set forth by me as chief as well as the Public Safety Committee, and are able to articulate their decisions to me as well as in reports submitted to the District Attorney’s office,” said Stroik. “The board, bearing zero law enforcement experience, has attempted to challenge the law enforcement decisions made by our department,

continued on page 5

Spring Green named one of the world's 'Best Places to Travel in 2024' Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief Spring Green was listed as one of the “50 Best Places to Travel in 2024”, and called out for the many tourist attractions around that positions the River Valley area as a travel destination. The list was released by Travel Lemming, an online travel guide that works to highlight hidden gems. The listing refers to Spring Green as an unexpected haven for the arts. In its suggested “Things to Do” section, the listing recommends visitors take in a play at American Players Theatre, and visit the “Streets of Yesterday” at the House on the Rock. Taliesin, the Spring Green Preserve and Peck’s Landing were also recommended for visitors.

Julie Jensen, executive director of the Spring Green Area Chamber of Commerce said she was contacted by Travel Lemming earlier this year to share information about the area, after a travel guide writer had nominated Spring Green. “Spring Green is a destination. We are extremely proud of what we have built here and love to share our piece of heaven with anyone that visits,” said Jensen. From American Players Theatre to the House on the Rock to Taliesin, we have something for everyone. Don’t forget our local businesses, without them we would not be a thriving community! Each are unique in their own way and oﬀer an experience to the shopper. Don’t be afraid to start a

conversation, we are very eager to share our ‘home’ with you! Spring Green is a community in every sense of the word and we hope more people will come to visit.” Jensen said the article is exciting for the area and hopes it will invigorate small businesses and lodging accommodations in the area. This year's theme for the listing is “slow travel”, after last year's theme was “revenge travel” as the world was fully reopened from pandemic restrictions. Travel Lemming believes 2024 will be an appropriate time to slow traveling down, in hopes to promote avoiding over tourism and environmental impacts of fast travel. “2024 will be the year travelers choose

immersive experiences over itineraries packed to the brim. Our list is ﬁlled with destinations perfect for slower experiential trips,” said Nate Hake, Travel Lemming’s CEO. 2024’s list is a mix of remote destinations as well as some domestic hidden gems. The list includes 15 European locations, seven in Asia, two in South America, 2 in Oceania, 2 in Africa, 5 in North America (not in the United States), and 17 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Spring Green is joined by only one other destination in the Midwest, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. To see the full list of the “50 Best Places to Travel in 2024”, visit: travellemming. com/best-places-to-travel-2024/

Page 2

Commentary/Opinion

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023

OPINION/EDITORIAL

The (not so) Plain and Simple Correspondent: Methuselah Katie Green, Columnist A dog died in Portugal recently that was almost 40 years old in human years, going on 300 in dog years. This is the oldest-lived dog on record. When its human “owners” were questioned about why they thought it had survived so long, they oﬀered a few guesses: it was loved greatly, it never knew a leash but ran freely around the rural area where they were living, it never ate kibble or any other commercial dog food but had its food prepared daily from the fresh vegetables, eggs, and meats the rest of the family ate. At about the same time I heard about the dog, there was a program on the radio about long-lived humans, of which there are reported to be many more these days than in the bad old times before the miracles of modern medicine. A woman was interviewed at age 106 who was hard of hearing but otherwise in remarkably good condition physically and mentally. Her life had not been easy – her husband died quite young, and she had taken to the

On the cover

“Imagine: 50 Best Places to Travel in 2024” (2023) Photo by Taylor Scott, Managing Editor

We were sitting in Arcadia Books shortly after the news broke that Spring Green had made Travel Lemming’s "50 Best Places to Travel in 2024" — Spring Green being the only location representing Wisconsin on the list, and one of only a couple in the Midwest. While ruminating on the news with warm soup that will tragically be unavailable soon, I looked out the window of Arcadia and two things came framed immediately into sight. First, an otherwise nondescript trash bin with its bottom rusting out, and second, a word, planted like a seed in a planter beginning to sprout: imagine. The juxtaposition and irony of the rotting municipal trash bin versus the planter urging us to imagine was not lost on me. In my mind, it asks us to imagine what Spring Green could be. What Spring Green could mean. What visitors from around the world, heeding Travel Lemming’s call, will see and do when they get here and how they’ll occupy their time (especially after 5pm or on weekdays). What rust needs to be shed to make more happen.

It asks us to imagine what Spring Green could be and what Spring Green could do as a greater community if we all cared a bit more, if we all worked together and didn’t limit ourselves. Spring Green punches above its weight class—and imagine what we could be again and anew if we believed that and didn’t let anything hold us back.

Other helpful signs urge us to inspire, enjoy, relax, nurture and more. Pick your planter. All are important. They’ve since recently been replaced for the season with festive concentric circles and I’m ﬁnding my imagination a bit more creative with the change. What about you? Go seek the circles. Have ideas to build our community? Please let us know: editor@valleysentinelnews.com —Taylor Scott, Managing Editor Submit your artwork or photography for cover consideration: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

road with their swing band, dragging young children with her – and she attributed her longevity to the joy of performing music, of getting to do in life pretty much what she wanted to do. At the same time, the report noted that in the US life expectancy was actually falling for the poor. A friend noted that her grandfather lived to be 104, smoked like a chimney, drank to excess, and was a nasty person besides. We agreed that it is very possible that the luck of possessing or inheriting good genes is the source of the fountain of youth. Age is a huge consideration at the moment in looking ahead to elections. Both of the leading candidates to be head of state are senior citizens, and I personally would be happier if both would graciously step aside for younger people with more vigor and fresh insights and maybe even fewer hang-ups tied to feuds and missteps. (Apparently Hell will freeze over before that happens but there are so many criminal indictments against Mr. T. that the courts may relieve us of the spectre of him as a possible candidate.) Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a wishywashy Democrat age 76, announced that he will not run again, because of his age, and somewhat moderate Republican Mitt Romney made the same decision for the same reason. They are seasoned politicians but experience doesn't count for everything by a long shot. The oldsters are not entirely to blame for ineﬀectual government, of

course. Some of the most strident, most unproductive and selﬁsh voices are young in years, utterly lacking wisdom and manners. Gone with the wind is dignity, civility and a wholesome integrity. Our representatives are wading around in such a mess, caught in a vortex that is pulling us all down the drain, unable to

Katie Green cooperate to pass legislation or keep vital programs funded, such as Social Security. You better believe it, in the retirement community where I live, the claws emerge from wrinkled paws when Social Security is tampered with. Resurrecting the old (1939) Hoagy Carmichael song, we might sing a few choruses of “I Get Along Without You Very Well” to those who would rob us of

our paltry payments from the central pot we paid into throughout our working lives. Also remember the basic right of children and their parents to eat, for adequate public school funding, for employment, for safety from gun violence, for women to make their own decisions about reproductive health care, for the right of teachers to teach hard truths, for money to fix roads, railroad tracks and bridges... all the good attainments that I offer up as a prayer in the Church of the Possible so often that I'm sure you're sick of it, but it needs repeating because there are angry competing sermons rejecting even basic humanitarian needs. Scott and Helen Nearing were vivid icons in the 1930s through the '80s. Scott (18871987), born in PA, was a product of the Wharton School of Business and became an economics professor at U of PA, but his increasingly outspoken radical ideas as a socialist pacifist got him fired from there and other schools. Influenced by his mother to appreciate art, culture, and the beauty of nature, he was also guided by reading Tolstoi, Gandhi and the Buddha, among others. He dropped out to lead another back to the land movement in New England, first in Vermont in the '30s and then in Maine, attracting many of us who agreed with his philosophy of simple living and the ethos of growing your own food,

continued on page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, At the Nov. 7th Arena Village Board meeting Sergeant Wyatt Miller and DNR Warden Ben Gruber received thanks for saving the life of a young woman through CPR. The CPR was performed while waiting for the Mazomanie ambulance. Then, moments later, the resignations of Chief Nicholas Stroik and Sergeant Miller as full-time officers came as a shock to all. Chief Stroik has spent 17 years of his life serving Arena. Sergeant Miller has spent 4.5 years in the Village. Both officers live here, pay taxes in the Village, shop in the Village and are extremely visible within the community. Both officers have literally been available 24/7. They have paid out of their own pockets for their training and their police dog training and care. They have sacrificed pay increases in order to purchase equipment needed to perform their duties.

While the Village Board, previously, two years in a row, passed Resolutions to increase pay for the other Village employees before budget work for the next year had even begun, the Police Dept. did not receive increases. The Police Department's consistent adherence to an exact and thoroughly thought out budget process is something the Arena Village Board, under Kate Reimann's tenure, has not done. Since 2019, Arena's Village ﬁnances have been managed with no thought for the future. This change in Police protection could have been avoided if a thought out budget process was utilized. During this year's Finance Committee budget meeting, a committee member's remark, "There is no money" never rang truer. I have a recording of the statement. For a Village Board member to state that Arena is just a stepping stone is also a very uninformed remark. Chief Stroik being

here 17 years and Sergeant Miller's 4.5 years of service throw that statement out the window. I have done a ride along with Chief Stroik, met with both officers, multiple times and discussed what happens in Arena, the surrounding area and the State. I asked questions about how and why they perform their duties. I can say with certainty, current Board members have not. I am pro law enforcement. I fully support two full time officers in Arena. We have a quiet and safer Village and Township, due to the 24/7 service of our officers. With part time service, I predict we will slowly see things change for the worse. To the people who do not support our two officers, I challenge you to contact them and ask them questions. They will respond and I predict you will change your thinking.

Dear Editor, I urge Town of Spring Green residents to attend the annual budget hearing and electors’ meeting on Thursday, Nov. 30. Details on the proposed 2024 town budget will be presented at 6 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., residents will be asked to approve the tax levy, which will determine the town’s tax rate. Additionally, I will be proposing referendum questions for the April 2024 ballot to make changes to the position of town clerk, which I have held since being appointed in 2018 due to a vacancy and have served as an elected clerk since April 2019. Under the existing structure, the position is part-time and must be ﬁlled by a town

resident through election every two years. My term as the elected clerk ends in April, 2025. However, due to career changes and family obligations I plan to resign as town clerk in September, 2024. The town clerk is responsible for cost accounting, payroll, web site management, records management, information technology and cybersecurity, election administration, and all other administrative tasks that are not performed by the elected treasurer. As a side note, while state statutes require no minimum skills to hold public oﬃce, clerks are required to receive election training each year, and are responsible for training election workers.

Over the last few years the workload and skills needed have increased, especially in the areas of technology and elections. I am advocating that the position should be changed to full-time and appointed, which would allow the Town Board to look outside the town, if necessary, for a qualiﬁed candidate. I believe having a robust turnout of residents at electors’ meetings is important for our town’s civic life. I hope to see many of my fellow residents at the Town Hall on Nov. 30.

Dear Editor, In 1934, during the Great Depression, FDR established the “New Social Insurance Program” where workers and employers paid for employee beneﬁts. The government’s role was to administer this program. WWII brought changes to this program. Since that time, many other changes have been made. Each of us have spent our lifetimes paying into this program expecting it would be there in our “Golden-Years.”

Social Security has become a necessity. We who paid into it rely on it. The welloff Social Security denying Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, disagrees.! He says: “the Bible is his guide”. Yet he ignores: “love thy neighbor…,” “If you have two coats…,” “care for the widow and children,” “It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven…,” and so many more. Despite this, he wants to drastically cut Social Security benefits. Benefits, “We the

people,” have spent our lifetime paying into. We each need to shed our outdated political allegiances. We need to consider what it is we truly need and vote for the individual who will best deliver for us. One who will protect our basic needs. One who best represents our ideals and goals.

Paul Pustina Arena, Wisconsin

Vicki Terpstra Clerk Town of Spring Green, Wisconsin

Lee D. Van Landuyt Hillsboro, Wisconsin

Commentary/OpInIon

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023 Page 3

OPINION/EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL

It’s a matter of health and safety now—It’s time to take Arena’s issues seriously “No records were requested so no answer is given” is an entirely inappropriate and inadequate response by Village of Arena President Kate Reimann to “what would you say to village residents that are concerned this [police] decision [to go part-time] will lead to increased response times for emergencies?” Questions like these are usually softball questions from newspapers, but can be quite useful to residents. It’s akin to: “residents are confused and concerned. Elected oﬃcial, how can you reassure them? What should they know?” On Nov. 7 the Village of Arena Police Department announced they will now serve the village part-time, citing “low morale” due mostly to the village board. From water to referendums, from EMS to gas lines, from public records to open meetings, from shifting timelines and broken promises to increasing taxes— the Village of Arena has problems. Residents now need to decide how much is too much. Without guidance or reassurance from the village president that this decision won’t aﬀect public health and safety, how much is too much? When is the line crossed? Will it take a life expired that would have otherwise been saved? One of our community members being interred on Saturday rather than being served at the VFW Steak Feed? For some, the immediate concern is cost and whether or not they can

continue to have a roof over their heads and afford to live in a village that has seen increasing taxes year after year and decreasing services year after year. Questions remain unanswered as to if the village will end up paying more out of pocket reimbursing the county and other agencies for services rendered that would have otherwise been provided inhouse. There are some that would argue the size of the Village of Arena warrants strictly a contract with the county for public safety (à la Mazomanie). But we need to remember that Iowa County and Dane County are very different, all rural areas in Wisconsin right now are facing unique challenges and that changes shouldn’t be made on a whim hoping costs will go down and service will go up. The bigger question needs to be: why? Why has the village seen unprecedented turnover in the past several years? Why are village employees in effect saying they can’t work with the conditions the board and its president have created? Village President Kate Reimann is well into her third term now, and served as trustee before that. There is no acceptable honeymoon period remaining. There’s no excuse any longer for refusing to learn from mistakes. If residents have paid attention to the Village at all, then they're aware the mistakes keep piling up—with no resolution in sight. Despite any critiques that may exist and the obvious crutch they provide(d),

former clerk Lisa Kopic and current clerk DeNean Naeger have done a valiant job in many ways attempting to keep the ship aﬂoat and upright. But the rudder is very nearly irreparably broken with the current administration at the helm. A vain attempt to prove yourself able to helm the ship's wheel isn’t a good enough white whale when both your actions and inactions threaten to take down the ship and its residents with it. Before this news publication existed, Reimann told a member of its editorial board that her sole purpose for staying in the position of village president was to prove that she could do the job. It is not clear, and has never been clear, to this editorial board that Reimann can adequately do the job of village president. Our concerns extend to much of the board as well. It’s sobering when the police chief himself says the board doesn’t respect public safety and states he observed board members snickering and smiling while presenting the decision to move the department to part time. It speaks to a larger culture on the board that suggests an appropriate solution more akin to mass resignation than being voted out in disgrace over the next election or two. If anyone is paying attention, one of the two will happen. Health and safety are at stake, lives are at stake—Arena residents can’t wait for change over multiple election cycles, as it’s likely some residents won’t live long enough to see the inside of a poll booth

again if the next time they call 911 the wait is longer than it was before. Make no mistake, this will aﬀect the Town of Arena as well. The Village of Arena police department has an automatic aid agreement with the county, so if someone is on duty, there is no hesitation in response to the townships near the Village of Arena. Town of Arena residents should be concerned about their emergency services and should consider attending both Village and Town meetings as well as joint-Fire and EMS meetings to ask questions about what exactly is going on. Village of Arena residents should do the same. Just as importantly, residents need to seriously consider whether they still have conﬁdence in their village president and much of their board. Turnover rates have not slowed down and when the police department says “enough” we need to interpret that as notice that the village president and the village board have been in need of a performance improvement plan for a while. But only the residents can decide how long it is before they start issuing pink slips. It may be time for residents to start familiarizing themselves with Wis. Stat. § 17.13, especially sub (3) as much as the polling booth. The next village board meeting is Dec. 5, village board candidacy declarations and signatures are due less than a month later.

(Not) Public Education — 'With love and in grief' Beverly Pestel, Columnist I can’t concentrate on the Public Education series; it will have to wait for the next issue of this paper. I ﬁnd that I can’t set aside the current anguish besetting the Middle East and I feel the need to express some of that before I can ever hope to let some of it go. Readers of this paper were allowed to see into the heart of a sorrowful, sensitive, and compassionate soul in the last issue. Hannah Feller wrote to us “kindled by the love of community and the Palestinian people.” It was impossible for me not to feel her pain and her “abiding fear” that writing what she did might “bring me further away from my community.” As I have told readers before, my background is evangelical Baptist. My

ﬁrst year after high school, I attended a Bible School where I earned an A+ in Old Testament History. It was no diﬃcult feat for me since I had grown up with the Bible stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, King David, and the numerous major and minor Prophets highlighted in all those small books near the end of the Old Testament. Some of those stories are inspiring, some are stories of unimaginable horror: horrors endured by those who wrote the books and horrors committed by those who wrote those books. After World War I, the League of Nations put Palestine under the administration of the British who announced its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” which at that time had

a small minority Jewish population. The My point is that the Middle East has been a British ended up overseeing a succession battleﬁeld for millennia. History is too clear of protests and revolts between the Jewish on this to declare either side more culpable and Arab communities for the next 30 than the other. Fundamental humanity years. In 1947, the United Nations passed is too essential to our world to exonerate UN Resolution 181 that partitioned the either side. To excuse the excesses of historic land of Palestine into a Jewish and one group while ignoring the excesses of Arab state. This plan was rejected by the another is unconscionable. To side with one Arab states and Palestinian Arabs. In 1948 side who is more like us in preference to the British left and a consortium of Jewish another side who is less like us is to reduce organizations proclaimed the establishment the issue to an absurdity. To attribute the of the State of Israel. The First Arab-Israeli horrors committed by some to the wholeNEWSPAPE BETTER War began almost immediately. The area of the community is more an emotional CONTEST AWAR has never been at peace with the highly response than a rational one. And to think split decision of the global community for a moment that any of us can see this that assumed the authority to divide this W I S C Oissue N S I Nclearly N E W enough S PA P E RtoA form S S O Can IATimmutable I O N F O U N D AT I O N land– 33 votes in favor, 13 against, and 10 continued on page 4 abstentions.

2022

WINNER

2022

BETTER NEWSPAPE Deadlines: The display and classiﬁed advertising deadCONTEST AWAR line is Monday at noon for that week. If you would like our design team to design the ad then please allow extra time for the creative process and prooﬁng. W I S C OAdNteam: S I Nads@valleysentinelnews.com N E W S PA P E R A S S O C IAT I O N F O U N D AT I O N

PO Box 144 Spring Green, Wisconsin 53588 USA (608) 588-6694 editor@valleysentinelnews.com valleysentinelnews.com

WINNER

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS EDITION EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Graphic Design Community Columnist Agriculture Columnist Nicole Aimone Julianna Williams Brian Reisinger Barb Garvoille Managing Editor Democracy, Society & Edu. Columnist Taylor Scott Beverly Pestel Editorial Intern Literary Contributor Legal Editor Community Columnist Alex Prochaska Amanda Thomas Gary Ernest Grass, esq. Katie Green Have graphic design experience or interested in meetings, events or writing and becoming a community contributor? Let us know. Thank you to all of our contributors for believing in our community.

Editorial Policy

On certain topics in areas of great community interest, the editors of the Valley Sentinel may take positions they believe best represent and serve the interests of the community. Any opinions or positions taken by the editorial board are separate and distinct in labeling and substance from the community journalism that appears in the rest of the publication and does not aﬀect the integrity and impartiality of our reporting. .

Est. 2020 igne conﬂatum “Forged in Fire”

Letter to the Editor Policy

Column Policy

2022

AWARD WINNER W I S C O N S I N N E WS PA P E R A S S O C IAT I O N F O U N DAT I O N

Editors may feature opinion columns written by public figures, Letters submitted for consideration are subject to fact-checking and members of the public or other publication staff. Columns reflect editing for space and clarity. Submissions must have a compelling local the opinions of the individual contributors and do not represent community interest. Letters to the editor must fit within a 500-word positions of the publication. Guest columns of an anticipated limit, and include name, city and phone number. Phone numbers are for office use only and will not be published. Letters of a political nature, length more than 500 words should seek prior editor authorization. without chance of rebuttal, will not be published the week before an . election. Full and up-to-date policies available at: www.valleysentinelnews.com Valley Sentinel is an independent, editor-owned, all-volunteer, free bi-weekly news publication, available on newsstands in the area. Covering Arena, Lone Rock, Plain, Spring Green and the surrounding areas in Sauk, Iowa and Richland counties.

Community Discussion Policy

2022

From time to time the editorial board may select letters to the editor of a particular compelling community interest where a public ﬁgure or accountable public action is the recipient of criticism and allow, in the same issue, the subject of the criticism chance for rebuttal, with expounded independent input. The format shall be point, counterpoint and expert analysis. This community discussion shall serve as a moderated dialogue that presents multiple views of important community topics.

AWARD WINNER

W I S C O N S IValley N N E WSSentinel PA P E R A SisS Opublished C IAT I O N in F OSpring U N DAT ION Subscribe Green, Want the paper delivered to your home or business? Wisconsin every other Thursday by Subscribe online at valleysentinelnews.com/subscribe Lower Wisconsin River Valley Sentinel, LLC. or subscribe annually with your name, phone number, ISSN 2694-541X (print) — ISSN 2694-5401 (online) address and $30 sent to: Valley Sentinel, PO Box 144, Spring Green, WI 53588 Member, Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Page 4

Commentary/OpInIon/GOVeRnMent

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023

OPINION/EDITORIAL

(Not) Public Education — 'With love and in grief' continued from page 3

position is to deny our frailty as humans. Two recent experiences have had an impact on me. The first is a post by “The Other 98%” that says, “It’s okay to be heartbroken for more than one group of people at the same time.” The second is a statement by a political candidate when asked to state her position on the conflict: “I think of it from the point of view of a mother.” I have two friends who read early drafts of my columns. Here is the response of one of them to an early draft of this column… "I think of it from the viewpoint as a mother…Religion, natural resources, and empire building are the causes of war. The first is entirely the domain of men, at least in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions as men are indoctrinated, and women are treated as merely livestock…I realize the error of my generalizing, but that is the error we all suffer

when we are forced to consider the stupidity of homo sapiens. I love to see babies and little kids... I especially love the baby laugh. I find it hard to believe that after all the joys and sorrows and the sacrifice parents make to raise their children, a state or nation can consider them to be property they can use as cannon fodder. I think of Russian mothers whose sons were killed by their own officers for not throwing their lives away in suicide waves of attacks against Ukrainian forces. I think of the babies and kids caught up in the slaughter on 7 October. I think of the babies and kids being slaughtered by carpet bombing. I can't imagine any of it, but I think about it. It's only news until it happens to you." Mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters on both sides of this conflict are living in pain

and fear that is not of their making and is beyond their ability to influence in any significant way. Israeli families are living with the memory of loved ones they saw butchered and tortured. Palestinian families are desperately working to pull their loved ones out of collapsed buildings and carrying away their dead children. There is no winwin here for the innocent bystanders in this conflict, it is only lose-lose. The Rules of War are little more than an oxymoron. Hannah reminded us “Your humanity resides within you and is asking you to use the skills you already possess to pull through…look inside yourself and take the action that aligns with your roles...How can you embrace the world when it needs you most?” I am at a loss in knowing how to embrace this world. I am caught in the unsolvable current dilemma where one group has been oppressed and endured indefensible attacks for 75 years by another group that was dispossessed from a homeland for centuries

and endured attempted annihilation. I fervently hope that wiser souls can find the answer that has evaded us for so long. Thank you, Hannah. You have made me think more deeply and reflectively. I can honestly repeat your call to, “pray that we can admit what we have done to one another, what we are currently doing to one another with our money and power and blindness so that we can finally know who we are and where we are headed.” I hope I have not misused your words in framing this response and I am proud to be a part of your community. With love and appreciation, Bev Beverly is a retired professor. She lives in a remodeled farmhouse and tends 40 acres of woodland in Richland County. When not in the woods she spends her time reading, writing and enjoying the beauty of the Driftless Area. Beverly may be contacted at bpestel@msn.com.

The (not so) Plain and Simple Correspondent: Methuselah continued from page 2

making your own clothing, and providing your own art and entertainment. (Earlier Thoreau and Emerson advocated it, too.) The idea of longevity for its own sake Nearing repudiated. Feeling his powers diminish as he reached 100 years of age, Scott engineered his own death by ceasing to eat or drink. He died at their farm, true to his beliefs to the end. Critics like to point out that his was an elitist lifestyle, since he had the money to purchase property, not universally true for those who would have

liked to share in his way of life. The book Creating A World That Works For All, by psychologist and attorney Sharif Abdullah, has an introductory essay by Vaclav Havel, the late Pres. of Czechoslovakia, poet, playwrite, and resistance ﬁghter in the period when his country was occupied by the USSR. In the essay Havel wonders how we can stop our rush toward continued violence towards each other and the planet. He wrote, “We must develop a new understanding of the true purpose of our existence on earth...

WE'RE LOOKING FOR INTERNS AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY Looking for a challenge? We are looking for interns/volunteers who want to be in the unique position to learn the nuts and bolts of a news media publication that started from the ground up. You will have the chance to make an impact at the ground level of a startup and see the effect of your work and ideas carried out with a lot of flexibility, in an environment and creative culture you can help influence and create.

Available subject areas: EDITORIAL/JOURNALISM SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING/MARKETING

GRAPHIC DESIGN/PAGE DESIGN/LAYOUT DISTRIBUTION/CIRCULATION/CRM MNGMT PODCASTING/AUDIO PRODUCTION

AND MORE!

We are a new, all volunteer local news source that holds a strong belief that by working to keep our communities informed and engaged on a variety of topics including arts & culture, events, community news and serving as a watchdog for our local governmental bodies, we can help create a strong identity for our community and ignite positive growth and change throughout the area. Interested? Send us your area(s) of interest and a resume to: editor@valleysentinelnews.com Internship will be unpaid, interns will be required to sign a FSLA-compliant internship agreement. If credit is available from intern’s educational institution for participation in an internship, we are glad to work with you to meet any requirements for receiving credit.

(OUR EDITOR IS GETTING TIRED OF LAYING OUT THE PAGES AND SAYS ITS NOT IN HIS JOB DESCRIPTION)

Want to help build community? Know a college student that’s looking for a summer or fall internship for academic credit or to gain experience? Already attending village board or school board meetings and want to record or report on them? Want to engage with arts & culture, ag, businesses and other topics important to our community? Want to take scenic walks or drives delivering papers to subscribers and businesses? We have so many ideas to grow and do more for our community, but we need help, we CAN’T do it alone. If you want to be a part of something bigger please email us and let us know what your interests are: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Areas in most need: -Graphic design (publication layout, visual story design, infographics) -Sports reporting -Municipal meeting recorders/reporters -School board reporters -Social media posting/creation -E-newsletter -Website posting -Agriculture reporter/columnist (current events)

We have the infrastructure set up for most of these areas, we're just in need of manpower from passionate community members.

There are so many more things we want to do and are always up for new ideas. This is YOUR paper, we are what the community makes us.

WE TRULY CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU AND THE SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU!

Perhaps the real issue is a crisis of respect for the moral order extended to us from above, or simply a crisis of respect for any kind of authority higher than our own earthy being with its material and ephemeral interests.” He thinks we've “lost the certainty that our lives are works of creation that have a meaning and purpose.” By this yardstick, the length of a life is less important than how it is lived. Whom will you serve? A question as old as humans themselves. The wrangling at all levels of government

over budgets concerning those “ephemeral interests” largely centered on personal concerns, gives us much food for thought about what our true purpose is during the remainder of our own allotted days. Katie, who until recently lived in Plain, has been writing for fun and proﬁt since childhood. Self-described as opinionated, she writes in the interests of a more loving, better-functioning world for all. She may be reached at katiewgreen@ icloud.com.

BUSINESS INSIDER MARKETING | ADVERTISING | PARTNERSHIP CONTENT

UPCOMING SPECIAL SECTIONS/EDITORIAL NOTES: November 30: Local Holiday Gift Guide NEEDS A SPONSOR TO BE ABLE TO RUN TO DONATE SPACE TO LOCAL BUSINESSES Our annual catalog style local gift guide. First listing FREE to all area businesses, additional listings only $15 each. Each listing needs a picture of item, a short description, a price and your businesses' address and/or URL/contact information. Gift cards and similar are acceptable. Email for details. Will run during Spring Green Country Christmas. Regular ads available as well. Ad reservations due EOD November 22. Listing information due EOD November 22. Ad copy due EOD November 27. OPPORTUNITIES IN ALL SPECIAL SECTIONS Presenting Sponsor of the section — $400 (1 available each special section) A presenting sponsorship grants your logo and business name on the section itself. A sponsorship also includes a banner ad to be run within the section. Sponsor will also receive half off any sponsored article content within the special section. Supporting Sponsor — Supporting sponsorships of special sections may be available at $200 for all benefits above, excluding banner (limited availability), but including 50% off ads in the section. Presenting and supporting sponsors are included on any promotional materials and spots are limited, so reserve spots ASAP. Featured Business/Sponsored Articles — $200 for 1/2 page promotional article with 1-2 pictures ($100 if sponsor for the section). Editorial freedom to decide what is featured - Limited availability. Runs online as well. All special sections subject to change and participation. The more support and engagement we get, the more we can offer the community together. — Advertising Spots — $400 full page, $200 half page, $100 quarter page, $50 eighth page, $25 sixteenth page – Limited availability. Inquire about sponsorships, partner content and online and social ad opportunities. More information: valleysentinelnews.com/advertising-businesses or email: editor@valleysentinelnews.com or see our latest Business Insider newsletter for more upcoming special sections at: eepurl.com/iBVSyM

Community/GOVeRnMent

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023 Page 5

Citing ‘low morale’ due to village board Arena PD moves to part-time immediately after Arena police officer, DNR warden receive Life Saving Awards continued from page 1 including questioning our department’s response to mutual aid requests by other agencies, and our response to EMS, fire, and crash calls.” In addition to professional disagreements, Stroik expressed police officers and other public employees feel they are not appreciated or respected by the board: “Hearing board members make statements such as: ‘Arena is a stepping stone,’ ‘If employees want health benefits they can go somewhere else,’ ‘We don’t need police, nothing happens in Arena’ and board members refusing to meet with the police department to address concerns or answer questions led me to believe that the board was not in support of not only the police department but employees in general, noting our public works superintendent recently left as well. Watching board members smile and laugh during our announcement to change employment status confirmed our decision was appropriate.” “This wasn't a stepping stone for any of us,” Stroik said. “I’ve been here for 17 years.” Considering the future of the department, Stroik thinks much has to change for things to get better. “Unfortunately, without change, finding qualified officers to work fulltime may prove to be a challenge. As Chief, I earn a salary of $50k/yr and although we are on the Wisconsin Retirement System, the village does not currently offer health insurance. I believe if members of the board stop thinking of Arena as a ‘stepping stone,’ growth is possible and qualified long-term employees will follow. The decision to remain part time was to keep law enforcement present in Arena, even if on a part time basis. Our officers do care about our community and will continue to do our best to provide peace of mind to the residents.” Stroik acknowledges the negative effect the status change could have on Arena residents and emphasized the

police schedule is not set in stone. “Residents will not see the law enforcement presence they are used to, and response times will be increased when our department is not on duty,” he said. “With full-time staffing, our officers worked 80+ hours a week. Transitioning to part-time, these hours will obviously decrease. However, as this decision is still new, a schedule has not yet been put in place and hours have not yet been determined.” “Ultimately, [emergency response times will be affected by the decision]. However, being residents ourselves allowed us to respond to emergency calls when not on duty, and when available we may continue to do so.” Stroik also emphasized the Arena Police Department still cares about and wants to serve their community. “Our officers are still committed to the safety and security of the residents. We will continue to promote a safe environment for our residents, visitors and traveling commuters and will continue to work with our neighboring agencies to ensure this.” When asked if the resignations will affect the police department or village budgets, Stroik said: “Members of the village board have made several requests that our agency begin billing other communities when we assist their law enforcement agencies, so to start seeing other agencies begin to bill Arena for responding into our community may be a repercussion of that decision. And with neighboring agencies being significantly higher on the pay scale, that decision may affect the budget in the long run.” Arena Village Board members at the meeting were surprised and confused by the resignations. “I feel devastated. I have a lot of worries about our community going forward,” said Village of Arena President Kate Reimann, at the meeting before praising Stroik and Miller. Reimann told those present at the meeting that she remembers what Arena was like prior to current law

enforcement in the community: “I lived across the street from a drug house for a while. And this was back in like '99, 2000. My children have memories of that.” Even though the board was caught unaware by the announcement, it ultimately passed a motion to accept the Public Safety Committee’s recommendation that Stroik and Miller go from salaried full-time to hourly part-time. “We have no choice [but to vote yea],” Reimann said. Stroik said he and Miller will remain living in Arena and continue working on their current open investigations. Brittany Carney, a trustee on the board, raised concern that after Stroik and Miller wrapped up their investigations, the men would leave Arena for good. Stroik said if he and Miller decided to leave in the future, they would “advise [their] committee of that, then we can visit that at a later date.” Reimann refused to answer questions posed by Valley Sentinel by email for the story, including: “What does this decision mean for area residents?” and “What would you say to village residents that are concerned this decision will lead to increased response times for emergencies?” Reimann instead simply stated, “No records were requested so no answer is given. A record does not need to be created to ﬁll a request.” She then proceeded to give the statutory deﬁnition of “record” and refused the opportunity to reassure residents.

Rescue

At the Nov. 7 board meeting Miller and Gruber were given Life Saving Awards by Stroik for responding to an emergency call made Oct. 11 at 6:55 p.m. Miller arrived on scene with an automated external deﬁbrillator about two minutes after the emergency call was made and began CPR. Gruber happened to be in the area and volunteered his services, arriving about ﬁve minutes after the call. The men took

turns performing CPR while waiting for mutual aid. Arena EMS had a gap in staffing and were unable to man an ambulance from 6-11 p.m. on Oct. 11, so an ambulance from Mazomanie EMS was assigned and arrived at 7:12 p.m., approximately 17 minutes after the original emergency call. Victoria Bakken, an Arena EMT, arrived at the same time as Mazomanie EMS. As a direct result of Miller and Gruber’s actions, the woman who had the medical emergency survived, and her family was present at the Life Saving Awards ceremony during the board meeting. “It was the worst day of my life. My wife quit breathing,” Joe Wilkinson said, recalling the night of the emergency. “I started CPR and I hollered at my granddaughter to call 911, to get the ambulance here. And then Ben [Gruber] came to the door, and all he said was: Joe, I got this.” The Wilkinsons have known Gruber since childhood. Joe was Gruber’s baseball coach, and Joe’s daughters went to school with Gruber’s brother Kevin. “Life comes full circle sometimes,” said Crystal, Joe’s daughter. Joe explained that his wife passed away multiple times in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. “It's been a struggle, but every day she's getting a little bit stronger,” Joe said. “We know there's a limited time involved because of her heart damage, which was rather significant. But it's getting to the point where it's enjoyable every day because we can interact with her yet, and without what Ben and Wyatt did, that wouldn't be possible.” Joe said the night the Life Saving Awards were given, his wife “actually spoke today. For the first time in a month.” “[Miller and Gruber are] always going to be angels in my book,” Joe said. The family had nothing but thanks and gratitude for the two men. Gruber said the award was humbling and that he is appreciative of everyone

continued on page 7

The Paper Crane (102 E Jefferson Street, Spring Green) recently announced that their specific cafe and coffeeshop will not be returning after Arcadia Books undergoes rennovations from January through March 2024. Have major updates to your business? Moving? Opening? Re-opening? Offering something you don’t normally offer during your regular course of business or having a pop-up? Please submit your updates for consideration as we try to flesh out what this will look like and how to best drive engagement for our business community: editor@valleysentinelnews.com Remember, marketing is an important part of any event and business budget. These updates don’t replace advertising, but we’re happy to offer them as a business community service.

Business/Professional

Directory k or W d ty ure es i l ua Ins at •Q lly stim •Fu e E e •Fr

J J and

Total Lawn Care M-F and

Snow Removal

Sat

8a 8a m-5p mno m on

James Harwood •608-588-2453• E4792 Kennedy Rd.

Reserve a spot in our business/professional directory! Add $30 to any ad order or $60 as a stand-alone order and you’ll be added to the next edition’s premium placement business/professional directory.

•Natural double shredded oak bark mulch •Colored decorative mulch Red-Brown-GoldOrange •Other landscape supplies available! Gravel-Boulders-Screened Topsoil-Sand, etc.

We offer complete landscape and lawn care service •Full Landscaping from start to finish We •Lawn Mowing ’r on e yo •Plantings e s ur sho top •Grading & Seedings p! •Bark Spreading •Limestone & Boulder Retaining Walls

Bigger than business card sized, full color, updated annually or for a ﬂat $25 design fee. Perfect for top-of-mind awareness, runs under an attention-grabbing header. Want to run it every edition at a discounted rate? $750 for 6 months, $1000 for 1 year (36% discount)

Page 6

Community

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023

COmmunitycalendar

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

Events for November 16 - November 30 Thursday, November 16 Late Fall Yoga 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a fluid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Build your own series for $17/class (five or more) or $20 per single drop-in. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online. Storytime 10:30 AM . Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock . lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com . Join us every Thursday for storytime! Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome. Family Fun Night! 5:00 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Join us for Family Fun Nights at the Library! Each month we will have a fun themed activity for families to drop in to do. Join us for pizza and a movie! Sign up at the front desk or call 608-546-4201 to sign up. Kids under 6 must be with an adult. Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Saturday, November 18 Spring Green Winter Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM . Spring Green Library, S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held inside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning. St. Patrick's, Loreto Harvest Supper 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM . St. Patricks, Loreto, Halfway between Plain & Loganville, take highway GG off highway 23 . stlukecatholicchurchplain.com . Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings! Served buffet style or drive through! Meal includes Turkey, Dressing, Gravy, Potatoes, Squash, Corn, Cranberries, Dinner Roll, and Dessert. Adults: $17.00. Children5-12: $7.00. 4 & Under: Free. Drive Through $17.00. Raffle tickets available. Prizes 1st: handmade quilt, 2nd: $500, 3rd: $250, 4th: $250, 5th: $100. Drawing at 7:00pm. You do not need to be present to win. WORKSHOP: Chef’s Tasting Menu 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM . Elderflower Retreat 6511 Hillside School Road, Spring Green . savortherivervalley.org . Join Chef Kyle Kiepert for a delicious Chef's Tasting Dinner Menu at the newly operating Elderflower Retreat at Hillside Pastures where he'll feature perennial ingredients and local delights. Experience this intimate cooking demonstration with composed "bites" followed by a family-style dinner. This workshop cannot accommodate any dietary restrictions aside from vegetarians. Bring your own beverage. Shop at Convivio for Mary's curated wines to pair with this meal. Shop at Wander Provisions for Kyle's curated non-alcoholic beverages to pair with this meal. $65 per participant. Register online. LIVE MUSIC: Drew Peterson // Kelley Smith 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . $15 in advance, $20 at the door . Drew Peterson has built a unique brand that transcends the genre. With clever, dry humor and thought-provoking lyrics, Peterson’s music offers the world upbeat tunes with a soft- spoken gravitas that belies his years. Minnesota Folk musician Kelley Smith is a guitar picker with an old-timey voice. Her first record, Moon Child, comes across as a mid-life coming-of-age story. As an insomniac, Smith wrote this first batch of songs by moonlight. They evoke a sense of belonging, juxtaposed with escapism, as she croons about long-term love, grief, and her draw to the night sky.

Sunday, November 19 Late Fall Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM . Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a fluid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Build your own series for $17/class (five or more) or $20 per single drop-in. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online. Euchre 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . Join us every Sunday for Euchre!

Monday, November 20 A Night of Words 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jeﬀerson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . An open mic. Friends sharing words. Watch. Listen. Speak. Share. Maybe you have a favorite poem, or passage from a book you’d like to share. Or maybe you write your own and are ready to share it with the rest of us. Maybe you just want to tell a story. Or maybe you just want to listen. It’s all good. Let’s hang out and share words together. Poetry. Stories. Original work and old favorites. This and that. A Night of Words.

Tuesday, November 21 Winter Afternoon Family Storytime 4:30 PM- 5:15 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Join us for Winter Afternoon Family Storytime! Storytimes include stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity. Aimed at kids 0-5 but, all are welcome. Late Fall Yoga 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a ﬂuid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your ﬁnancial situation. Register online.

Wednesday, November 22 Bingo 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . A cozy restaurant where you are welcome to have a drink. Join us every Wednesday for Bingo!

Thursday, November 23 13th Annual Plain Pilgrimage 6:00 AM . Plain Municipal Park . For more info look up Plain Pilgrimage on Facebook . To be Thankful for our health and to help someone in need, join us for a 5.5K Walk/Run is an out and back route, 10.5K Run is a loop run. Both run/walk routes start and stop at the Plain Municipal Park Shelter. Finishers will receive a "guilt-free" Thanksgiving Day meal (you provide your own food later that day) No Shirt, no medals, no Internet posted times. Registration not reqiured. Please plan to bring a donation for the Spring Green Food Pantry. Check or Cash will be accepted. Just show up on time and run with us! Bring your own water! This years event will be hosted by Brewhaha coffee. They will be providing coffee to participants after the race. Bring your own to go cup. Late Fall Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM . Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a fluid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Build your own series for $17/class (five or more) or $20 per single drop-in Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online. Storytime 10:30 AM . Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock . lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com . Join us every Thursday for storytime! Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome. Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Friday, November 24 Karaoke 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jeﬀerson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Join us the fourth Friday of every month for a night of Karaoke at Slowpoke. Janna Johnson hosts this night for the community to come together in song. Take a chance and come up on stage, or just cheer on your friends. We’ll get star ted around 8:00, and go until last call. That could be as early as 10:00 or as late as 2:00am. It all depends on you! No cover, but tips for our host are always welcome.

Saturday, November 25 Spring Green Winter Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM . Spring Green Library, S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market oﬀering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held inside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning. No Rules Jewelry Pop Up Shop 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green . For more info, look up No Rules Jewelry or Spring Green General Store on Facebook . Join Wayne and Maya from No Rules Jewelry for this 2 day pop up. They will be bringing their one of a kind handmade jewelry for you to do some holiday gift shopping- for yourself, or a loved one. Christkindlmarkt 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM . Plain . For more info, look up Christkindlmarkt in Plain on Facebook . Visit and support our local businesses for small business saturday! From 3-7 at the Library: visit Santa Claus, cookie/candy walk, children's craft workshop. From 3-7 at the Peoples Community Bank Staging Area: Horse drawn carriage rides. River Valley Community Choir: members of the choir will provide live caroling between 5-6. "Ho ho" happy hour: Grab a little christmas cheer at Dave's on Main, Ring's Bar and Sam's Place. From 3-7 at Old Franklin Township Historical Society Building: Gingerbread house competition! Vote for your favorite gingerbread house!

Sunday, November 26 Late Fall Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM . Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a fluid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Build your own series for $17/class (five or more) or $20 per single drop-in. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online. No Rules Jewelry Pop Up Shop 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green . For more info, look up No Rules Jewelry or Spring Green General Store on Facebook . Join Wayne and Maya from No Rules Jewelry for this 2 day pop up. They will be bringing their one of a kind handmade jewelry for you to do some holiday gift shopping- for yourself, or a loved one. Euchre 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . Join us every Sunday for Euchre!

Monday, November 27 Open Mic 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jeﬀerson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Join us the fourth Monday of every month for an Open Mic, hosted by Dylan Harris. We’ve got the mics, the plug-ins, the piano - you bring the music! Whether you want to play solo, sing to a back up, or get the band together, this is the place. So come on out and show your stuﬀ, or just support the folks on stage. Either way, we’re making music together! No cover, but tips are always welcome!

Tuesday, November 28 Movies, Munchies and More — The Tender Bar 1:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Come to the library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, a movie. Movie Synopsis: The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy's determined mother (Lily Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her -- and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) -- J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams -- with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie's bar. The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer. (R, 1h 46m, 2021).

very V

Community/GOVeRnMent

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023

Events for November 16 - November 30

Citing ‘low morale’ due to village board Arena PD moves to part-time

Tuesday, November 28 cont. Winter Afternoon Family Storytime 4:30 PM- 5:15 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Join us for Winter Afternoon Family Storytime! Storytimes include stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity. Aimed at kids 0-5 but, all are welcome. Late Fall Yoga 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a fluid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Build your own series for $17/class (five or more) or $20 per single drop-in. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online.

Wednesday, November 29 All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM . Spring Green Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Bring the whole family to the library for a morning of song, stories, movement, and fun! Book Discussion at the Library 2:00 PM . Spring Green Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Every Fourth Wednesday at 2pm, join us for a cup of coffee, snack, and a chat about this month's selection. The book is available at the Library a month before the discussion. For November, we will be reading: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman. Synopsis: For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man. Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk. Teen Time: Teen Craft Night 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.org . Still stuffed from Thanksgiving? Come share your favorite food by creating it in paper maché! Bingo 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . A cozy restaurant where you are welcome to have a drink. Join us every Wednesday for Bingo!

Thursday, November 30 Late Fall Yoga 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . Embrace the a fluid transition to fall. Move mindfully, breathe fully, rest deeply, and nourish your body and mind with group yoga. Classes are all-levels and will be adapted for the individuals that attend regularly. Drop-ins are welcome. Build your own series for $17/class (five or more) or $20 per single drop-in. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online. Storytime 10:30 AM . Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock . lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com . Join us every Thursday for storytime! Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome. Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm. LIVE MUSIC: Jason and the Jazzerknots 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door . Jason and the Jazzerknots formed to play original jazz compositions that appeal to listeners of all stripes. Their sound is grounded in the great tradition of jazz rhythm sections, from the Big Band Era to the present, and topped with Jason Goessl’s unique, horn-like approach to the guitar. Their debut album “The Shakedown” showcases the range of the Jazzerknots appeal and skill, featuring all original compositions by Jason Goessl that vary from the pensive and evocative to the joyous and swinging.

WHAT’S HANGINg ? ongoing art exhibitions

Spring Green Community Library Art Exhibitions . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E Monroe St, Spring Green . Monday-Thursday: 10 AM - 7 PM . Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM . Saturday: 9 AM - 1 PM . Sue Quale is exhibiting her pottery in the Glass Case Gallery. She tells about herself, "The ﬁrst successful piece of pottery I made was in 1974 when I was in eighth grade, and that means I have had a connection with clay for 50 years." The pots that she is making during this phase of her life are functional stoneware mugs, covered jars, vases and bowls. The display at the library is a retrospective of Quale's clay works of ﬁfty years. Her art is available for viewing during regular library hours.

"Local Color" is exhibiting in the Community Room Gallery. This group of local painters includes Ellen DuPuy, Yvonne Notbohm, Paula Schiller, Barbara Morford and Pat Scoﬁeld. They have been painting together for about twelve years. All are watercolors except for Schiller who uses oil paints. Local Color's work can be viewed at anytime during regular library hours when the Community Room is not already in use. Please ask for the room key at the circulation desk.

continued from page 5

who showed up to honor the family and the ﬁrst responders. He emphasized the role Miller played in the rescue. “None of this happens without Sgt. Miller and him having the equipment and the AED available. I was happy to help. But that equipment that he had and I didn't is what made all the diﬀerence in the world,” Gruber said.

Arena EMS Scheduling Gap

Tyler Tisdale, service director of Arena EMS, said Arena EMS was unable to send its own ambulance in response to the emergency: “You have to have two EMTs to make a legal [ambulance] crew and we only had one at the time.” “We've been out of service a couple times,” said Tisdale, “but it's just because of random scheduling. And that Wednesday night [of Oct 11.], I had a meeting, and the other full-time [EMT] has another part-time job, and it was just a gap of four hours that could not be covered.” Arena EMS has three full-time EMTs and eight volunteers. Tisdale said the Oct. 11 emergency was the first time since 2020—when full-time EMS staff were hired—that Arena EMS got an emergency call when out of service. He said Arena has gotten mutual aid from a neighboring community’s ambulance about five times from the beginning of the year through Nov. 1—and in these five instances, Tisdale said, mutual aid was needed because Arena EMS’s ambulance was out on another call, not because Arena EMS lacked a legal ambulance crew. Similarly, Tisdale said Arena EMS has provided mutual aid to Spring Green “three or four times this year” and to Mazomanie “at least five times.” According to Tisdale, Arena EMS’ woes aren’t immediate EMS equipment needs like some other agencies. “Our difficulties are just our low numbers of staff and volunteering,” Tisdale said. “Nobody wants to volunteer like they used to.” He, in addition to working full-time for Arena EMS, volunteers for the Soldier’s Grove and Cazenovia EMS programs. While some people have reached out to him in the past about volunteering, many change their minds before committing, said Tisdale. Most Arena EMS volunteers are at least 40, he said, and it is rare for people to volunteer right out of high school. The youngest volunteer is 21, and their dad is with the Arena Fire Department—it is usually the case that young people who volunteer already have family involved in rescue services, Tisdale said. When asked how Arena EMS could improve its service, Stroik suggested:

Page 7

“With three full-time EMT’s on staff, and limited volunteers, scheduling around the volunteer availability could possibly improve operations. ie; scheduling full-time EMT’s on night shifts when volunteer availability is limited.” “However,” Stroik said, “becoming an EMR or EMT is very time consuming, as is volunteering with a department. Providing a CPR/First Aid class in communities could be a great step to greatly improving outcomes of emergencies, allowing residents to begin life saving measures prior to EMS arrival.” Like Stroik, Tisdale had his own criticisms of local Arena politics. “[The Village] had a referendum to fund public safety, and it was to fund a third EMT,” Tisdale said. “It would have been last year’s November election the village did. It passed by one [vote], it was like 289-288. And then it came out. Supposedly, something was written wrong in it. And then the State Department of Revenue said it couldn’t be used. And then it could be used. And then all of a sudden, we didn’t have funding for the third EMT.” “So now, what helps pay for the third EMT? It comes out of our truck replacement fund. Yes, sir,” said Tisdale. “The Village kind of skimps on paying, they don’t think they should have to pay for full-time staffing.” “It’s frustrating,” Tisdale said. “The fire department does have a fire truck from 1996 that should have been replaced in 2020 but there’s no money for it, nobody can find it, they just sit there—but they can have all these road projects and at a village board meeting it was said: ‘Oh, we’ll find the money for that.’ So they can redo all this infrastructure but the village doesn’t care if an ambulance gets out the door or not, they don’t want to pay their part of it.” Tisdale suggested that anybody interested in helping area EMS receive EMR or EMT training, directing those interested to Mazomanie EMS’ recent post on Facebook: “Ok future EMTs, it's official. Start date for the EMT 1 class in Mazomanie is January 15 and the end date is April 11. After completing this course you can test to be an EMR, otherwise known as an Emergency Medical Responder. After summer break the EMT 2 class will then be held in fall, also at Mazomanie. After this class you can test to be an EMT and help your community. Class number is 20240118. Please take a look at the Southwest Tech website and enroll using this number. Any questions please email bblanke@districtoneems. org or call 607-795-9860.”

TRI-STATE DIALYSIS - RICHLAND CENTER Accepting new patients for kidney care and dialysis services!

CIVICS & SERVICES

CALENDAR

This calendar is a place listing (for free) the typical meeting dates for area governmental bodies, Please email us with these meetings, or use the form on our Community Calendar page — and let's build community together: editor@valleysentinelnews.com November 28: MEETING: Plain Library Board Meeting 6:30 PM . 510 Main Street, Plain . villageofplain.com

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

John Whalen, MD | David Ringold, MD | Andrew Bland, MD | Connie Kramer, ARNP (608) 383-7020

109 N. Orange Street, Richland Center, WI 53581

@grandrivermedicalgroup

www.grmg.health

“The good stuﬀ.”

Page 8

Community/arts & cULtUre

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023

What is Lexington & Jeﬀerson? Some time ago, we announced the soft launch of a semi-regular to regular literary section we've been inspired by other literary compilations to call Lexington & Jeﬀerson. As the pivotal intersection of our community, we envision this as a place that celebrates the cross-section of arts in our greater community. We envision it as a place of curated and submitted prose, poetry and more that showcase the talents of our community.

Each edition we receive submissions of artwork, poetry, prose and other musings that we have trouble placing in the paper on their own and often have to simply hold or regrettably turn down. We hope this becomes a welcome place for them. This space will grow and change, as all things do, and we welcome talented individuals, organizations, authors, experts and artists to help curate this section - perhaps we'll compile and publish an annual

Lexington & Jefferson

literary journal, who knows? We may also use this space for arts & culture news and submitted musings that don't quite ﬁt within the bounds of a traditional column, proﬁle or letter to the editor. Get involved: If you're interested in submitting, curating or have ideas, please do not hesitate at all to submit them to us at: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

LITERARY + ARTS & CULTURE SECTION

Opening Day Opaque grey surroundings turn to white miasma, White fog turns to golden hue emanating from a flawless celestial sphere rising slowly, The sun, higher, turns the air clear, still crisp, The fall air turns warmer ever. so. slowly. The ‘heat’ turns the frost into an ersatz rain coming from the trees, The drops hitting the leaves turn into squirrels dashing about, The scurrying turns into sticks snapping beyond your sight, The usual noises that dulled you becomes the crashing you’ve been waiting for, The loud cacophony becomes a taciturn broad-side opportunity, The silence turns into a recurrent resounding report that could merely do one thing, Life, regal – soft - respected, becomes death, regal – soft – respected; and still warm.

In Brief

The Spring Green Arts & Crafts Fair recently announced the opening of their 2024 artist applications. Applications need to be postmarked by February 3, 2024. More information can be found online at: springgreenartfair.com. The 2024 Spring Green Arts & Crafts Fair will take place downtown Spring Green on June 29 & June 30, 2024.

Community/arts & cULtUre

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023 Page 9

The Sauk County Gardener Pruning Raspberries Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certiﬁed Master Gardener

“The world was her oyster, except she didn't care for oysters. Better yet, the world was her raspberry. She liked raspberries.” — Kevin J. Anderson I spent the past couple weekends cleaning up my vegetable garden and perennial beds. Seeing as we ﬁnally got a hard frost, I was able to dig my cannas, begonias, and dahlias. Now they are curing in my garage while my car sits in the drive. As you can tell, I do have my priorities. I still have to work on my leaves as we are surrounded by woods and there are lot of leaves in my yard and ﬂower beds. I plan to rake them onto the driveway and then the hubby will drive over them to shred them. After they are shredded, we’ll use the bucket on the tractor to scoop them up and haul them away to put on

Giving Thanks Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certiﬁed Master Gardener

“We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” —John F. Kennedy As Thanksgiving approaches, I like to reflect on the past year and give thanks for all that I am so very fortunate to have. I’m not talking about actual “things”; instead, I’m talking about the people I have been blessed to know and the gardening experiences that have given me great joy. I’d like to start with expressing my truest thanks to my fellow Sauk County master gardeners. This group is small, but their impact in the community is mighty. Over the past year, they provided numerous educational gardening events for a variety of topics, ages, and gardening experience. This includes educational opportunities for various school groups, and demonstrations at the Sauk County Fair and

“A Cut e Above Th Rest!”

my various garden beds. I need a couple more nice weekends to get a few more tasks finished up before the snow flies. One of those remaining tasks is pruning my raspberry bed. I just started them this year so it shouldn’t take long to do any pruning. However, I want them to spread so that in a few years I have lots to enjoy. Before pruning your raspberries, you have to know what kind you have. Fall-bearing raspberries are primocane raspberries and they bear fruit on the current season’s growth. Summer-bearing raspberries are floricane raspberries and they bear fruit on the canes that grew the previous year. Raspberries that produce both in the summer and fall are everbearing raspberries. I choose a couple late fall varieties of primocane or fall-bearing raspberries to hopefully minimize the damage from the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) and

Japanese beetles; both which are the primary insect pests for raspberries. Pruning is easy if you have primocane or fallbearing raspberries. Simply cut the canes to the group each year in late fall or early spring while they are still dormant. If you like, you can simply cut them down with your lawnmower. Next spring, new canes will shoot up from the ground. If you want a small early summer crop, you can leave some of the old canes to form into floricanes. However, it will be more labor intensive as you can’t just mow everything down. Summer-bearing or floricane-fruiting raspberries require a bit more time for pruning as they have to be pruned manually. They can be pruned in late fall after they have gone into dormancy or early spring. Prune out all the “old” canes or spent floricanes - the ones that

have already produced fruit. It’s easy to identify them as they will have dried up fruit clusters on the tops of the canes and lateral fruiting branches. Leave all the new growth (if pruning in the falle) or the previous year’s primocanes (if pruning in the spring) as they are the ones that will produce fruit in the summer. Only remove primocanes if there is crowding; you should only have one fruiting cane every six inches. Growing raspberries can be rewarding and very delicious; they just need a little extra care to make them thrive. We continue to look for gardens in the Sauk Prairie/Merrimac area to feature on our 2024 Garden Tour. If you would be interested in having your garden on our tour, please send an email to saukctymg@gmail.com and I will contact you to learn more about your garden and explain what is expected.

Baraboo Library. They continue to provide support for three community gardens in the Baraboo, Reedsburg, and Sauk Prairie areas. You can also ﬁnd Sauk County master gardeners working with local historical properties to create era-appropriate gardens. They invite the public to attend the educational portion of their general meetings, so the public has the opportunity to learn from speakers on speciﬁc garden topics. This is just a small sample of the things they do in your community. Please thank them when you see them. I’d also like to thank the many local businesses that have supported the Sauk County Master Gardeners with their various events and activities. So many businesses have supported us, especially for our Garden Tour. We couldn’t have put on such a spectacular tour without their support. In fact, we’re planning for our third annual Garden Tour in the Sauk Prairie area on Saturday, July 27, 2024. I’m thankful for my fellow non-master gardening

friends and neighbors. If it wasn’t for my neighbor John, I wouldn’t have beautiful cannas to plant in my yard. And my friend Vern from church provided me with numerous pickings of green beans after the rabbits ate mine. He gave me enough to make up for what I would have typically picked from my own garden. I’m really thankful for those that share their bounty when someone else’s garden doesn’t quite pan out. I’m also so very thankful for my family who also enjoy gardening. My daughter had a very busy work year, so she had to scale back on her vegetable gardening in particular. She was still very appreciative of the overabundance of my garden. It was wonderful to find a home for the surplus produce when I just couldn’t find the energy to can one more jar or freeze another bag. I was also so excited this year when my son and daughter-in-law finally wanted to plant a small garden at their home. They started with a small, raised bed and a galvanized tank. My daughter-in-law said she wanted their son to understand where some of his food came

from. They had a bumper crop of beans, tomatoes, and peppers. They also learned that bunnies can be the enemy as they ate their cantaloupe plants. My grandson continues to provide great joy in the garden when he discovered the broccoli, mini cucumbers, and tomatoes through the season. I was so thankful I to go through my cutting garden with my granddaughter and cut bouquets to decorate her first home. Finally, I’m so thankful for my husband and gardening partner, Scott. If I didn’t have him, most of my garden ideas would not have come to fruition. He is the backbone of our gardening adventures - always willing to dig a hole, find a way to protect some extra special plant, or move an extra heavy rock or planter. I’m looking forward to when we retire and can work together even more. As Thanksgiving approaches, many of you will gather with friends and family; take this time to reflect on what you are thankful for in your life. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

STRAKA MEATS 608.546.3301

Find us on Facebook

Alma Avenue, Plain, WI • www.strakameats.com • Summer Sausage • Garlic Summer Sausage • Slicing Summer • Jalapeno & Cheese Summer Sausage • Wieners • Cheese Wieners • Bologna • Fresh Bratwurst • Fresh Cheddar Bratwurst • Mushroom & Swiss Bratwurst • Smoked Maple Sausage All venis • Bulk Breakfast Sausage • *Snack Sticks • *Hot Sticks on s a u s age prod t Highes best • *Jalapeno Cheese Snack Sticks • *Honey BBQ Snack Sticks available ucts nd a y t i in l a ! E-Z Ope qu n vacuum around s e • *Landjaegers • **Deer Jerky • *Venison Bacon c i r p pack

STRAKA’S VENISON SAUSAGE PRODUCTS

ages

Straka’s venison sausage products are made with only FRESH beef and pork and only the finest blend of spices and seasonings available, then hickory smoked. All products are vacuum packaged in a custom, E-Z Open packaging that you can’t get anywhere else. Stop in with your deer or your boneless trim and start enjoying the best tasting sausage products you’ve ever had. Remember, quality takes time. Orders are processed in the order we receive them. Have a great 2023 deer hunt, HUNT SAFE! NOT accepting Whole Deer Carcasses. Always accepting boneless trim & skinned, quartered deer.

Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri : 8:00am - 5:00pm Wed : Closed Sat : 8:00am - 1:00pm Sun : Closed

We accept Snap cards

Commentary/Outdoors

Page 10 Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023 Wisconsin deer hunting is dying. That should worry you even if you don't hunt.

From Wisconsin to Minnesota, North Dakota to Ohio, deer season teaches rural kids self-worth that’s needed now more than ever Brian Reisinger, Contributed I can see my dad’s gun. That old Remington .30-06, swinging from his side to his shoulder in pursuit of a deer bounding uphill through the trees. He looked through the scope and fired, and everyone — even a little boy like me — could see he’d hit his target. This is when I first remember knowing how special November is on our farm. If this memory does anything other than inspire awe (perhaps anger, fear, or disdain) then we need to talk about what hunting means to rural America as gun deer season starts Nov. 18 in Wisconsin. Because it’s not really about guns. Or even antlers on a wall. What deer hunting is really about is teaching kids self-worth, in a rural culture that society has cast aside in so many ways. And we should all care about that. Number of Wisconsin gun deer license applications falling I’m sure you’ve heard that good hunters teach safety, and care for the outdoors they depend upon. That’s true. But the lessons of this proud tradition run deeper, in ways everyone — especially non-hunters — have to understand if we want to close the ruralurban divide in our country. The reality is kids today are finding a dying way of life, with the number of people participating in Wisconsin deer hunting dropping annually during gun season for the past two decades. And those kids who do hunt are told their opening morning excitement, rivaling Christmas and birthdays, is “cruel and unnecessary.” If forces like that had kept me from hunting

with my dad, uncle, sister, and so many others, it could have stopped me in my tracks in life. When you grow up in a rural area or small town, it can be hard to see what you’re capable of in the big world beyond. Seeing my dad hit that deer that day is a memory of admiring my father I’ll always have. I’ll also never forget going with him after the biggest buck of his life, finding it below a parcel of woods that I would go on to explore on my own for years to come. Ethical deer hunting teaches values for challenges of life I never saw my dad do anything unsafe or cruel, just ethical hunting. What I learned along the way were timeless values that would help me face the challenges of life: the patience of sitting for hours; the discipline of hunting with iron sights on my new rifle, because my dad wanted me to make every shot count; the dignity of earning enough money to finally buy that gun a scope; the self-reliance of tracking my deer in the cold; and the generosity of working hard for my deer, then giving meat to someone in need. That gave me confidence in a world big enough to intimidate a kid where I’m from. Courage when I headed off to cities that scared me, for college and first jobs in journalism and public policy. Grace when Ivy League graduates made jokes about people from small places that made me feel like I didn’t belong. The alternatives to courage and grace: fear and resentment. I can’t say what hunting means for every rural kid, but I get glimpses. Like last year, when I took my nephews Roman and Paxton out. At 7 and 6 then, they were old enough to listen, but young enough to need constant shushing as we crept in the afternoon sun toward a spot behind my cabin. It was there on a rock ledge overlooking the

Photo contributed by Brian Reisinger From left, Paxton Wood, 6, and Roman Wood, 8, with their uncle Brian Reisinger, coming back from deer hunting in November of 2022. woods where I had missed my first deer — more special than any spot since, for what it taught me — that the boys saw a doe through the trees. I raised my gun. The doe was running too fast for a clean shot, so I followed her with my crosshairs and let out a shoddy buck grunt from the side of my mouth. She stopped and I fired. My nephews cheered, and tracked their first deer with me. That year’s legend was how “Uncle Brian talks to deer.” I realized something later as I was looking at the antlers on my cabin wall, my dad’s 10-pointer still more beautiful than any mounter I’d shot since. I wasn’t showing those little boys what I could do — I was showing them what they could do. That’s something we should all embrace, before it’s too late. Brian Reisinger is a writer who grew up

WE WANT TO SEE YOUR DEER HUNTING PICTURES!

VALLEY SENTINEL’S

This column originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: www. jsonline.com/story/opinion/2023/11/13/ wisconsin-gun-deer-license-applicationswi-dnr-hunting/71529000007/

PRIZES

PRESENTED BY

BLAZE

BIGGEST BUCK

BIGGEST DOE

FIRST PRIZE - VORTEX Triumph 10x42 binoculars - onX Hunt Elite membership - Free Deer Processing at Prem Meats ($165 value) - Hunters Specialties Rubline Grunt Call (donated by Kate’s Bait)

FIRST PRIZE - VORTEX Triumph 10x42 binoculars - onX Hunt Elite membership - Free Deer Processing at Prem Meats ($165 value)

SECOND PRIZE - onX Hunt Premium membership - $50 Prem Meats gift card - Grave Digger Whitetail Doe Estrous Scent (donated by Kate’s Bait) - $10 Kate's Bait & Sporting Goods gift certificate

ORANGE

BOARD

on a family farm in rural Spring Green. He contributes in-depth columns and videos for the Ideas Lab at the Journal Sentinel. Reisinger has written for a wide range of publications and tells the hidden stories of rural America, including the drug crisis, past and future of Wisconsin farmers and adventures in the outdoors. Reisinger works in public aﬀairs consulting for Wisconsinbased Platform Communications. Reisinger studied journalism and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and has won awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Seven Hills Review literary magazine, Wisconsin Newspaper Association, and more.

THIRD PRIZE - onX Hunt Premium membership - $25 Prem Meats gift card - Buck Bomb Scrape Generator (donated by Kate’s Bait)

BEST YOUTH HARVEST FIRST PRIZE - Henry Single Shot Youth Rifle in .243 (H015-243) - Vortex Bantam 6.5x32 youth binoculars - onX Hunt Elite membership - Free Deer Processing at Prem Meats ($165 value) - $50 Straka Meats gift card

We’d love to see photos of the big buck or doe you bagged! We celebrate big bucks, of course, but we want to see everything that celebrates the rich culture of deer hunting ... be it a youngster’s first deer, your view out in the field or from your stand. Submit photos by email with brief description/caption, the hunter’s name (and the names of anyone else in the picture including the age of a youth hunter) along with the location (of the harvest/view or hunter’s locality). Both archery and gun entries are welcome. Hunter must be from Sauk, Richland or Iowa counties or hunted in those counties (case by case exceptions may be made for WNW Dane county depending on exact location). Deer and view must be from 2023. Pictures must be received by Dec. 8. Blaze Orange Board will be out in print in Valley Sentinel Dec. 14.

SUBMISSIONS: EDITOR@VALLEYSENTINELNEWS.COM

Kate's Bait and Sporting Goods

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES

SECOND PRIZE - onX Hunt Premium membership - $50 Prem Meats gift card - $10 Kate's Bait & Sporting Goods gift certificate THIRD PRIZE - onX Hunt Premium membership - $25 Prem Meats gift card

Some prizes may also include various Vortex and Henry Rifles swag

BEST VIEW OUT IN THE FIELD FIRST PRIZE - Vortex Triumph 10x42 binoculars - onX Hunt Elite membership - $50 Prem Meats gift card SECOND PRIZE - onX Hunt Premium membership - $25 Prem Meats gift card - $10 Kate's Bait & Sporting Goods gift certificate THIRD PRIZE - onX Hunt Premium membership - Grave Digger Whitetail Doe Estrous Scent (donated by Kate’s Bait) - $10 Prem Meats gift card

Outdoors & Recreation

2023

DEER SEASON

FORECAST iStock/aheflin

Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023 Page 11 DEER MANAGEMENT ZONES AND UNITS

2023 SEASON DATES

Wisconsin has four deer management zones (DMZs): Northern Forest, Central Forest, Central Farmland and Southern Farmland. These zones are divided into 77 deer management units (DMUs). DMUs follow county boundaries in most cases, and 10 counties are split by zone boundaries into separate Forest and Farmland DMUs. Antlerless deer permits are set at the DMU level, allowing for localized deer herd management.

ARCHERY AND CROSSBOW Sept. 16 to Jan. 7, 2024

EXTENDED ARCHERY AND CROSSBOW Jan. 8-31, 2024

Much of the state experienced another mild to moderate 22-23 winter. However, some northwest counties received an extremely high amount of snowfall, pushing their Winter Severity Index into the Very Severe category. In response to the severe winter, Iron County is not offering antlerless harvest authorizations this fall, but junior antlerless harvest authorizations will remain valid.

YOUTH DEER Oct. 7-8

GUN DEER HUNT FOR HUNTERS WITH DISABILITIES* Oct. 7-15

Farmland Zone DMUs increased permit availability and harvest opportunities are an effort to control herd densities, reduce agricultural damage, improve forest regeneration and minimize deer-related conflict. Hunters who fill their freezer early on and have additional harvest opportunities available are encouraged to hunt for others. The Deer Donation program is a great way to help meet antlerless harvest quotas in these counties while making a difference in your community for those who are food insecure.

TRADITIONAL NINE-DAY GUN DEER Nov. 18-26

METRO SUB-UNIT GUN DEER ** Nov. 18 to Dec. 6

MUZZLELOADER

For an overview of deer hunting rules, please check the 2023 Wisconsin Hunting Regulations available online or at hunting license vendors.

Nov. 27 to Dec. 6

FOUR-DAY ANTLERLESS HUNT

For additional information, visit the DNR’s deer hunting webpage. There, you will find an abundance of helpful information including FAQs, maps, resources to help find a place to hunt and more.

Dec. 7-10

ANTLERLESS-ONLY HOLIDAY HUNT**

BONUS ANTLERLESS HARVEST AUTHORIZATIONS

Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, 2024

Bonus antlerless permits went on sale Aug. 14 and can be purchased at a rate of one per person per day. Bonus harvest authorizations will be sold by zone according to the following schedule:

*On sponsored properties only

Monday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. (Northern Forest and Central Forest Zone)

**In select DMUs only. See page 5 for details.

RC Farmland Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. (Central The 2023 deer hunting season will bring increased opportunity for hunters to secure venison Zone) 2021 Deer Season Structure for the freezer and create memories to cherish for years to come. More antlerless harvest 2023 Deer Fall Forecast, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Page 2 And Management Zones authorizations are available than last year in most parts of the state, as well as more late season Bayﬁeld Douglas opportunity in more counties, such as the Holiday Hunt and January archery seasons. In other Iron words, 2023 is the year of opportunity! Ashland

2023 REGIONAL FORECASTS 2023 REGIONAL FORECASTS

should keep in mind that Wisconsin’s varied landscapes support different deer Washburnpopulation EricHunters Canania, WDNR Deer Biologist Sawyer Burnett

LCO

LdF

Vilas

Florence

Oneida

densities. The presence or absence of deer at a given time depends on wooded a multitude of factors from the high ridges and coulees in Price from the high wooded rid Northern Forest Forest Marinett e Across the SouthernDISTRICT District, wildlife SOUTHERN SOUTHERN DISTRICT including forage, cover and hunting pressure. As always, spending time in the field and scouting Rusk farmlands the southwest to the flat productive the southwest to the flat p Polk Zone 1 staff are eagerly anticipating the arrival Barron Lincoln of prior theEric time-honored tradition of WistoCanania, the hunting season is important! The DNR offers resources to help hunters get prepared, Oconto DNR Deer Biologist Langlade Eric Canania, DNRhighly Deer Biologist of the southcentral to the urbanized ofMarinett thee southcentral to the Taylor consin’s regular land gun deer deer season. from public mapping tools to recent harvest data trends to resources for CWD testing. Chippewa landscape inEric.Canania@wisconsin.gov the southeastern counties, along landscape in the southeas Last Eric.Canania@wisconsin.gov year’s deer harvest in the SouthSt. Croix Dunn o Oconto Ocont ern District was on par with the past Marathon Lake Michigan’s border. We also host the rolling Lake Michigan’s border. W Clark Door Shawano 5-year average. The mild winter conPierce NEW FOR 2023 Pepin southern kettles in the east and an extensive Eau Claire southern kettles in the ea Across the Southern District, wildlife staff ditions we experienced should lead to Across the Southern District, wildlife staff Waupaca Wood Central ampleare opportunities and happy huntmix of wetland, woodland and ag-land in Dodge, Portage mix eagerly arethis eagerly ie Brown amie Brownof wetland, woodland Outagam Outag Buffalo holiday hunt will run Dec. 24 to Jan. 1 in 39 counties year. Of these 39Jackson Central ersThe thisantlerless-only fall. Farmland Jefferson and Columbia This high Jefferson and Columbia co anticipating theslow Although spring to start, the archery and crossbow anticipating the owoc Manitowoc Manit counties, 31 willwas also be extending deer seasons to closecounties. Jan. 31, 2024. Forest warming temperatures and early rainZone 2 level of variation in habitat types, conditions level of variation in habita arrival of fall arrival of fall Zone 1 Waushara fall quickly resulted in a good spring La Crosse Adams Farmland Zone counties have modified the number of antlerless harvest authorizations that will and quality contributes to great hunting and and quality contributes to and the timeMonroe green-up that should have providand the timeFond du Lac Juneau edbe abundant cover and high-quality issued with each license. Two permits issued with each license is most common (28 County Deer a robust deer population that has Vernon been stable a robust deer population honored tradition honored tradition Columbia spring forageCouncils for doesor nursing fawns Advisory CDACs) across the zone, which is consistent with past years. Sixteen CDACs (up to increasing after year in many areas ofSauk Southern Dodge to increasing year after ye of Wisconsin’s and bucks during antler development. ofyear Wisconsin’s Ozaukee 14 in 2022) chose three permits, and three CDACs (up from two in 2022) are recommending Richland Infrom addition, antlerless harvests have southern Wisconsin. southern Wisconsin. deer season. deer season. Farmland Zone 2 Crawford been below recommended levels over four permits in 2023. The remaining Farmland Zone CDACs Southern Districtare recommending one permit be issued Jefferson Last year’s deerand our highly the last couple of years Last year’s deer Iowa Waukesha Milwaukee Dane with each license. Some metro sub-units also have modified permit availability. Deer populations in the south tend to be Deer populations in the s Grant productive farm ground continues to a world-class destination for white- harvest in the harvest in the Rock Racine grow the deer population throughout tailed deer hunting. somewhat higher in the western and central somewhat higher in the w Green Walworth Lafayette Southern District Baiting and feeding regulations changed select counties. For Southern more information, much of the Southern Farmland Zone.have District Early seasonin natural food sources Kenosha portions of the district due to several habitat portions of the district du Even with such favorable conditions, mast-producing trees, native visitwas dnr.wi.gov and search “baitingsuch and as feeding regulations.” on par was on par hunters need to keep in mind that forbs/browse and earlyand successionhuman population differences, but and human population di thevariation past in the quality al type fields appear to have had high with the there with is great past Antlerless-only Holiday Hunt and Extended Archery Seasons: excellent opportunities to harvest deer, even excellent opportunities to of the5-year habitat average. across the The landscape. As survival rates despite mild winter conditions we yet another year 5-year average. TheHoliday mild winter conditions we Antlerless-only Hunt: Dec. 24 - Jan. 1, 2022 a result, the number of deer inhabit- of low summer rainfall. The beauty of bucks, can be found in all counties impressive impressive bucks, can be Antlerless-only Holiday Hunt + either-sex Extended Archery and Crossbow: through Jan. 31, 2022 experienced should leadsigto ample opportunities ing individual properties can vary should lead to ample opportunities most natural food sources is that they experienced that make up the Southern District. DNRforstaff that make up the Souther Sub-units: See regulations more information on boundary lines and extended season dates nificantly. Habitat hunters management tend and happy this even coming fall.to be adaptive and resilient to and happyMetro hunters this coming fall. Non-quota Area: No harvest authorizations issued by the Wisconsin DNR in highly productive regions, such as shifting weather conditions. are continually impressed with the number are continually impressed southern Wisconsin, is still very imThe rut may be exciting to hunt, but and the quality of deer that are observed and and the quality of deer th Although spring was slow to start, warming portant. seasoned hunters know that it can be Although spring was slow to start, warming The Southern Districtand encompasses a unpredictable shouldeach harvested year in the Southern District. harvested each temperatures early rainfall quickly at best. Hunters 2023 Deer Fall Forecast, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Page 5 year in th temperatures and early rainfall quickly wide range of deer habitat types. These keep in mind that once seasonal foods get a bad rap difficult to hunt but sav- that thorizations and extra seasons to the is a testament toin the productivity and This hunting is a testament resulted in a the good spring green-up resulted aas good spring green-up habitats range from high wooded are nothat longer available This or palatable, vy hunters who are dedicated, adapt- in response to public feedback and the ridgesshould and coulees in the southwest deercover will begin their range ofshould our habitat and local abundant deer herd.cover and resiliency of our habitat a have provided abundant and expandingresiliency have provided to the flat productive farmlands of the looking for alternatives. In areas with able, not afraid to go the extra mile stable to increasing deer population (sometimes literally) and occasionally trend. For the 2023 hunting seaIt’s no wonder why Wisconsin is and has been It’sdeer no wonder why Wiscon high-quality forage for the does nursing spring forage for does nursing southcentral to the spring highly urbanized highest deer numbers, habitat dam- high-quality utilize non-traditional methods will son, 14 counties in the Southern Dislandscape in and the bucks southeastern or a reduction in habitat quality can fawns a world-class destination for white-tailed deer a world-class destination fawns duringcounantlerage development. and bucks during antler development. ties, along Lake Michigan’s border. We occur. This results in deer traveling fur- find adventure and plenty of deer to trict are offering the antlerless-only match wits with this fall. If you’re look12 counties are ofhunting. hunting. In addition, antlerless harvests have been In addition, antlerless harvests haveHoliday been Hunt, and also host the rolling southern kettles in ther in search of other food sources as ing for a new area to hunt and have fering the extended archery/crossbow the east and an extensive mix of wettheythe prepare below recommended levels over last for winter. below levels theseason. last Check out the DNR’s deer huntnever recommended explored our public lands,over I highland, woodland and ag-land in Dodge, food sources such as mastAppropriate habitat andEarly herdseason man- natural Early season natural food ly recommend giving it a shot. If you ing webpage couple of years counties. and our This highlyagement productive farm couple of years and our highly productive farm for more details and maps Jefferson and Columbia can help landowners achieve plannative to huntforbs/browse on private lands, getearly out showing which counties are trees, offeringnative fo producing trees, and producing high level of variation in habitat types, goals and increase hunt- ground ground continues to grow the their deerproperty population to grow the deer population well in continues advance of deer season to meet additional seasons. These additional conditions and quality contributes to ing success. The Deer Management successional type fields appear to be surviving As- with landowners and request permis- seasons are a great successional type fields a way to enjoy family throughout the Southern Farmland throughout much of the Southern Farmland great hunting and a much robust of deer popusistance Program (DMAP) is a private sion if you don’t already have it. time afi eld during the holiday season despite yet another year of low summer rainfall. despite yet another year o lationZone. that hasEven beenwith stablesuch to increasing management program offered by Zone. favorableland conditions, Even with such favorable conditions, Another important aspect for Southand to put extra meat in the freezer. year after year in many areas of south- the Wisconsin DNR thatThe beauty most natural food sources is that helps land- ofern The beauty of most natura District hunters to keep in there On behalf hunters need to keep in mind owners that there is hunters needdeer to keep in mind that is of the Wisconsin DNR, we’d ern Wisconsin. interested in managing their mind is CWD.and It slowly continues in- like to wish everyone safe to andbe sucthey tend to be adaptive resilient to shifting they atend adaptive a Deergreat populations in theinsouth to of properties for better habitat and in- great variation the tend quality the habitat variation in the and quality of the habitat creasing in prevalence geographic cessful hunting season! We hope you be somewhat higher in the western and creasing their hunting success. weather conditions. Many of the hard and soft I en- area within the district and state. Last take time this fallweather conditions. to get outdoors and Many across theoflandscape. As atoresult, thefolks number of to learn more across the landscape. As a result, the number of central portions the district due courage that want year, Wisconsin detected just over enjoy the beauty and world-class huntmast trees are still showing a promising crop. In mast trees are still showin several habitat and human population about habitat and quality deer herd deer deer inhabiting individual properties can vary inhabiting individual properties can vary 1,492 CWD-positive deer through aning opportunities that Wisconsin has to differences, but excellent opportunities management to sign up addition to natural food sources, early season for the Deer nual sampling efforts, management the majority of even offer.in highly addition to natural food s significantly. Habitat management even inAssistance highly Program at significantly. Habitat to harvest deer, even impressive bucks, Management whichsuch cameasfrom Southern Disagricultural foods lushthe alfalfa, clover agricultural foods such as can beproductive found in all regions, counties that make dnr.wi.gov, keyword “DMAP.” such as southern Wisconsin, productive suchdeer as southern Wisconsin, trict. Goingregions, into the 2023 season, For a complete overview of all deer up the Southern District. DNR staff are and soybeans are prime locations for hunters to Most deer within the Southern Disand soybeans should be aware that baiting hunting rules, including changes are for prime lo is stillimpressed very important. still very important. continually with the num- trict are harvested on private property, is hunters and feeding of deer is prohibited in all this season, please check the 2023 Wisbegin their scouting efforts in late summer or begin their scouting effor ber and the quality of deer that are ob- which makes up more than 90 percent Southern District counties, except for consin Hunting Regulations, which servedThe andSouthern harvested each yearencompasses in the of the district fall. The Southern District encompasses aare In addition, early fall. license District a widelandscape. range early wide range available online, at hunting Southern District. This is a testament the district offers tens of thousands Ozaukee. County Deer Advisory Councils vendors or at DNR Service Centers. For deer habitat These range to theofproductivity andtypes. resiliency of habitats of acres of county, state and federally of deer habitat types. These habitats range Winnebago

gan ygan Sheboy

e Marquette

Green Lake

ngton Washington

Fort McCoy

Calumet

Trempealeau

ee unee ewaun Kewa K

Menominee

our habitat and local deer herd. It’s no owned lands open to deer hunting in (CDACs) are oﬀering, on average, sim- additional information, visit dnr.wi.gov ilar quotas, antlerless deer harvest au- and search “deer.” wonder why Wisconsin is and Wisconsin has been Department southern Wisconsin. lands often 2023 Deer Fall Forecast, Wisconsin Department 2023 Deer Fall Forecast, of NaturalPublic Resources Page 8 of Natural Resources

Outdoors & Recreation

Page 12 Thursday, nOvember 16, 2023

An Outdoorsman’s Journal Mark Walters, Columnist

Montana or Bust

Hello friends, This week’s column as well as next are about a 110% go for it Montana/ Rocky Mountain adventure with myself and lifelong friend Todd Cibulka. Though Todd would not be hunting elk he was along for a physical, nonstop laughter, and incredible views trip with two buddies that clicked perfectly for 11-days. We would be near Bozeman, Montana and we would have two camps, one was our base camp at a USFS campground, the other was 2.5 miles up the mountain in elk and grizzly country. Friday, October 20th High 67°, Low 44° There is so much to write about this experience that I am going to be very short on details so I can tell as much as possible. Todd and I arrived on Wednesday, which is 3 days before the elk season opened. We did this because I believe setting up camps and scouting is as important as hunting. On the ride here on I 94 in North Dakota we were caught in a wind storm that was an incredible display of nature and knocked our gas mileage down from 16 to 9. We are in major grizzly country and there are a lot of rules regarding them, such as food at camp, and approaching an elk kill (if a grizzly is at your kill, the grizzly gets your elk). We both carried handguns and bear spray. The first part of this trip the air temp was perfect, I was shirtless for much of it, that would change on day 8. Climbing mountains: I am 62, Todd is 59. For me its 30 steps up and a 15 second break etc. Naturally the spot I whacked my 6x6 last year is on the top of difficult climb, and sweat as well as lung and leg pain (feels like both could blow out) are a regular part of life. Camp fires at night. Todd and I ran around with the same crowd as kids and still do, we are also part of the same deer camp. Most nights we had campfires, and I would cook supper between 9 and 11 and at night. Laughter and talks of 50 years ago as well the recent past were nonstop. Todd recently purchased and rigged up a Rock River Arms X1 in a 223 with a Vortex scope and was hoping to hunt coyote. We were both pleasantly surprised when we found out that he could purchase a wolf tag for $50.00 and buy up to five. Scouting: though we were not seeing elk, they were everywhere we went, especially on the top of the mountain, tracks, droppings, and their smell had me higher than a kite at 30,000 feet. Our base camp was made up of a 10x12 canvas tent that was covered with a 30x20 tarp. My friend Pat from Rice Lake donated it last winter and it was perfect for the job. Our spike

camp was made up of two tents, one was an Eskimo pop-up ice shelter that we slept in the other was a 10x10 basic tent for hanging out in. We moved up to the spike camp the afternoon before season opener. Opening day, I was as dedicated as I could be to every part of this journey. It has been on my mind since I was awarded a tag “$1267.00” on April 15th that allowed me to shoot one deer and one elk. I was literally sitting exactly where I harvested my 6x6 lastyear two hours before daylight. I was sweated up from the climb and had zero cares as I was on top of my game and had 8 days to harvest my quarry. One minute after sitting down on the root ball of a long since fallen pine tree the first wolf howled within 2 football fields of me. Talk to ya next week! Sunset

Last Minute Muley Hello friends, This is the second and last week that I will be writing to you about my Montana elk and mule deer hunt. This week’s column is pure, go for it hunting as in get up early, climb a mountain and enjoy the view. My long-time buddy Todd Cibulka of Poynette was along for this adventure but did not have an elk or deer tag. Our adventure would be in the Bozeman, MT area and with travel, it was 11-days of good times. Tuesday, October 24th High 50°, Low 34° Todd and I had a spike cap about a half hour down the mountain from the main place that I did almost all of my hunting. Where I hunted was a park at the top of a peak where deer and elk pass through and feed. A park is an area of grass that can be a half-acre or several. This would be my last hunt at this level as I was not seeing an elk, had heard no shooting and had to come up with a plan B. Unfortunately a dense fog made visibility about 40-yards. I did have a rather unique experience. For several days I had been watching a huge owl that apparently calls this area home and I felt like we were becoming friends. This morning as night was becoming day, my friend landed about 20-feet above me in a large pine tree about 10-yards away. I had a gut feeling that proved to be correct. That gut feeling was that my friend was about to make a bad decision and that was that it was going to literally fly/swoop/attack. About two seconds before this happened I held my 300 BAR directly in its path and the big bird missed my head by 5-feet. Kind of bad luck! On opening day, after 3 days of scouting, seeing and maybe harvesting an elk looked like it was going to happen. I did my climb and was set up 2 hours before daylight. It was not 2 minutes after sitting down

Photo contributed by Mark Walters The views in Montana are nonstop.

in what I would consider a perfect mood that a lone wolf howled no more than 200-yards away. Though it was very cool to listen to the wolf as it was very close, bad news came when it was joined by five others that were spread out over a good square mile and howled for 3 full hours. This would happen again on Sunday and I knew I was doomed. Wolf eat elk; elk can and should move out of the immediate path of wolf. I am not venting, wolves have their place, over the next six days not an elk would be seen as in actual sighting, track, or on a trail camera. Gear; here is a funny story, kind of! Everyone that knows me is aware that I am hard on everything I own including my body. This trip a bit of my gear passed away, one 10x10 tent, a Coleman stove, a Coleman propane lantern, and my 300 locked up in the action and became unusable along with many other issues. Gear is a huge part of my life! The last three days of this trip there was a total flip in weather that meant constant snow fall and a high of 20 at best. Last year I witnessed what I will call long term fatigue, that was not as serious this year but the obvious fact that there were zero elk in the area did not help with the fatigue. At the end of each day, I would start the hike down from my hunt and something that was super cool was to see from about 800-feet above camp that Todd had a campfire going. A campfire, when you are sleeping on the ground and traveling in the dark, is a beautiful thing. The mule deer! On the last afternoon we went for an 8-mile / 16 round trip ride on my 2 up 570 Polaris atv. It was 18 degrees, and we were going to explore a mountain road for elk sign. A description of these roads would be not for the faint of heart. If you go off the side, you will die and, it may be a chore

to find your body as who would know where to look? First off, we got cold but handled it, second off we did not see an elk track. With an hour of daylight left, Todd pulled over to an area where he had been hunting wolves. I was told to climb up the mountain, stay on the south side and look for a spot to hunt deer. As is always the case on a body that is entering its 62 nd winter the climb was tiring. Good news came my way when I spotted fresh mule deer tracks, I kept climbing hoping for a better view and both a better view and more deer tracks appeared. I found paradise, was soaked in sweat and within 2 minutes saw a doe mule deer running. I soon spotted a buck, put the crosshairs of my BAR 30:06 on his shoulders and by God I had me a muley. We laughed our heads off at our change of luck and had a “we got a buck” party at camp! The drive home was in 1175 miles of snow, and I am already planning next year’s hunt if I draw a tag. Climb till just before your brain, lungs and legs blow out. Sunset Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Want to read more?

Check out previous weeks’ columns at www.outdoorsmansjournal.com

THIS BANNER AD Sponsorship IS AVAILABLE "An Outdoorsman's Journal" is a paid syndicated column written by professional outdoorsman and Necedah native Mark Walters. In order to continue running his outdoors column, we need sponsor(s) to ﬁll the space in print and online so we can continue to support Mark in his adventures and follow along. This space is premium placement top-of-mind awareness, perfect for both businesses that engage with the outdoors or businesses whose customers engage with the outdoors. Only $150 per week. May be divided into two or three spots among businesses, inquire by email.

Interested? Give us a call at 608-588-6694 or an email at ads @valleysentinelnews.com