A springtime picture is shown of the Menominee Railroad Dock Boating Access Site, which will be closed for three months for construction, beginning Monday. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Michigan’s Liberty Hunt — a statewide firearm deer season that’s open to youth and hunters with disabilities — will take place next weekend.

The Sept. 13-14 hunt is for youths ages 16 or younger and individuals with qualifying disabilities. Bows and crossbows are permitted.

Hunters age 9 and younger must be licensed through the Mentored Hunting Program and accompanied by a qualified mentor. Valid licenses include a single deer, deer combo or antlerless deer license. The season takes place on public and private lands open to firearm deer hunting.

Hunter orange is required.

For more, go to https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/laws/regulations/deer.

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Drawing results are available to hunters who applied for the antlerless deer hunting access permits for Deer Management Unit 352 in the Upper Peninsula or for reserved deer hunts in the Lower Peninsula.

Check your drawing results online at eLicense, in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app or call 517-284-9453.

Leftover licenses for remaining deer hunting access permits will be available beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time Monday until the quotas are met. There is no guarantee that leftover access permits will be available.

You can buy a license online at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses, from any license agent or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Licenses bought online will be mailed seven to 10 days after purchasing.

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Wisconsin’s 2025 hook and line season for lake sturgeon is open on certain waters today through Sept. 30. Anglers are reminded that only one sturgeon with a minimum length measurement of 60 inches may be harvested.

A hook and line sturgeon tag is not required if an angler plans to release the sturgeon they catch in the open season.

Some sturgeon may be tagged near their dorsal fin. Please leave the tag attached to the fish if you release it. Tags provide the DNR with information about movement and growth of lake sturgeon.

If a tagged sturgeon is caught, please submit the following information to the county’s fisheries biologist to help the DNR in future management practices:

— Where the fish was caught (county, waterbody and location)

— The date of the catch

— Tag number, color and material composition of the tag (i.e., metal or plastic)

— Overall fish length

For more, go to https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/sturgeon/SturgeonInlandFishery.

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A construction project along Lake Michigan in Menominee will temporarily close the Menominee Railroad Dock Boating Access Site, beginning Monday.

The boating access site and the road leading to it will be closed in their entirety for the duration of the project, which is expected to last until Dec. 15. This closure will also limit access to the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse, owned by the city of Menominee.

“This construction work will replace paving, add shoreline armoring and construct a pedestrian trail and bike path along Lake Michigan,” said Ian Diffenderfer, unit supervisor at Wells State Park and the Cedar River Harbor. “The result will be substantive improvements for the public at this popular recreation location.”

Barley Excavating has been contracted to complete the $1.5 million project, funded by Michigan DNR’s waterways capital outlay money and the city of Menominee.

Alternative nearby boating access sites include the Menominee Marina, situated near 10th Avenue, and the Menominee Township Cemetery Boating Access Site located at the west end of 18th Avenue, near River Drive.

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The Michigan DNR reported this Upper Peninsula fishing activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting yellow perch reported slow days this week. However, some were able to stay on a school long enough to enjoy a decent catch. Bass anglers reported good fishing, with some success on topwater baits as well as along the edges of weed beds. Walleye anglers had the most success during dawn or dusk, trolling crawler harnesses or casting jigs.

Big Bay de Noc: Anglers reported good bass fishing near offshore islands, as well as in areas with rocky bottoms. Some anglers casted lures that imitated gobies, while others had success using baits that resembled bugs or worms.

Fairport: Anglers caught small chinook salmon as well as steelhead. Most anglers are trolling spoons at minimum depths of 110 feet.

Keweenaw Bay/ Huron Bay: Anglers reported that lake trout fishing was fair while targeting them by trolling and jigging. They had success trolling spoons and flasher-fly combinations in waters deeper than 150 feet. Salmon fishing was reported as poor to fair, with coho salmon and Chinook salmon caught, although in low numbers.

Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: Anglers reported catching fair to good numbers of lake trout while trolling spoons and flasher-fly combinations. These were caught in 70 to 120 feet of water, with most fish taken near the bottom and around structure. Anglers also reported that salmon fishing improved, with more coho salmon and Chinook salmon caught in the past week.

Grand Marais: Lake trout fishing was very good this past week for boat anglers both trolling and jigging for them. A few coho salmon have been picked up by boating anglers trolling east of the breakwall.

Munising: Boat anglers reported a few coho salmon and Chinook salmon in the bay and around Grand Island. The lake trout bite was reported as great, with boat anglers having success trolling and jigging for them West of Grand Island and out on Big Reef.

Marquette: Lake trout were still being caught consistently north of White Rocks in 120 to 200 feet of water. Anglers trolling from northwest of White Rocks out toward north of Granite Island continued doing well in both deep and shallow waters. Most of the fish came into shallow water as the water temperature decreased. Coho salmon were caught from the Upper Harbor Lighthouse out toward Black Rocks and by the Clay Banks west of Granite Island in around 60 feet of water. These fish were caught at various depths from 80 to 180 feet, depending on where anglers were fishing, but 120 feet was the most reported depth this week, especially for lake trout.

Ontonagon River: Angling efforts on the river were low to fair over the past week. Walleye were reportedly caught in fair numbers by those jigging with natural baits.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Over the past week, Ontonagon saw a high amount of fishing effort. Effort from Union Bay and Silver City was also relatively high. Recent reports included catches consisting of large numbers of lake trout, along with occasional brown trout, coho salmon, and Chinook salmon. Some anglers reported having success when fishing at depths ranging from 65 to 100 feet.

Black River Harbor: The harbor saw a fair amount of angling effort over the past week. Reported catches consisted primarily of lake trout in good numbers. These catches also included brown trout, coho salmon, and chinook salmon in lesser numbers. Some anglers reported having success when fishing at depths ranging from 80 to 100 feet.

UP dounties: Salmon are still around in Lake Michigan and should be making their way inland within the next couple of weeks. Fishing for panfish and walleye was steady on inland lakes.