In about 60 years of hunting, I’ve read a lot of articles around deer, small game, upland bird, predator and turkey hunting. It’s hard for magazines to come up with something truly new to say about hunting anything, although I keep buying them. You probably do, too.

Timing is everything.

For example, writing an every-other-week outdoors column can get tricky with hunting and fishing seasons, state and county meetings and providing enough advance notice for readers to react without giving them too much notice so they forget.

At the end of December, I wrote a column about how we sportsmen should consider passing on our hunting, fishing and trapping heritage to the next generation.

Wisconsin has about 100,000 fewer deer hunters today than it had in 2000, during the peak of the state’s harvest. Young people are busy with school sports, video games, social media and dating, and they are just not taking up hunting or fishing like they once did.

As sure as the arrival of robins, rain and green grass, the statewide combined Wisconsin DNR and Conservation Congress hearings are another sign of spring.

Some of the 44 conservation questions may touch most of us, including the topics of deer hunting and possible license fee increases, while others may be specific to a distant lake or river, and not interest us at all.

If you’ve been curled up under a blanket with a pile of snacks and a TV remote for much of this punishing winter, maybe it’s time to venture outside for a little fun and sun.

Outgoing Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources deer biologist Jeff Pritzl finally got to speak his mind bluntly after nearly 35 years with the agency, and his seasoned words were revealing and sensible.

Although he officially retired Feb. 2 because of his accumulation of paid time off, he turned over his state computer access and duties in December.