Exceptional moral actions and character while being out in the field are the types of nominative actions and values the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for when selecting the 2022 Wisconsin Ethical Hunter Award recipient.

Any hunter or non-hunter can nominate a licensed Wisconsin hunter for the award for their actions during the 2022 calendar year. Although many nominations result from gun deer season, ethical actions can occur during a squirrel hunt, turkey hunt, waterfowl hunt or other Wisconsin hunting season.

“Ethical actions come in many forms,” said DNR Recreational Safety and Outdoor Skills Section Chief Major April Dombrowski. “Examples could include helping another person during a hunt or taking steps to protect our natural resources. Over the years, award recipients have returned lost gear, helped others find lost game or assisted another hunter facing a challenge of some kind.”

The public is encouraged to submit their nominations for the award before Wednesday, Feb. 15. Nominations can be mailed to Dombrowski at: 101 South Webster St., P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.

A four-person committee reviews the nominations and selects the person deemed most deserving of this award. The annual honor’s creators are Bob Lamb, retired outdoors editor of the La Crosse Tribune; Steve Dewald, retired DNR conservation warden supervisor, and Jerry Davis, a retired UW-La Crosse biology professor and outdoors writer.

The Nomination Committee focuses on singular actions or events rather than individuals who have long term, conservation-related programs. Written nominations must contain the name, address and telephone number of the witness or witnesses, or be aware of the act(s) which led to the nomination.

Established in 1997, the Wisconsin Hunter Ethics Award recognizes a hunter whose action is symbolic of the the state’s hunting heritage. This honor represents an outdoor tradition enjoyed responsibly, respectfully and safely.

For more information, contact Dombrowski at [email protected] or visit dnr.wisconsin.gov.