Monica and I had friends staying at Bents camp a few years ago and were catching fish but not one Walleye. They asked if there was a trick to catching Walleyes? We replied, have you guys ever fished at night? I explained that Walleyes will move into shallow water every night for dinner and even though it’s a short time, they will be able catch a few. That night we took them out and within 10 minutes the wife said, a bird keeps hitting my line. That is when I told her birds don’t fly at night and those were BATS. Even though I told her they are not going to attack her, she immediately stopped fishing and put her hood over her head.

Bats have a reputation that some people fear. There are misconceptions that all bats have rabies and are vampires that will suck the blood out of you, or they will land in your hair and lay eggs. Ok, I made up that last one, and Wisconsin DOES NOT have vampire bats. Truth being told, only 1% of the bat population can be/are infected with rabies. Furthermore, a bat with rabies is more likely to fly during the day but usually become partially paralyzed and will fall to the ground while roosting. So, if you see a bat laying on the ground, stay away from it. Also, studies have shown bats with rabies are not aggressive.

In all reality, bats play an essential role by eating over 1 thousand mosquitos an hour. Some species also pollinate plants and dispense seeds. It is a fact that bats eat enough insects in agricultural areas that saves $3 billion per year in crop damage. And by studying bats, scientist developed navigational aid for the blind.

To avoid obstacles and to locate insects, bats produce high frequency sound waves (ultrasound) that will bounce off an object and returns to the bat. This is how they can find insects in darkness. Using this echolocation bats fly in a zigzag pattern while hunting insects and will frequently bounce off objects. And this is why bats can hit your fishing line at night.

There are eight species of bats in Wisconsin. Little brown, Big brown, Norhtern Long eared, Tricolor, Silver haired, Eastern red, with the Hoary bat being the largest. These bats are put into two categories, CAVE that hibernate in the winter and TREE that migrate during winter. The 4 Wisconsin bats that migrate are the little brown, big brown, northern long eared and the tricolored. There you have it. Bats are not as bad as some people think, are they?

Oh, and while our friend was covered up because of these terrifying flying mammals, Monica and I caught close to our limit of Walleye in one hour. So, are bats misunderstood? I believe they are. How about you?