Robert L. Hunt

1933 – 2013
Inducted 2012

The results of Bob Hunt’s work on Wisconsin’s trout resource can be summed up as scientific advance, sound conservation and better fishing.” extracted from nomination materials

Robert and Richard HuntDick Hunt was born in 1926; Bob Hunt in 1933. They grew up in the small town of McFarland on Lake Waubesa, near Madison. The lake, river and associated wetlands, together with their interest in hunting and fishing oriented the Hunt brothers towards their professional careers in wildlife and fisheries management. Both had military experience, both received college degrees at the UW-Madison where they were strongly influenced by the successors of Aldo Leopold. Dick zeroed in on the management of upland game and waterfowl while Bob’s zeal was for trout management. Together they performed 69 years of extraordinarily productive work with the Wisconsin Conservation Department and its successor the Department of Natural Resources.

Robert L. “Bob” Hunt’s imprint on fisheries management in Wisconsin and well beyond can be found in technical publications, videos and his book, “Trout Stream Therapy.” More than anything else, though, it is found on healthy, thriving streams, many with self-sustaining wild trout populations.

Hunt was a pioneer in efforts to improve stream habitat, trout management and effective regulations based on science and a clear understanding of the capacities of streams and the species they held. Little wonder Hunt earned recognition as Wisconsin’s top authority on trout stream science and is considered a national leader in those fields.

Hunt grew up in Wisconsin and after a stint in the U.S. Army, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UW-Madison. Like his brother, Dick, a fellow Conservation Hall of Fame inductee, Bob chose a career in public service. He joined the Wisconsin Conservation Department as a fisheries biologist in 1959, at a time when Wisconsin’s trout program consisted mostly of stocking. Streams were devastated by cattle grazing and other humangenerated harm. In the course of his more than 30 years with what would become the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Hunt led efforts to restore and revitalize streams across the state and worked to educate the public about proper management.

Hunt’s pioneering research on wild trout led to changes in management strategies and Wisconsin’s system of classifying trout streams. The changes recognized that many streams are capable of maintaining self-sustaining populations and don’t need heavy stocking. His evaluation of stream-bank debrushing and the use of brush bundles, half-log devices and other stream restoration tools led the DNR and citizen groups to employ these techniques where appropriate.

Hunt also helped build public support for an inland trout stamp, generating funds for fisheries programs. His scientific expertise also helped lead to Wisconsin’s modern trout angling regulations tailored to zones of the state and the characteristics of streams. Always willing to share what he learned, Hunt served on many state, national and international committees, highlighting Wisconsin’s pioneering programs, many of them the result of his work. He has encouraged citizens groups to participate in habitat restoration efforts. Today, Wisconsin’s trout streams provide recreational opportunities for thousands.

Resources

Robert Hunt Biography

Robert Hunt Obituary

One Family – Two Unique Conservationists, article by Susan Bence for WUWM News, 2012

Money in the bank, article by Robert L. Hunt for Wisconsin Conservation Bulletin

Photos

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