WI DRN deer projection off

I believe hunters can manage thier own land but they can’t manage public land – it just gets hunted by too many people and they think if they don’t shoot the deer someone else will. The EAB and herd reduction have taken their tolls on these grounds. People will only shoot so many deer on their land and go to fill the herd control tags on public land. It would be a nightmare but private land needs to be managed separately from public. Maybe public should be in it’s own unit? Then it could be set apart from the herd reduction. When you don’t see deer in woods that are nowhere near main roads or crops in a state forest, why does that herd need reducing?

I like the brain storming ideas, sort of. I don’t hardly see the validity of wanting less regulation while asking for more by having all these small DMUs. How would one classify certain tracks of public land? Only those above X number of acres? If so who manages the small tracts? I can’t begin to imagine the impossibility of patrolling hundreds or even thousands of different DMUs. Would each one be monitored separately or as a whole?

While it goes without saying the system could be better I don’t believe the overall herd is better off being micro managed. As I mentioned before the DNR also seems to be wrong with their projected bear numbers. So obviously there is no perfect way to estimate a herds population. Of course no one is hollering about the bear miscalculation.

But again this is all hypothetical and I highly doubt anything is going to change as far as who manages what. I do suspect the number of antlerless tags will be reduced as in years past. And when they get so restrictive that you only get an antlerless tag every 2-3 years people will P&M that all the young bucks are getting killed and the herd is exploding. It’s a cycle folks and satisfying all 700,000 hunters has proven futile at best.

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I can agree with some of RR’s assumptions but what it comes down to is I am in a long line of wisconsin sportsman who are fed up with the DNR’s long list of failures. Two years in a row of the surplus turkey tags crashing the internet licensing, reintroduction of wolves, inability to be honest about CWD, failure to accurately estimate animal population estimates, etc.

But where they have earned my ire is their heavy handed laws. Who in the hell are they to tell me how much bird seed or corn I can put out on my 10 acres. I own the land and pay the taxes and if I want to put out 400 pounds of bird or deer food that is my business. As long as I am not hunting over it who are they to put a 2 gallon limit on these items. But this is the only law enforcement agency that can search my property without probable cause or a warrant.
When they start representing the public who pays their salaries, then they will get my benefit of the doubt. Until then, they can go to hell.

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I agree with you almost 100%. Maybe 100% but a couple things just don’t get me all too excited. The turkey tag deal was frustrating sure. I’m not sure if that was entirely the DNRs fault or if they hired some schmuck company that assured them all would be well. Although a simple system test performed simultaneously by all ALIS agents a week before the tags went on sale would have been more than prudent. Still it didn’t impact my hunt so I guess I can’t get too riled up. Also I’m not convinced the deer herd is all messed up. I am completely dissatisfied with the DNRs introduction of CWD and the ensuing limitations they have set in name of said problem. I truly believe CWD has been around forever (Not like someone invented it a few years back!) but the DNR felt they were getting shafted by the private game farms that sell hunts to private people without having to buy harvest license. The timeline is too close to ignore.

I think the DNR has always had the supposed Carte Blanch in searching private property without cause. However I’m not sure that is actually true and have never heard of it happening.

Very interesting read. You guys could have your own show!

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I can agree with some of RR’s assumptions but what it comes down to is I am in a long line of wisconsin sportsman who are fed up with the DNR’s long list of failures. Two years in a row of the surplus turkey tags crashing the internet licensing, reintroduction of wolves, inability to be honest about CWD, failure to accurately estimate animal population estimates, etc.

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I echo these exact thoughts and simply do not understand how the WI DNR can keep on making mistake after mistake.