Here is the Roundtable Summary, this summary is from Ted Wawrzyniak with QDMA so his view points are from their perspective and not neccesarilly the views of BWA.
2009 DNR Roundtable Summary
The 2009 DNR roundtable should be considered a milestone for those groups supporting Quality Deer Management (QDM). We went in only knowing that the DNR had dedicated a majority of their time to the future of deer management. Presentations were given by Kip Adams (QDMA), Phil Costigan (Bluffland Whitetails), Tony Kuehn (MN Bowhunters), and Joe Canella (MDHA). A common ground that seemed to be shared was that we should encourage an improved buck to doe ratio and a balanced age structure. Here are the basic issues that came out of the discussion.
1. Elimination of buck party hunting (cross-tagging). This was something that all groups agreed on and it is possible that this is something that could be done as early as the 2009 season.
2. Moving the season out of the rut. This would mean setting the season back one or two weeks. This obviously becomes more of an issue as you go north. The groups could agree that this is something that could be done as early as the 2009 season in the south, but because this is a social issue, we might need to do some education first. We certainly need to see how the hunters in the northern region would react to this before moving the season there. This seems like it would be extremely effective at saving young bucks and this might be one of those sacrifices we need to make.
3. Protection of young bucks through harvest restriction. All groups could agree that this is how we achieve the objective of improving the age structure, but we differed on how to achieve this. The one exception was that MBI did not take a clear stand on this issue. Bluffland and QDMA were clearly in favor of mandating the protection of bucks through regulations. MDHA was more supportive of this than they were in the past, however, they continued to take the stance that they would like to see this done on a voluntary basis. Kip Adams did an excellent job in bringing up the issue that unless something is mandated, young buck protection rarely happens and in all cases that hunter buck restriction has been successful, the state agency has taken a strong leadership position in leading the state towards acceptance of this management strategy. He pointed out that 22 states have adopted some sort of antler restriction and pointed out the weakness of some of the old data and also pointed to the new data that suggests some very positive outcomes. One point that was raised is that while a restriction that protects most yearling bucks would not by itself create a balanced age structure, the theory that seems to be in effect in other areas is that 2 ½ year old bucks are much smarter and learn to avoid hunters. In addition to that, we feel that the voluntary part of buck restriction is what many hunters would decide to do above and beyond what is mandated. We feel that this combination gives hunters the initial push and allows those interested in seeing bigger bucks the opportunity to jump start their program. In addition, those who don’t wish to wait for that trophy, will still benefit by seeing larger bucks. In any case, these two forces at work will create a situation in which we use a hybrid of regulation and volunteerism to make all hunters ultimately more satisfied with the hunt.
4. The need to consider each region separately. Due to the diversity of habitat in Minnesota, it will be essential that we look at each region carefully to determine what is both socially acceptable and what is biologically possible. Kip pointed out that if we are to sustain this type of management long term, we need to have a majority of hunters accept the new management strategy. Again, the leadership of the DNR will be needed, but all groups (including MDHA) were on board with helping to educate the hunters of the state and get them on board with the new vision.
Part of the regional issues will include modification of zoning, which I know some of you are very passionate about.
Additional messages
One theme that the QDM organizations pushed was that we were demanding that the DNR exercise some leadership instead of relying on the various interest groups to do this. The DNR is ultimately who is going to need to lead this push in gaining the acceptance of this issue that the clear majority of hunters want (according to recent surveys). The DNR is then going to need to manage the change of hunter paradigms. The interest groups acknowledged the fact that they must act in a supporting role in all of this.
While there was one particular DNR leader that was having trouble seeing a common ground among the groups, the other three seemed to see the common ground. In any case, it will be ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that we come across as a unified force at this time if we are to achieve our objectives. I cannot emphasize this enough! This is no time to squabble over little things. We must all get together and move forward with the broad picture in mind and put aside personal agendas.
For those of you who have followed some of my recent work, I have been quite critical of MDHA. I was however, quite impressed with their approach this past weekend. Of course we will see if they follow through with action. Joe Canella seems to be a real good guy and I even sat down with Mark Johnson to have a one-on-one conversation with him. I think we are closer to seeing eye to eye. He is interested in publishing some articles from Kip Adams in upcoming issues of their publication, “Whitetales”. If they start to do this, I would recommend that we begin supporting their organization once again. Stay posted!
As you can see, this past roundtable was extremely effective for us. I think this really boils down to a couple things. The first and foremost was the efforts of people like Clyde and Annette Stephens as well as Rodney Tollefson in addition to those who supported the early QDMA branch and MN QDM organization through donations, memberships, and volunteering. For those of you who do not remember, it was the proposed five county antler point restriction bill that was proposed that led to the creation of the state park studies that Marrett Grund is currently conducting. We all went to the capital to testify before the environment committee during the 2004 legislative session. After some debate, it was determined that we would compromise and conduct the state park studies rather than implement the restrictions. During the conversations at the roundtable, it was mentioned that this very data is what makes them comfortable with moving forward. Without the data, we would be set back a minimum of five years! In talking to Marrett, he indicated that the data so far is mimicking that of the data he collected before Pennsylvania implemented APR’s. He said that this is the exact process he went through to push those through at that time and seemed positive that this data would help prove that we will have a similar success here in Minnesota! This is great news for QDM in Minnesota!
The second reason for our success was the presence of Kip Adams. Kip was a true professional and it was impressive to watch the respect that he garnered from all groups, including the DNR. Kip was very professional. His presentation and response to questions was extremely well though out (although Phil Costigan of Bluffland was a close second). Certainly, the recent rise in QDMA membership and number of branches made this possible. QDMA membership in Minnesota grew by 81% in 2008! This is exactly what we need to continue to maintain this momentum! I honestly believe that we would have not achieved what we did without Kip present.
Of course the work of others set the table, which included groups like Bluffland and others who have been very persistent in putting constant pressure on the DNR and doing so in a very professional way.
Other things that were discussed were the importance of Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in creating access to the public for hunting purposes. As a group, we should get involved in assisting the DNR with these efforts. We did discuss the lead ammunition ban briefly as well. You will comforted to know that several groups are working very intensely on this issue and feel good that this issue will be defeated. You can help by letting your local legislators know how you feel about this issue. We also talked about the new Outdoor Heritage Fund and we made some contacts so that we can possibly be in line for money that might come through to fund potential Q DM friendly projects. Rest assured that you QDM leaders will represent you on that council.
Where do we go from here?
The groups have all agreed to meet on a regular basis to strategize on how we help the DNR lead these efforts. The first meeting will be held in the next few months to discuss buck management issues specifically. It will deal with mostly the SE population, but I suspect we will be able to take things out of there that we can apply statewide. The DNR would like to set up experiment zones where we can test and gather data on the various buck restriction methods mentioned here. They have yet to determine what zones are the test areas, but hopefully, they will pick zones within each region. In any case, this will be combined with extensive education efforts to help the hunters of those zones to better understand what they are being asked to do and what the results will be. This will be needed to get those individuals to buy into the vision and except the change.
So to reiterate, this is a major milestone in deer management! The DNR Fish and Wildlife Director, Dave Schad said that the DNR is ready to begin steering deer management in a new direction. He also agreed as reported in the Pioneer Press that this is a the biggest change in 30 years in regards to deer management.
The important message to take from this is that this is certainly not the time to let up! In fact, this is when our efforts will finally start to show immediate and drastic improvement. Many have laid the groundwork, but now is when we need your help! You can help by joining organizations like QDMA and Bluffland Whitetails. I would also encourage attending their banquets. Even more important, we need you to spread the work about the merits of QDM. Anyone interested in speaking to individuals and groups, please let me know. We can help give you the tools needed. If anyone is interested in starting a QDMA branch or MN QDM cooperative, this will go a long way in promoting QDM in MN. Please gather email addresses for me. I would like to send out email updates to as many MN hunters as I can. Please send me the email for anyone who you think should be on that list.
On a personal note, I feel that the NW area does not have enough representation. QDMA membership will help, but I need to hear form those of you in the NW to develop a strategy to make sure those hunters get equal representation and pilot projects in that area.
Of course there were some other issues discussed as well, but I will leave it at that for now. I cannot stress how important this time is for those of us who support QDM. If you used to be involved and have pulled back, it’s time to rally. If you have not been involved before, we really need you more than ever. Even if you can give an hour a week or even and hour per month, we will take your contributions.
Please do not hesitate to email me or call me with questions. My information is below.
Sincerely,
Ted Wawrzyniak
612-282-2431
[email protected]
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that “adult, mature” 26″ walleye or 42″ muskie for the table.
