Fellow WI Deer Hunter- Must Read!!!

Public Hearings to be Held to Gather Input on Proposed Deer Season Package for 2010

The department will be hosting a series of 11 hearings throughout the state beginning October 14 to gather public input on a proposed deer season package for 2010 and 2011. The proposal came from a special advisory study committee made up of hunting groups and other deer stakeholders assigned by the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to find an alternative to the earn-a-buck program that attempts to balance herd control effectiveness with hunter and landowner acceptance. Public comments will be sought on the proposed season structure versus the current season structure with earn-a-buck requirements.

Complete hearing information and components to the deer season proposal can be found on the Wisconsin DNR website:

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/news/hearmeet.html#hearings

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=1432

Those who are unable to attend a hearing can comment online. Official comments will not be considered until the dates in which the hearings will be held: October 14 through November 3, 2009. A button will be available beginning October 14 on the DNR’s “Deer Hunting in Wisconsin” web page, in the “Current Focus” box, which will be linked to an online comment form. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/deer/index.htm

The NRB Special Advisory Study Committee’s report to the NRB can be found on their website: http://deerherd.editme.com/

Thanks for the heads up.

If you don’t give them your input, you can’t complain about the outcome. Make sure you let them know how you feel about the season structure in Wisconsin. Maybe they can find a structure we can all live with and leave it alone for a while instead of screwing around with it every year.

Is it even possible to find a way to manage the deer herd statewide? Public land vs. large chunks of private land vs. small tracts of private land, IMO all need different managment strategies if you really want to control the herd. A situation near where I hunt is an interesting case study. On one hand you have 3 appox. 50 acre parcels together which each have 4 people hunting on them. Farther down the road you have a group of 12 who hunt 1,200 or so acres. In case one with earn a buck, you have 12 does getting shot on 150 acres. In case 2, you have 12 does getting shot on 1,200 acres. EAB over time gets devastating to the population on areas with many heavy hunted small parcels together, while barely putting a dent in big plots of land.

I don’t envy the DNR in trying to come up with a one plan meets all goals idea. I would also agree that having a ton of micro mangament plans would be terrible and impossible to enforce as well. And this plan could really drive a wedge between bow hunters and gun hunters.

MB – I know your pain. We have the same problem with our farm. I let a deer go by, it jumps the fence and gets shot by the neighbor. Until last year…they shot the 2nd to last one. I have one doe with no fawn showing up to my 100 acres a couple of times this last summer, and one small buck comes through about once every three or four days. About 30 apple trees with apples falling like crazy, and not one single deer on them yet as of 9/27. No trails, no poop, nothing! CWD eratication has done more than its job around by me. Probably won’t even hunt my property for the next couple of years…..I have a retired neighbor that hunts every day from opening in Sept to the end of Dec. Shoots everything in his range…why? Because he can.