WI Deer hunting – NO TAG system

I was in a discussion with a couple different people from the WI DNR discussing the current registration system and the draw backs to those that do not have cell service in their area. As I was making a suggestion, I was told that it may not matter. We may be going to a NO Tag system in the very near future.
Since your given a tag number and that ties into your customer number, a phone in registration would link the confirmation number directly to your tag/customer number and eliminate the need for a physical tag.

Your thoughts?

Does this kind of go along with their new Go Wild program? I think the program itself is great, but no tags for game animals? Even for the standard fishing and non-tag hunting, I wish there was some sort of small sticker you could put on your Go Wild card. That would take the “did I buy XX tag this year already?” question away without having to go online to double check.

I was neither for or against removing back tags on hunters as I could see the advantages from the land owners perspective, but it did save a small amount of money for the state by deleting them.

Taking away the tag for game animals like Turkey and Deer is IMO, a bad move. I know for a fact that the land I hunt has zero cell service for Verizon, which is what everyone I hunt with has. It also speeds up CO checks, at least in my opinion.

So when you buy a license, you basically get one ID number tied to any “tag” you purchase? That is, I can call in, enter the steps for the type of deer shot, enter my cust ID and be done.

In reality, all I need to have on me (or in my memory) is my cust ID or also my actual license.

I will say I like the convenience, but I do miss the stops at the local stations just to see other deer and shoot the sh*t. I do have concern, like a lot of people as to how easy this makes it for “unethical” practices by some.

If people are going to poach, it really doesn’t matter. Thieves are thieves

Not sure why having cell service matters . There were a few different options for registering your deer , phone in , on line , and finding a participating registration place. I like the new system , convenient and easy , but I do miss going to the local establishments to register deer and hear all the stories .

Mike Martine wrote:

Not sure why having cell service matters .

Currently deer must be registered by 5pm the next day. If your in a remote area with no phone service, most likely you won’t have data/Internet service and there are less registration locations.

Prior, you had until the day after season ended. Now with the 5pm next day, you need to drive all over to find a place or service. There is also the “if you leave it, you tag it” rule that means for a tag to be validated, you need a confirmation number. So you can’t hang the deer up while your driving around to get service

Randy Wieland wrote:

If people are going to poach, it really doesn’t matter. Thieves are thieves

Randy, I don’t agree with this. Why make it easier? If people are going to steal get rid of locks.

I as a land owner know that times are tough for people. They trespass. ginseng, morel mushrooms, deer. Why should we make this easier? Comes down to what’s easiest for G people and take away from tradition and locals.

riverruns wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>
If people are going to poach, it really doesn’t matter. Thieves are thieves

Randy, I don’t agree with this. Why make it easier? If people are going to steal get rid of locks.

What is the point of diminished returns? Like you, I encounter it all. Trespassing, ginseng, Turkey, deer, small game, steel targets, cut fences, cut hydraulic lines, littering, trail cameras, trees and, traps, ….. and a whole lot more stolen or vandalized.

I have about the same amount of trespass issues and indirect poaching observations as we did back when we switched from the steel tags. I have come to the opinion that fences keep honest people honest. Not the other way around. Crooks don’t care and regardless of detour, they’ll do as they please

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike Martine wrote:</div>
Not sure why having cell service matters .

Currently deer must be registered by 5pm the next day. If your in a remote area with no phone service, most likely you won’t have data/Internet service and there are less registration locations.

Prior, you had until the day after season ended. Now with the 5pm next day, you need to drive all over to find a place or service. There is also the “if you leave it, you tag it” rule that means for a tag to be validated, you need a confirmation number. So you can’t hang the deer up while your driving around to get service

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike Martine wrote:</div>
Not sure why having cell service matters .

Currently deer must be registered by 5pm the next day. If your in a remote area with no phone service, most likely you won’t have data/Internet service and there are less registration locations.

Prior, you had until the day after season ended. Now with the 5pm next day, you need to drive all over to find a place or service. There is also the “if you leave it, you tag it” rule that means for a tag to be validated, you need a confirmation number. So you can’t hang the deer up while your driving around to get service
[/quote Not true , To validate the tag all you have to do is write date and time of kill , attach it to the carcass and then you can leave it . You have until 5 pm the next day to register it . There’s not too many places left where you can’t drive 15 min and get service , or find a land line

What purpose does registration serve?

Many states out west do not require registration, and they seem to have good hunting. Seriously, why register at all? Validating a license when an animal is killed and a fixing it to the critter along with proof of sex for transport to make possessing it legal serves as a poaching deterrent as much as a mandated phone call. If you have to notch your tag, having to phone it in within a set amount of hours adds nothing but an extra hoop to jump through.

Which states require registration as opposed to which ones don’t?

In South Dakota. there is no registration for deer. We have sticky back tags that need to be attached to animal before leaving the field. Very strict about that. But no official “yes I filled my tag” registration process.

Contrary to that.. in Missouri.. they had the call in system with physical tags.almost exactly like Randy described for Wisc. had to call in to get “telecheck number” by next day. Once you had the telecheck number written down it didnt matter who was in possession of the deer.

New this year.. they allowed you to “carry” your deer tag via cell phone app.. so no physical tag to speak of. Which in turn led to alot of deer being hauled around with no tags of any kind attached. Still required to call it in after the harvest.

Would feel kind of nervous not having the deer tagged in some fashion or carrying the physical tag with me..

Timmy wrote:

What purpose does registration serve?

WI has managed or determined the herd size by tracking the kill rate. In comparison, many other western states complete written or phone surveys following the season to determine quotas for the next year.

I’ve disagreed with WI’s method, but i’m also not a wildlife biologist. I see it like passing a candy jar around a room full of people and letting everyone take a handfull. As the jar makes its first and second pass around, 100% of everyone gets some. So based on that, there must be millions of pieces of candy in the jar and 1 bag is added to it for each complete round. Then suddenly the jar is empty and everyone is griping because they didn’t get any on that pass. HHH’mmm, wonder why???

Not true , To validate the tag all you have to do is write date and time of kill , attach it to the carcass and then you can leave it . You have until 5 pm the next day to register it . There’s not too many places left where you can’t drive 15 min and get service , or find a land line

All depends on where your at and which service provider you have. If your along the Insterstate corridor, ATT will be fine. Go further off the beaten path and they have no coverage and won’t piggy-back off of other providers.

I know the system works for the majority. Its the minority that shouldn’t be penalized because they don’t have Verizon, or a car, or whatever. Just an example – Family issue came up and my Brother-n-law had to drive home. He left his son to stay at their property to hunt opening weekend and would return to hunt with him on Monday. Kid shot his buck on opening morning and spent the day dragging it out. He had no cell service or vehicle. He walked however many miles it was out to hwy 8 and then even further until someone would stop to help him. Then to complicate things further, when he did call in using a stangers phone, he had to opt out and get a service rep on the line. Since his tag was on the deer, he didn’t have the tag number with him. I wasn’t part of that call, so I don’t know all the details. But according to him, it was a real hassle when he didn’t have his tag number and the service rep couldn’t understand why he was in one place and his deer was in another.

I know circumstances like this wasn’t the norm for everyone. But it should be equally as easy for us all. I personally want to see the no tag system go through, OR at minimum, go to registration by 5pm the day after season closes – not the next day.