Help Protect WI Deer Hunting

[SamSpade]

Help Protect Wisconsin's Rich Hunting Heritage!

Please Make Your Voice Heard Today!

We urgently need your help. Recently, the Department of Natural Resources asked the Natural Resources Board to bring back the October antlerless deer season (T-Zone) and the Earn-A-Buck program. Wisconsin has a Constitutional Amendment set up to protect the right of the tradition of hunting, this right is subject to "reasonable" regulations. There have been a number of public votes at the Annual Meetings of the Conservation Congress that have supported the belief that T-Zone and EAB are considered unreasonable.

T-Zone and EAB have not been proven effective and inappropriately dictate hunter behavior in the field. They discourage many sportsmen, especially those whose schedules allow them to hunt only a few days a year, from hunting at all. T-Zone would create a special antlerless-only season in certain areas during October. EAB would require hunters to harvest a doe before taking a buck. At a time when hunter numbers are declining, the state should be seeking ways to recruit and retain hunters, not discourage them from entering the field.

Please cut-and-paste only the document below and mail it to the Natural Resources Board by Friday, April 18 or fax it by Monday, April 21 to 608-266-6983.

Natural Resources Board

101 S. Webster St. PO Box 7921

Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7921

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Resolution to Restore Traditional Deer Seasons

In Wisconsin, the deer hunting heritage and tradition have very deep roots. This hunting culture is so ingrained in our society that the right to hunt with reasonable regulation is protected by our state constitution.

Deer hunting is more than just killing deer. To many, the traditional deer season and the ability to hunt with family and friends is the most important social event of the year. Unreasonable changes imposed by the DNR to the deer seasons over the last several years have negatively impacted many hunting traditions.

October gun seasons and especially Earn-A-Buck have alienated hunters across the state, yet have done little to solve the problem of deer densities on private land. Those fortunate enough to hunt private land can control October hunting pressure providing them greater opportunity to earn their buck. However, those less fortunate, hunting public land that has been over-harvested for years are being denied the right and opportunity to hunt bucks. Years of these unreasonable regulations on hunters in the CWD management zones have resulted in the lowest hunter densities in decades causing deer populations to explode.

Whereas, in 2000 the national record deer harvest was achieved in Wisconsin without Earn-A-Buck by providing two free antlerless tags.

Whereas, in 2005 the public overwhelmingly rejected October hunts and Earn-A-Buck as unreasonable regulations to their right to hunt with overwhelming support of Question #44 at the Annual Conservation Congress County Meetings.

Whereas, in 2007 hunters harvested antlerless deer at a 2:1 ratio statewide without October seasons, resulting in the second all time harvest, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, _______________________________________ in the County of

(Individual, group or business)

_______________________________ on _________________, 2008, recommends the Natural Resources Board reject the DNR 2008 deer season recommendations and return to the Traditional Gun and Archery seasons statewide without October antlerless hunts or Earn-A-Buck.



___________________________ _________________________

(Individual or officer) (Title)

 

[Len Backus]

Sam

Since I have hunted on private land always, I guess I never thought about the T-Zone and Earn-a-buck issues from the point of view of the public land hunter. Have there been any attempts to pinpoint deer density differences on public vs private land?

And by the way, in the Oshkosh paper, Pat Durkee (sp) recently quoted DNR stats as saying only one county or DMU was at 2.0 ratio. All others were well below if I recall his numbers.

Whereas, in 2007 hunters harvested antlerless deer at a 2:1 ratio statewide without October seasons, resulting in the second all time harvest, therefore

Did you read that article?

They discourage many sportsmen, especially those whose schedules allow them to hunt only a few days a year, from hunting at all.

Have you seen any stats on this statement?

By the way, my son and I now hunt a friend's Waupaca County land and we can't figure out why there are so many deer in that neighborhood compared to Waushara County where we hunted private land for 14 years previously.

Two weeks ago my friend counted 80 deer out in fields within one mile of his house. We took 15 deer off his 300 acre land last season. It sure sounds like a war zone over there on opening weekend so it's hard for me to think there aren't enough hunters around to harvest the deer on the mostly private land in the neighborhood. I just can't figure it out. Where do you hunt?

 

[SamSpade]

We deer hunt on private land in the Conover area which is just north of Eagle River. I am sure there are a lot more deer on private land then public. But then again that depends if you call Natl. Forests as public?

I don't dispute the fact that we need to kill more does and even spike bucks. My dispute is the method they are trying to do it with. If they sincerely wanted to kill more deer they would have the deer season two weeks earlier and run it for a couple of weeks. Also they could issue buck and antlerless tags.

My other objection is that I do not have a lot of faith in our DNR and their method of counting the deer herd. My biggest problem is with EAB, that causes hunters to shoot the first antlerless deer they see.

 

[Len Backus]

I would love to have a longer gun season so I could spend more time shopping for my choice of buck.

I know you go out west to shoot PD's. Do you do any coyote hunting here or out there?

 

[Waltech Jim]

There was only one year so far that EAB affected the DMU that I do most of my hunting in, and it was a disaster in my opinion. I live next to the Chequamegon National Forest and the Flambeau River State Forest and what took place was a crime.

It seemed as though every hunter that owned private property flocked to the public land to get their antlerless deer for the sticker. They wouldn't shoot it from their own land. (A high goal was set by the DNR because the privately owned portions of the DMU were packed with deer.) This did nothing to reduce the deer herd on private land where the herd was way over goals. In my opinion the public lands were over harvested. The wolves even moved out of the area that winter as there wasn't a deer left in the area. I took several trips through the area looking for deer tracks. There wasn't any.

The T zone concept isn't much better. Most of the (hunting) land owners will not hunt their own land during T zone. They get together and make huge drives on public land and shoot anything that does not have horns.

I fed a grand total of three deer this winter. One adult doe, her daughter from last year and a runt nubbin buck. I have fed as many as 30 deer through the winter. The average is usually 10 to 13.

5 miles to the north east, on the mixed woodland and fields in the middle of the private land, I counted almost 50 deer in two fields not a week ago.

I realize, as sportsman, we must manage the deer herd and some management methods can be controversial. But the DNR is using a system of DMUs that was crafted when the deer herd was much different than it is now, and management tools were very simple. I feel the DMUs in the northern half of the state should be changed to address the management needs of today.

Len,

I do quite a bit of pd shooting out west. (I am also known as pdhntr on other sites) When I have the time out west I usually do some calling.

I try to call coyotes up here, but the population is so variable, it is quite difficult. The wolves have killed almost all of the coyotes. Also, with pressure from every person that has a gun, they have become nocturnal. I found a small pack of coyotes in January and a youngster and I tried calling them until a month ago, with no kills. We found that I could howl them in, but they didn't come to the set until just after dark.

We are going to hunt them in the moonlight next winter. I think it will be quite interesting.

Jim

 

[Len Backus]

Jim, sad about the deer in your area.

yotefever from this site lives in WI and hunts yotes at night in the northern Kettle Moraine.

 

[Waltech Jim]

Thanks Len, I will certainly get in touch with him.

With our laws as they stand, hunting coyotes at night is quite a challenge. Hopefully he will share some of his experiences with me.

Jim

 

[Len Backus]

He mentioned moonlit night and snow.