DNR announces proposed 2011 deer hunting season structure

MADISON – Department of Natural Resources wildlife management officials will propose a 2011 deer season structure that promises a return to a more traditional hunting framework by eliminating the October antlerless hunt outside of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) management zone and allowing the first deer to be either sex in the CWD management zone.

“We hope hunters will see we’ve been listening to their concerns and that we are taking steps toward the kind of deer season they want to see in Wisconsin,” said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp.

“We need the cooperation of our partners, the landowners and the hunters to help manage this deer herd. That is why we’ve decided to implement herd control tools more acceptable to hunters in 2011,” she said.

Specific 2011 deer season framework recommendations that will be presented to the state Natural Resources Board for review on April 26-27 include:

• In Deer Management Units where deer populations are below goals, limiting or eliminating antlerless harvest.
  
• In 95 units outside the CWD zone where deer populations are substantially above goals, unlimited $2 antlerless tags but no October firearm season.
  
• In the CWD disease management zone, hunters’ first deer can be either sex, with earn-a-buck requirements kicking in after that. CWD management zone buck stickers earned in 2010 will be honored in 2011 and hunters can obtain up to four free CWD antlerless tags per day. These tags can only be used in the CWD zone. There will be October and Holiday hunts in the CWD zone.

Last year, 18 below-population-goal deer management units in northern Wisconsin were designated as “zero quota” units meaning that neither gun deer hunters nor archery deer hunters could shoot an antlerless deer. The herd has rebounded in a number of these units, but in eight where the population continues below goal (Units 3, 7, 29B, 34, 35, 39, 44, and 45), DNR will recommend continued “zero antlerless quotas.”
Over the past year in response to hunter reports of seeing fewer deer on the landscape, DNR has held meetings with hunters and solicited deer sighting feedback through its website and other means.
“National experts say we have one of the best population estimate systems in the nation – but no system is perfect. We are taking efforts to make our population estimates better and to figure out how the uneven distribution of deer on public versus private land is impacting those numbers.

“We want to work with hunters. We want to come to agreement on numbers and goals and harvest antlerless deer where needed. Accordingly, we’ve initiated deer research in northwest and east-central Wisconsin to answer hunter questions about predators and buck harvest rates to further improve our system,” said Stepp.
Deer hunting is a strong tradition in the state and an important economic driver. Deer hunting in Wisconsin creates more than $1 billion of economic activity annually, and supports 16,000 jobs. Wisconsin has one of the top three deer harvests per square mile of any state in the country, one of the highest buck harvests per square mile, and the highest number of trophy bucks registered with Boone and Crockett (gun) and Pope and Young (archery).

Each year, wildlife managers use data from the past years’ hunt – from hunter deer registration stubs, fawn production observations, winter stress reports and more to estimate the size of the deer herd by management unit. The number of deer by unit is compared to deer population goals, and a season structure aimed at keeping deer in line with goals and habitat carrying capacity is recommended to the state Natural Resources Board.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The full proposal to the Natural Resources Board will be available on DNR website later today or tomorrow. Refer to the Natural Resources Board agenda for April and click on the deer season framework item.]

News Release Published: April 14, 2011 by the Central Office
Contact(s): Land Administrator Kurt Thiede, (608)266-5833
Source: Wisconsin DNR, http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=2054

2009 DNR Hearings Set for April 13th

The 2009 Annual DNR Spring Fish and Wildlife Hearings and Conservation Congress County Meetings will take place on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7 p.m., in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties (hearing notice including rule proposals and hearing locations). Attendees will have a chance to elect county delegates to represent their views on natural resource issues, record their preference for DNR rule proposals and weigh in on a variety of Natural Resources Board and Conservation Congress advisory questions. There is also an opportunity at the end of the hearing to introduce resolutions pertaining to the management of natural resources in Wisconsin. Last year over 6,400 people attended the hearings.

Here are the statewide locations:


Adams Adams County Courthouse, Board Room, 402 Main Street, Friendship
Ashland Ashland Senior High School, Auditorium, 1900 Beaser Avenue, Ashland
Barron Barron Government Center, 330 E. LaSalle Ave., Barron
Bayfield Drummond high School, Auditorium, 52440 Eastern Ave., Drummond
Brown Franklin Middle School, Auditorium, 1234 W. Mason, Green Bay
Buffalo Alma High School, Gymnasium, S1618 STH 35, Alma
Burnett Burnett County Government Center, Room 165, 7410 County Road K, Siren
Calumet Calumet County Courthouse, B025, 206 Court Street, Chilton
Chippewa Chippewa Falls Middle School, Auditorium, 750 Tropicana Blvd., Chippewa Falls
Clark Greenwood High School, Cafetorium, 306 W. Central Ave., Greenwood
Columbia Portage Junior High School, 2505 New Pinery Rd., Portage
Crawford Crawford County Courthouse, Court Room, 220 N. Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien
Dane Middleton Performing Arts Center at Middleton High School, 2100 Bristol St., Middleton
Dodge Horicon City Hall, 404 E. Lake Street, Horicon
Door Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan Ave., Sturgeon Bay
Douglas Brule Town Hall, 5814 S. Maple St., Brule
Dunn Dunn County Fish and Game Club, 1900 Pioneer Ave., Menomonie
Eau Claire South Middle School, Auditorium, 2115 Mitscher Ave., Eau Claire
Florence Florence Natural Resource Center, Basement, Highway 70/101, Florence
Fond du Lac Theisen Middle School, 525 E Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac
Forest Crandon High School, Auditorium, 9750 USH 8 W, Crandon
Grant Lancaster High School, Auditorium, 806 Elm Street, Lancaster
Green Monroe Middle School, 1510 13th Street, Monroe
Green Lake Green Lake High School, Small Gym, 612 Mill St., Green Lake
Iowa Dodgeville High School, Gymnasium, 912 West Chapel Street, Dodgeville
Iron Iron County Courthouse, 300 Taconite St., Hurley
Jackson Black River Falls Middle School, LGI Room, 1202 Pierce Street, Black River Falls
Jefferson Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Activity Center, 503 N. Jackson Ave., Jefferson
Juneau Olson Middle School, Auditorium, 508 Grayside Avenue, Mauston
Kenosha Bristol Grade School, Gymnasium, 20121 83rd Street, Bristol
Kewaunee Kewaunee High School, Auditorium, 911 3rd Street, Kewaunee
La Crosse Onalaska High School, Field House, 700 Hilltop Place, Onalaska
Lafayette Darlington High School, Auditorium, 11838 Center Hill Road, Darlington
Langlade Antigo High School, Volm Auditorium,1900 10th Avenue, Antigo
Lincoln Tomahawk Elementary School, 1048 East Kings Road, Tomahawk
Manitowoc UW Manitowoc, Theater, 705 Viebahn Street, Manitowoc
Marathon D.C. Everest Middle School, 9302 Schofield Avenue, Weston
Marinette Crivitz High School, Auditorium, 400 South Ave, Crivitz
Marquette Montello High School, Community Room, 222 Forest Lane, Montello
Menominee Menominee County Courthouse, Basement, Courthouse Lane, Keshena
Milwaukee Nathan Hale High School, Auditorium, 11601 West Lincoln Avenue, West Allis
Monroe Tomah High School, Cafeteria, 901 Lincoln Ave., Tomah
Oconto Suring High School, Cafeteria, 411 E. Algoma St., Suring
Oneida James Williams Junior High School, 915 Acacia, Rhinelander
Outagamie Riverview Middle School, Auditorium, 101 Oak Street, Kaukauna
Ozaukee Port Washington American Legion, 435 Lake St., Port Washington
Pepin Pepin County Government Center, County Board Room, 740 7th Avenue W., Durand
Pierce Ellsworth Senior High School, Gymnasium, 323 Hillcrest St., Ellsworth
Polk Unity High School, Gymnasium, 908 150th Street/Hwy 46, Balsam Lake
Portage Ben Franklin Junior High School, Auditorium, 2000 Polk Street, Stevens Point
Price Price County Courthouse, County Board Room, 126 Cherry Street, Phillips
Racine Union Grove High School, Auditorium (Use Hwy. 45 School Entrance), 3433 S. Colony Ave., Union Grove
Richland Richland County Courthouse, 181 West Seminary, Richland Center
Rock Pontiac Convention Center, 2809 N. Pontiac Dr., Janesville
Rusk Ladysmith High School, Auditorium, 1700 E. Edgewood Ave., Ladysmith
Sauk UW – Baraboo Sauk County, R.G. Brown Theater, 1006 Connie Road, Baraboo
Sawyer Hayward Area Middle School, Cafetorium, 10408 Greenwood Ln., Hayward
Shawano Shawano Community Middle School, LGI Room, 1050 S. Union Street, Shawano
Sheboygan Sheboygan Falls High School, Auditorium, 220 Amherst Avenue, Sheboygan Falls
St. Croix WI Indianhead Technical College, Cashman Conf. Room, 1019 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond
Taylor Taylor Co. Fairgrounds, Multipurpose Building, State Hwy 13 and Hwy 64 Intersection, Medford
Trempealeau Whitehall City Center, Gymnasium, 36245 Park Street, Whitehall
Vernon Viroqua High School, 100 Blackhawk Drive, Viroqua
Vilas Town of Plum Lake Town Hall, 235 Lake St., Sayner
Walworth Delavan/Darien High School, Auditorium, 150 Cummings, Delavan
Washburn WI Ag Research Station, W6646 Hwy 70, Spooner
Washington Washington County Fair Park, Exhibit Hall, 3000 Hwy PV, West Bend
Waukesha Waukesha Co. Tech. College (WCTC), Anderson Education Center, 800 Main St., Pewaukee
Waupaca Waupaca High School, Auditorium, E2325 King Road, Waupaca
Waushara Waushara County Court House, 2nd Floor Old Courtroom, 209 S. St. Marie, Wautoma
Winnebago Webster Stanley Auditorium, 915 Hazel Street, Oshkosh
Wood Pittsville High School, Auditorium, 5459 Elementary Ave., Pittsville

Standing up for the Conservation of Whitetail Deer

Standing up for the Conservation of Whitetail Deer

Whitetail Deer hunting has become a hobby, tradition and passion for many in Wisconsin. One area of deer hunting that Wisconsin hunters are passionate about and yet take for granted is the area of conservation. Wisconsin hunters need to know that present-day deer hunting conditions are the result of the conservation efforts from those who have been passionate in the sport in the past.

It is the duty of those of us who enjoy whitetail hunting to do all that they can to insure the future of the sport. It is inevitable that hunting conditions will change with the public land shrinking, hunters using the form of bait, and the testing of different seasons from our friends at the Department of Natural resources. Although, we cannot fight the inevitable, we should attempt to preserve our hunting rights in areas which remain suitable to the deer herds. We must watch any and all legislative proposals which affect the sport, and we should support those which are beneficial and oppose those which are detrimental to hunting as we know it today. This may seem very straightforward but in light of recent debate over the Earn-A-Buck rule, there is no better time than now to be informed and vocal than now.

With states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan are considering the problem of overpopulation. DNR officials have take the correct approach and asked the hunting public to stand up and voice their opinion and that is what they plan to do. April 13 is when we will all get a chance to voice what we want to see done with the management of game animals. Get informed by listening and if you can, stand up and be heard.

Its time to vote on how we hunt

I have been recently reading handfuls of articles regarding the deer population, how we should control the population, what baiting does to the population, etc.... is it time to finally have a set of annual votes for hunters across the state of Wisconsin to vote on.

I know that time and money are not an abundant resource for the DNR nor our state leaders so I think its only fair we cast the one stone that kills both birds....no hunting pun intended.

We have heard numerous suggestions on how the 2009 Whitetail Deer Hunting Gun season will be shaped and yet we have not heard how us hunters will have a voice in the final say.

I will state this very simply, come up with your solutions, allow the Wisconsin hunters to voice their opinions, and come up with a voting system that allows hunters to dictate the future of the sport in Wisconsin.

I will continue to research how this will be done, how it has been done in the recent past and get all my readers up to speed.

To be continued....