MADISON - Antlerless deer (bonus) carcass tags for regular deer management units, and hunting access permits for state park deer management units go on sale starting Aug. 21.
Tags and permits will be sold at the rate of one per person per day. Tags and permits for odd numbered units will be available for sale on Saturday Aug. 21 from noon until midnight. Tags and permits for even numbered units will go on sale beginning Sunday Aug. 22 at noon.
Sales will continue Monday, August 23 for both odd and even numbered units for all remaining tags. Sales will continue until sold out or until the hunting season ends.
Tags and permits will be available for purchase at any DNR licensing sales location, through the DNR Online Licensing Center, or by phone toll free at 1 (877) 945-4236 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1 (877) 945-4236 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Deer hunters are encouraged to check the 2010 deer management unit designations map or in the 2010 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations booklet for the units they plan to hunt in this fall.
Forty seven regular units will require hunters to purchase antlerless (bonus) tags if they wish to tag antlerless deer in those units this fall. Nineteen regular deer management units will not have any antlerless tags available for sale this year to encourage herd growth. Every gun and archery deer hunting license will include an antlerless carcass tag valid for units designated as Herd Control or Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD units have unlimited earn-a-buck (EAB) rules.
If hunters are planning to hunt in any of the twelve state parks that require access permits for deer hunting, they should plan accordingly, as many units will sell out quickly. Those interested in hunting these properties should first check the 2010 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations or the Hunting Opportunities web page to learn about special weapon restrictions and season dates. Some state parks that allow deer hunting may not require access permits, but may have different season dates.
Purchasing a deer hunting license before Aug. 21 can speed up the permit purchasing process, suggest officials, since hunters must obtain a deer hunting license before they can purchase a bonus antlerless tag or state park access permit. Hunters can check for tag or access permit availability on the DNR website. Tag and permit availability are updated regularly. Units with relatively low numbers of available tags can be expected to sell out quickly. Units with a high number of tags available generally last longer or may not sell out.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Jason Fleener, Assistant Deer Ecologist – (608) 261-7589
For questions about tag sales and park access permits contact the DNR Call Center at 1-888-WDNRINFO
Source: Wisconsin DNR
Site: http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_article_Lookup.asp?id=1493
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Operation Deer Watch’ kicks off August 1
Online reporting system will help track state’s deer population
MADISON – Beginning August 1, Wisconsin citizens will have a new opportunity to be part of managing white-tailed deer in Wisconsin. Dubbed Operation Deer Watch, people are being asked to record and report all deer they see between Aug 1 and Sept 30. Go to the Department of Natural Resources website [dnr.wi.gov] and click on the Operation Deer Watch button to get started.
“All deer seen including bucks, does and fawns should be reported during this two month period,” said Jason Fleener, assistant DNR deer specialist. “The observations will be entered into a database and will be used to determine doe to fawn ratios, which are a part of the population estimation equation.”
Summer deer observations have always been part of the population estimation process, according to DNR biologists. The number of deer seen and the number of fawns seen with each doe are indicators of annual production in deer herds. In addition to deer seen, observers are asked to note date and location. Only deer seen between sunrise and sunset are to be counted.
In previous years, the observation period lasted three months and only state and federal biologists, foresters, law enforcement and other government staff participated.
“One of the recommendations of a panel of experts that that reviewed our deer population estimation model a few years back was to increase the number of observers and to shorten the summer deer observation period to two months from three,” said Fleener “We hope to capitalize on the intense public interest in Wisconsin’s whitetail deer population. It’s a great chance for the public to help keep an eye-on-the-herd and add a lot more observations to our database.
Operation Deer Watch is yet one more way in which the deer enthusiasts can help monitor the herd. In 2009, the department launched a hunter observation website that asked hunters to record observations from their trips in the woods. Valuable information on species distribution, as well as, data the number of hunting days, hunting hours and environmental conditions they experienced was gathered. Nearly 20,000 hunting trips were logged into the online database. In addition, similar new data questions were added to the deer registration form that successful hunters complete and this provided over 320,000 observations.
“We expect the value of these citizen-based monitoring efforts will grow with each additional year. We will be able to look at year-after-year changes that provide insights to our deer populations across Wisconsin” added Fleener.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Manwell – (608) 264-9248, Jason Fleener - (608) 261-or Jessica Rees - (608) 221-6360
Source: Wisconsin DNR, Weekly News Article Published: July 20, 2010 by the Central Office
Site: http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_article_Lookup.asp?id=1480
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Register now for fall hunter education course
MADISON – Wisconsin hunters planning for the late-year seasons should register now for required hunter education certificate courses to avoid being sidelined this fall.
“Nearly all of the volunteer hunter education instructors are hunters themselves and enjoy hunting in the fall,” says Conservation Warden Tim Lawhern, who also serves as the state’s hunting education administrator. “The hunter education program offers about 1,200 courses every year, but very few of them are offered from October through December.
Every year Lawhern fields calls two weeks before the gun-deer season with hunter-hopefuls looking to fulfill the mandatory hunter education course. “More than 99 percent of our courses have already been offered by that time,” he says.
Anyone born on or after Jan.1, 1973, must have completed a hunter education course and show the certificate to purchase any hunting license in Wisconsin. Also, recreational safety students are required to obtain a Wisconsin DNR Customer ID Number before the completion of any recreational safety class and must provide that Customer ID Number to the instructor.
To find a course, visit the Department of Natural Resources Web site. Look under the heading of Recreational Safety Course – Upcoming Classes. If unsuccessful, check back as courses are added to the listing as instructors alert the DNR.
“In Wisconsin, we’ve reduced hunting accidents by 90 percent since the hunter education program began,” Lawhern says. “Hunting is safe -- and getting safer -- because of the volunteer instructors who teach hunter education and the number of our hunters who have now graduated from our courses. Sign up now while courses are being offered in your area.
“Remember, safe hunting is no accident,” he says.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern (608) 266-1317
Source: Wisconsin DNR
Site: http://dnr.wi.gov/news/weekly.asp#art3
“Nearly all of the volunteer hunter education instructors are hunters themselves and enjoy hunting in the fall,” says Conservation Warden Tim Lawhern, who also serves as the state’s hunting education administrator. “The hunter education program offers about 1,200 courses every year, but very few of them are offered from October through December.
Every year Lawhern fields calls two weeks before the gun-deer season with hunter-hopefuls looking to fulfill the mandatory hunter education course. “More than 99 percent of our courses have already been offered by that time,” he says.
Anyone born on or after Jan.1, 1973, must have completed a hunter education course and show the certificate to purchase any hunting license in Wisconsin. Also, recreational safety students are required to obtain a Wisconsin DNR Customer ID Number before the completion of any recreational safety class and must provide that Customer ID Number to the instructor.
To find a course, visit the Department of Natural Resources Web site. Look under the heading of Recreational Safety Course – Upcoming Classes. If unsuccessful, check back as courses are added to the listing as instructors alert the DNR.
“In Wisconsin, we’ve reduced hunting accidents by 90 percent since the hunter education program began,” Lawhern says. “Hunting is safe -- and getting safer -- because of the volunteer instructors who teach hunter education and the number of our hunters who have now graduated from our courses. Sign up now while courses are being offered in your area.
“Remember, safe hunting is no accident,” he says.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern (608) 266-1317
Source: Wisconsin DNR
Site: http://dnr.wi.gov/news/weekly.asp#art3
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wisconsin Continues to Advocate Wolf Delisting
Wisconsin’s gray wolf population at the close of the 2009-2010 winter is estimated to be 690 to 733 wolves, a roughly 10 percent increase over the 2008-2009 end-of-winter estimate of 626 to 662 wolves. The current estimate is more than twice the population goal prescribed by the Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan.
Wolves continue to be listed as endangered in Wisconsin and elsewhere. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has attempted to remove the wolf from this list in portions of the Great Lakes states so that management could be handed over to the states.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources submitted a petition to the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging them to complete the delisting process and return management authority to the state. So far, attempts to delist the wolf have been blocked by the courts based on lawsuits brought by animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, Help Our Wolves Live, Friends of Animals and Their Environment, and Born Free USA.
“Wisconsin has worked cooperatively with the Department of the Interior on wolf recovery for more than 30 years and has supported Interior’s recent efforts to delist the gray wolf,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank. “We believe, and scientific evidence supports, that delisting and transferring management of the wolf to Wisconsin is timely and will lead to improved management through effective action on problem wolves.”
With the growth of the wolf population in Wisconsin, there have been depredation problems with wolves killing livestock and hunting dogs. Although owners of livestock and hunting dogs have been compensated for their losses, additional management tools will allow better control of the population and greater protections for livestock and pet owners.
Deer hunters also question the impact wolves have on the number and distribution of deer, as evidenced by the fact that Wisconsin hunters harvested their lowest number of deer in 27 years during the 2009 season. The DNR estimates that wolves killed 13,000 deer in 2009. Researchers from DNR and the University of Wisconsin will be studying the impacts of predators (wolves, bears, coyotes and bobcats) on deer more intensely over the next three to five years.
The annual winter wolf count relies on aerial tracking of radio-collared wolves, trail cameras, and snow track surveys by DNR and volunteer trackers. Also included are wolf sightings by members of the public. The agency has conducted these counts since the winter of 1979-1980 when there were 25 wolves in the state.
A total of 180 wolf packs were detected in Wisconsin during the winter count consisting of at least 2 adult wolves each. Biologists found 30 packs distributed across central Wisconsin and 150 packs in northern Wisconsin. The largest packs in the state were the Moose Road Pack Douglas County with 11 wolves, the Crotte Creek Pack in Douglas County with nine wolves and the McArther Pine Pack in Forest County with nine wolves. At least 52 packs had five or more wolves in them.
The Wisconsin wolf population is considered to be one of the most closely monitored and managed animal species in the nation, according to Adrian Wydeven, a DNR conservation biologist and wolf specialist.
Wisconsin Offering E-mail Alerts on Wolf Activity
Dog trainers, pet owners and others interested in keeping track of recent wolf activity can now sign up for an e-mail or wireless service that will send an alert anytime wolves attack hunting dogs or pets.
The new feature relies on an easy-to-use service called GovDelivery. From the DNR home page search for “dog depredation by wolves” and follow the simple instructions for subscribing to the alerts. It is possible to unsubscribe at anytime.
The alert will be sent to a subscriber’s e-mail and/or wireless addresses of choice and will include a link to details of 2010 depredations and a caution map based on the location of any attacks. Wolves killed 23 dogs, including many hunting dogs, and injured 10 others in 2009, and 21 dogs were killed by wolves in 2008, according to the DNR.
Wisconsin’s dog training season opens July 1 and runs through Aug. 31 leading up to the opening of Wisconsin’s 2010 black bear season on Sept. 8. Bear season runs through Oct. 12. It is legal during this training period for hunters with a class A or B bear hunting license to train dogs on wild bear on public property open to bear-dog training.
“This new system will give dog trainers rapid alerts to problem areas with information that can help them avoid attacks on their dogs,” said Wydeven. “We will post new alerts just as soon as attacks are confirmed. We’ll also continue to maintain our wolf alert web pages with documentation of all attacks throughout the current season.”
Wolves with pups leave the den area where the pups were born and occupy one or more rendezvous sites within the pack territory during summer months. A wolf pack changes rendezvous sites somewhat unpredictably but will defend the current site and pups from any hunting dogs that get too close.
Alerts on other topics are also available through the GovDelivery feature. At the DNR home page select “Subscribe to DNR Updates” and select the topics you want to follow.
Source: NRAHuntersRights.org
Site: http://nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=3584
Wolves continue to be listed as endangered in Wisconsin and elsewhere. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has attempted to remove the wolf from this list in portions of the Great Lakes states so that management could be handed over to the states.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources submitted a petition to the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging them to complete the delisting process and return management authority to the state. So far, attempts to delist the wolf have been blocked by the courts based on lawsuits brought by animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, Help Our Wolves Live, Friends of Animals and Their Environment, and Born Free USA.
“Wisconsin has worked cooperatively with the Department of the Interior on wolf recovery for more than 30 years and has supported Interior’s recent efforts to delist the gray wolf,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank. “We believe, and scientific evidence supports, that delisting and transferring management of the wolf to Wisconsin is timely and will lead to improved management through effective action on problem wolves.”
With the growth of the wolf population in Wisconsin, there have been depredation problems with wolves killing livestock and hunting dogs. Although owners of livestock and hunting dogs have been compensated for their losses, additional management tools will allow better control of the population and greater protections for livestock and pet owners.
Deer hunters also question the impact wolves have on the number and distribution of deer, as evidenced by the fact that Wisconsin hunters harvested their lowest number of deer in 27 years during the 2009 season. The DNR estimates that wolves killed 13,000 deer in 2009. Researchers from DNR and the University of Wisconsin will be studying the impacts of predators (wolves, bears, coyotes and bobcats) on deer more intensely over the next three to five years.
The annual winter wolf count relies on aerial tracking of radio-collared wolves, trail cameras, and snow track surveys by DNR and volunteer trackers. Also included are wolf sightings by members of the public. The agency has conducted these counts since the winter of 1979-1980 when there were 25 wolves in the state.
A total of 180 wolf packs were detected in Wisconsin during the winter count consisting of at least 2 adult wolves each. Biologists found 30 packs distributed across central Wisconsin and 150 packs in northern Wisconsin. The largest packs in the state were the Moose Road Pack Douglas County with 11 wolves, the Crotte Creek Pack in Douglas County with nine wolves and the McArther Pine Pack in Forest County with nine wolves. At least 52 packs had five or more wolves in them.
The Wisconsin wolf population is considered to be one of the most closely monitored and managed animal species in the nation, according to Adrian Wydeven, a DNR conservation biologist and wolf specialist.
Wisconsin Offering E-mail Alerts on Wolf Activity
Dog trainers, pet owners and others interested in keeping track of recent wolf activity can now sign up for an e-mail or wireless service that will send an alert anytime wolves attack hunting dogs or pets.
The new feature relies on an easy-to-use service called GovDelivery. From the DNR home page search for “dog depredation by wolves” and follow the simple instructions for subscribing to the alerts. It is possible to unsubscribe at anytime.
The alert will be sent to a subscriber’s e-mail and/or wireless addresses of choice and will include a link to details of 2010 depredations and a caution map based on the location of any attacks. Wolves killed 23 dogs, including many hunting dogs, and injured 10 others in 2009, and 21 dogs were killed by wolves in 2008, according to the DNR.
Wisconsin’s dog training season opens July 1 and runs through Aug. 31 leading up to the opening of Wisconsin’s 2010 black bear season on Sept. 8. Bear season runs through Oct. 12. It is legal during this training period for hunters with a class A or B bear hunting license to train dogs on wild bear on public property open to bear-dog training.
“This new system will give dog trainers rapid alerts to problem areas with information that can help them avoid attacks on their dogs,” said Wydeven. “We will post new alerts just as soon as attacks are confirmed. We’ll also continue to maintain our wolf alert web pages with documentation of all attacks throughout the current season.”
Wolves with pups leave the den area where the pups were born and occupy one or more rendezvous sites within the pack territory during summer months. A wolf pack changes rendezvous sites somewhat unpredictably but will defend the current site and pups from any hunting dogs that get too close.
Alerts on other topics are also available through the GovDelivery feature. At the DNR home page select “Subscribe to DNR Updates” and select the topics you want to follow.
Source: NRAHuntersRights.org
Site: http://nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=3584
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)