MADISON – Landowners interested in sponsoring a deer hunt for disabled hunters are reminded of the June 1 deadline for applications. In 2011, the disabled hunt will take place October 1-9.
Sponsor applications are available on Disabled Deer Hunting page of the Department of Natural Resources website and must be submitted to your local wildlife manager by June 1. A list of approved sponsors will be posted on the DNR website by July 1. Disabled hunters interested in participating in one of these hunts should contact sponsors directly to make arrangements. Sponsors are required to submit a list of participating hunters to DNR by September 1.
Hunters must possess a valid Class A Permit, a Class B Permit for People with Disabilities issued for more than one year and that authorizes shooting from a vehicle, or a Class C Disabled Hunting Permit to be eligible to participate in the Disabled Deer Hunt.
The DNR’s gun deer hunt for hunters with disabilities was started in 1990 to give disabled hunters an opportunity to hunt deer at a time of year when temperatures are generally milder and mobility is less of a problem. The hunts are sponsored by private individuals or organizations and almost entirely take place on privately owned lands.
Interest in the program continues to grow. In 2010, there were over 100 participating sponsors enrolled and over 62,000 acres available for the hunt.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Olver - (608) 261-7588
Source: Wisconsin DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_article_Lookup.asp?id=1791)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
DNR rejects claim it is opposed to “Deer Regulation Bill”
MADISON – Earlier today a press release was issued by a state conservation organization, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, stating that the Department of Natural Resources joined numerous other state conservation organizations in opposing Senate Bill 99 and Assembly Bill 75, commonly referred to as the “deer regulation bills.” In fact, that is not the case.
The Senate committee asked DNR to testify for information only,” said DNR Deputy Secretary, Matt Moroney. “The department does not take positions either for or against bills working their way through the legislative process.”
In testimony given on May 5 to the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Committee, DNR Division of Lands Administrator, Kurt Thiede, said that the department has suspended use of earn-a-buck and October antlerless hunts outside of chronic wasting disease management areas for 2011. He noted, however, that the time may come when the department would like to have those options available again.
“We understand that laws could be written to bring these options back if they are absolutely needed,” said Thiede. “After all, that is how earn-a-buck came to be. However, a key to managing wildlife populations is the ability to assess current needs, make recommendations, and quickly have them in place through action of the Natural Resources Board and the legislative review process. We are concerned that if these herd control strategies are taken away and we need them back we will have to wait for a bill and we don’t foresee this being a popular bill to sponsor or pass in the future.”
“We respect the fact that the Wildlife Federation speaks for numerous conservation organizations, but the DNR is not among them,” said Moroney. “It is a mischaracterization to say we have joined these groups in opposing SB75 and AB 99. DNR’s role is to implement measures the legislature passes.”
News Release Published: May 10, 2011 by the Central Office
Contact(s): Kurt Thiede (608) 266-5833
Source: Wisconsin DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=2090)
The Senate committee asked DNR to testify for information only,” said DNR Deputy Secretary, Matt Moroney. “The department does not take positions either for or against bills working their way through the legislative process.”
In testimony given on May 5 to the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Committee, DNR Division of Lands Administrator, Kurt Thiede, said that the department has suspended use of earn-a-buck and October antlerless hunts outside of chronic wasting disease management areas for 2011. He noted, however, that the time may come when the department would like to have those options available again.
“We understand that laws could be written to bring these options back if they are absolutely needed,” said Thiede. “After all, that is how earn-a-buck came to be. However, a key to managing wildlife populations is the ability to assess current needs, make recommendations, and quickly have them in place through action of the Natural Resources Board and the legislative review process. We are concerned that if these herd control strategies are taken away and we need them back we will have to wait for a bill and we don’t foresee this being a popular bill to sponsor or pass in the future.”
“We respect the fact that the Wildlife Federation speaks for numerous conservation organizations, but the DNR is not among them,” said Moroney. “It is a mischaracterization to say we have joined these groups in opposing SB75 and AB 99. DNR’s role is to implement measures the legislature passes.”
News Release Published: May 10, 2011 by the Central Office
Contact(s): Kurt Thiede (608) 266-5833
Source: Wisconsin DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=2090)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Locating new fawns is next step in deer research project; volunteers needed
MADISON – Dozens of volunteers assisted state wildlife researchers in capturing and placing radio-collars on 204 deer in February and March. Now the call is going out again for volunteers to help locate fawns born to does that were fitted with implant radio transmitters designed to signal when fawns have been born in late May and early June.
“With the whitetail birthing season coming up fast, volunteers are again needed to sweep the woods looking for the newborns,” said Chris Jacques, Department of Natural Resources research scientist. “When located, fawns will be fitted with expandable radio collars so we can follow them through their first year of life to determine causes of death whether it be due to nutrition, environment, vehicle, hunters or predators. This is real hands-on field research.”
Some hunters have questioned assumptions about fawn recruitment used by wildlife biologists for estimating deer populations. Recruitment is the net addition of new individuals (fawns) to a population each year and is an important input in estimating deer population numbers. At the end of this three-year effort to monitor fawns, researchers hope to fine tune their inputs based on real-world data collected in this research effort.
Volunteers will be assigned to search teams working in the vicinity of Shiocton in Shawano County and Winter in Sawyer County. When transmitters have been expelled (presumably when a fawn has been born), a search team will form a line and comb the woods, somewhat similar to a deer drive, in search of bedded fawns. Newborns will be quickly fitted with a radio collar of their own and left for the doe to raise normally.
If the fawn dies, the collar will emit a unique signal that researchers will again use to locate the animal to determine cause of death. The collars are designed to expand as the deer grows and eventually drop off as the animal approaches its first birthday.
“Determining causes of death in fawns is vital to the accuracy of our deer population estimates,” said Jacques. “Of special interest is the impact of predators on fawn deaths. We have a suite of predators in Wisconsin that we suspect impact yearly fawn production, including black bear, bobcat, coyote and gray wolves. What we are less certain of are the relative roles that each of those predators plays on fawn recruitment over the course of an entire year.”
He stresses this work is possible only with the assistance of dozens of volunteers representing hunting groups such as the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Safari Club International and Whitetails Unlimited, the University of Wisconsin- Madison and UW-Stevens Point, the AFL-CIO Union Sportsmans Alliance, and hundreds of Wisconsin citizens.
“Anyone who has looked for newborn fawns or been startled to discover a fawn lying motionless in the forest or field next to them knows what a challenge it is to find them,” says Jacques. “They have excellent natural camouflage and instinct to remain absolutely still when approached. The transmitters will give us a better idea of where they are but it will still take time on the ground to locate them.”
For more information and to sign up as a volunteer go to the Deer Research page of the DNR website.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Jacques – (608) 221-6358 or Bob Manwell - (608) 264-9248
Source: Wisconsin DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_article_Lookup.asp?id=1771)
“With the whitetail birthing season coming up fast, volunteers are again needed to sweep the woods looking for the newborns,” said Chris Jacques, Department of Natural Resources research scientist. “When located, fawns will be fitted with expandable radio collars so we can follow them through their first year of life to determine causes of death whether it be due to nutrition, environment, vehicle, hunters or predators. This is real hands-on field research.”
Some hunters have questioned assumptions about fawn recruitment used by wildlife biologists for estimating deer populations. Recruitment is the net addition of new individuals (fawns) to a population each year and is an important input in estimating deer population numbers. At the end of this three-year effort to monitor fawns, researchers hope to fine tune their inputs based on real-world data collected in this research effort.
Volunteers will be assigned to search teams working in the vicinity of Shiocton in Shawano County and Winter in Sawyer County. When transmitters have been expelled (presumably when a fawn has been born), a search team will form a line and comb the woods, somewhat similar to a deer drive, in search of bedded fawns. Newborns will be quickly fitted with a radio collar of their own and left for the doe to raise normally.
If the fawn dies, the collar will emit a unique signal that researchers will again use to locate the animal to determine cause of death. The collars are designed to expand as the deer grows and eventually drop off as the animal approaches its first birthday.
“Determining causes of death in fawns is vital to the accuracy of our deer population estimates,” said Jacques. “Of special interest is the impact of predators on fawn deaths. We have a suite of predators in Wisconsin that we suspect impact yearly fawn production, including black bear, bobcat, coyote and gray wolves. What we are less certain of are the relative roles that each of those predators plays on fawn recruitment over the course of an entire year.”
He stresses this work is possible only with the assistance of dozens of volunteers representing hunting groups such as the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Safari Club International and Whitetails Unlimited, the University of Wisconsin- Madison and UW-Stevens Point, the AFL-CIO Union Sportsmans Alliance, and hundreds of Wisconsin citizens.
“Anyone who has looked for newborn fawns or been startled to discover a fawn lying motionless in the forest or field next to them knows what a challenge it is to find them,” says Jacques. “They have excellent natural camouflage and instinct to remain absolutely still when approached. The transmitters will give us a better idea of where they are but it will still take time on the ground to locate them.”
For more information and to sign up as a volunteer go to the Deer Research page of the DNR website.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Jacques – (608) 221-6358 or Bob Manwell - (608) 264-9248
Source: Wisconsin DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_article_Lookup.asp?id=1771)
Friday, April 22, 2011
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:
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
“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.
- 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.
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
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