wack

Redclub, no I'm not 102 years old, I'm 43. lol I'm very aware of what you are saying about the DNR's goals and numbers. The food chain of deer, bears, wolves and hunters isn't working and I agree that it's going to take time for the deer population to recover. I agree with almost everything you said, except that there will never be a wolf season.

I'd bet you my lunch money that the DNR will start killing wolves this year if they haven't started already. The first wolves to go will probably be the wolves that the Dept. of Ag want gone as problem wolves. As I have yet to see anything in Black and white about an actual wolf season, we must get involved and push to develop a wolf season structure. The best idea I've herd on this is a season structured much like our sturgeon season, with the season ending with a set kill number. Another idea I had for the 2009 season is to convert deer tags that have been sold already into bear and wolf points and open up a spring bear season and a wolf season early in 2010. This is just an idea that I have passed on to the DNR and if more people get behind this idea, it could happen. This would help protect the last 8 deer per square mile and bring down the bear and wolf populations where needed the most. I would give 1/2 bear point for a doe tag and another 1/2 point for a buck tag on tags the DNR has already sold for deer we don't have.

Everything that Redclub says, backs up what I am saying, without adding elk it may take 20 years for the deer herd to recover, IF it ever recovers. The only way I can see the deer herd recovering is to add the elk, lower the bear population and wolf population and seriously limit deer hunting in these areas. I would also add bison as well, but that's just me. We are where we are and there is no majic wand that can undo what's been done. We can only pick up the pieces and move on. Whether that means the end of hunting in northern WI. or rebuilding the food chain so it can work properly is up to us. We can sit back and hope the DNR does all the right things, or we can work with the DNR to help them get this mess straigtened out. We saw on April 15th that educated hunters can make a difference when they speak up but getting rid of EAB isn't going to be enough to save the deer herd. We must keep up the pressure and move on to the problems at hand. The biggest problem is our man made food chain doesn't work as is and needs to be fixed.