Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I assume most of you will be hunting, bow or gun.

With the low population deer heard next year, what will be your standards?

Will you still shoot does, nubbins, yearlings? How many?


Next year I will try and shoot a doe or doe fawn with my bow and gun. 2 only. I will also try and fill both of my buck tags on a good buck.

I dont want this to turn into a debate on how stupid the DNR is, like all the other posts that have to deal with wisconsin huntinig.

Just what you goals or standards will be next year!

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I assume you are in an area that still has a good deer herd. That is what we as hunters need to know before we take too many does. If the herd can take hunters taking 2 anterless deer thats ok. I know some areas that the does are few and far between after last year.

I am not taking any deer in WI., I am hunting in MN. for bucks only. In our area of the state we just don't have many deer period. It will take a few years for the deer to repopulate our area. Several of my neighboring farms are shutting down hunting on their land also.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I live in Michigan but lease property in Buffalo County WI.
I will be doing the same as previous years which is shooting a doe in the EAB area to get my buck tag. I will thenhold out for a 140 inch minimum buck withmy bow.

In the slight chance there is no EAB in 2009 in my areaI will not shoot a doe as our doe population is low already.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

Depends on how the season shakes out next year. In our area, the population is down, but not what I would consider to be low. To keep things in balance, we try to shoot an equal number of bucks and does, and will continue to do so next year. We pass nubbins. Basically this is part of an overall quality management effort, which includes passing up bucks that score less than 130 (exceptions are made for kids who hunt).

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

My goal is to shoot a deer. It doesn't matter if its a buck or a doe.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

2008 was a good over all deerharvest for Wisconsin,should rank 11th or 12th highest on record. 20 years ago, 2008would have been an new record high harvest, and hunters were very happy to have that kind of oportunity.;) Biggest difference is, 20 years ago, bowhunters accounted for 13% of the total harvest. The last few years, bowhunters have accounted forover 22% of the deer harvest.

This winter is starting out on the harsh side.:( I personally predict there will be veryfew, if any, EAB zones outside the CWD management area.

For me, 2009 will be no different than 2008. Try to take at least one doe in the CWD zone as early as possible to get that EAB sticker in hand. Up north, bow or gun, bucks only get shot if they are going on the wall, a doe is shooters choice. The Teen-age boys in camp can shootany does, and any buck they want. We saw a record number of different small bucks whilebowhunting in 08, so 2009 should be a great year for everyone, looking forward to it.:)

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

No actually the area I hunt is in a watch to be an EAB unit next year. I will still try and take a couple of does, one with the bow and one with the gun.

Just because the herd is down, doesn't mean we have to stop shooting deer.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

i have to shoot a doe to get my buck tag but then after that im strictly going after a buck that has to score more than 130. ill shoot a doe if i havent gotten one and its towards the end of the season unless i see a crap load of does than ill probably take a couple to get the ratio down alittle.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I will not hunt Wisconsin next year. The deer population in my area has been so devastated that I would feel guilty adding to the problem. So I will be taking my hunting dollars out of state for a deer and a hog hunt.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

did you get a doe this year, if so it carries over to next year unless they changed that.

I plan on hunting like this year. shoot a couple of does for my freezer then wait for a buck. our population where i hunt seems to be all does with very few bucks.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I will definately not shoot a nubbin buck or fawn, and I haven't in the past. The beginning of the season I will probobly wait for at least a six point buck. If I haven't got anything and there is only a couple weeks left of bowhunting,I might take any legal buck. As far as gun hunting up north goes, I will not shoot anything but a buck, and if I am lucky enough to see a single deer opening weekend and it is a legal buck, I won't think twice about shooting it. If I haven't gotten a deer yet bowhunting or opening weekend of gun season, I might take a doe back home. This means that at the most I will get two bucks, but since I am only averaging one deer every couple years, I think I'd be lucky to get one deer.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

:DYou never Whine or complain about low deer numbers? That is great! :D

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

Quote]ORIGINAL: rage2blade

I don't want this to turn into a debate on how stupid the DNR is, like all the other posts that have to deal with wisconsin hunting.


If you can't see they are stupid- you live in la-la land!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

quote]ORIGINAL: rage2blade

I assume most of you will be hunting, bow or gun.

Don't be so sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I will be bow hunting next year, but only because we have good numbers of deer on our property and in the surrounding area, I do feel if our herd numbers were down I would either limit the number and sex of deer taken from our property or close down the hunting entirely until I saw the numbers returning to our management goals.........I don't have a ton of acerage but what I do have I can control regardless of the DNR's idiotic plan to kill them all!

I think those that feel the need to kill deer in areas with low numbers are being very irresponsible to the resource , what will you do when there are none left in your area?

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

Yea I know what you mean. The Wisconsin DNR sucks! They say that the white-tailed deer are so over populated when 2008 was the worst deer hunting I have ever seen along with everybody else. They are having all of these t-zones when the population is low as its ever been. The lady said that registeres the deer up by me compared to 2007 the deer registered was down 43%!!! But yet there is still all these t-zones? That just crazy to me! Where is the DNR getting these facts? I would just love to know!! Do you just hunt in Wisconsin?

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

Well seeing that I have hunted hard every year for the last 20 years, Ill admit, that I have seen some pretty crappy season but nothing as bad as the last two years. My father in law said the last two years were the worst hes seen in over 40 years. I have to agree with him. No more than 3-5 years ago it was nothing to drive past our property and count20-40 deer in one field. And the buck to doe ratio was great. Now were excited to 3-10 deer at a time. And most of which are does and yearlings. We do not hunt our property during the HRZ hunts. So this may count as part of why we have so many does. But even at the opening of bow season I have seen several very mature bucks, then as the days go by the sightings dwindledof all deer. Just like they fell off the face of the earth. Nothing has changed on our property, they have great cover, water handy 365 days a year, food sources available just about all year round. Theres no reason the deer should have disapeared. The DNR needs to get their heads out of the butts and see whats really going on and listen the to hunters that are out there. They need to drop all the EAB and Tzone crap and go back to the way it was. Buck or doe with archery and buck only with rifle. If you want an extra tag you have to buy it. And I think they should charge at least $15.00-$20.00 per extran antlerless tag. I know other factors play a part in the low deer numbers such as 2 years of extreme hard winters back to back, but this is getting real old real fast. I may have to lock up all 300 acres and close it for hunting for the next 2-4 years and hunt county land, which Im not about to do. Id hang it up completely if i had to hunt county land for the next 2-4 years. I have prime hunting land and its sad that i cant even hunt it happily anymore.

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

Yep, I live in la la land! I must be a hill billy:D

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

Im still shooting deer next year!:D

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

rage2blade:

That is your choice no-one said you couldn't. I know plenty of hunters who feel as you do and they are hunting next year. It is my choice not to hunt next year and waite for deer numbers to come back up.:D

RE: Wisconsin Hunters (next year)
 

I agree with mc54... if the deer numbers were high or even strong in my area, you can bet your you know what, I'd be out beating the bushes. BUT that simply is not the case. As is attested to by the drastic decline in the numbers harvested and more so, the numbers sighted.

So to protect something I truely love, and that is deer hunting, I will not hunt next year and maybe even the year after. And to prove my resolve to this problem since the DNR seems to ignore it, I will not allow anyone to hunt my property or even cross my property. And if my actions save even a couple deer, then I will see how the numbers for the next year look, and take actions as I see fit. I am not going to let the lies, the failed policies of the DNR, or any one person's opinion of our deer herd,ruin the deer herd around my home if I can help it.

If you see fit to take out the breeding population of the deer herd, then have at it. Just not around my place.