EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Hot off the presses!! I'll give credit where credit is due...the DNR finally did listen!!

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=1208

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

AMEN.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Gotta say I find it to be a pleasant surprise. Not sure what finally made the DNR listen, but they listened and deserve credit for that.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

What ever reason made them come to their senses, is good... perhaps the deer herd can breath a little easier. My understanding is, some places are still going to get hunter choice. So that means the ones that want can still shoot a doe.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

just so everyone knows its not for sure yet... and they can still bring it back next year if the herd increses. personally i hope it goes away and never comes back. however the DNR has messed up before....

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

I feel the DNR didn't want to go to the meetings Tues. with some mighty unhappy hunters out there, there has been a coalition to close lands unless EAB is GONE, Hopefully they will end the Oct. season as well. I don't know any dept. that is so unrespected as the DNR here in Wi.
RC

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

It is as important as ever to go to the next meeting and follow through with a good showing. Great news though.:D

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Does not help me out here in the CWD area where only 1 deer has tested positive since
they started this crap.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Yes the meetings are still important. I am actually surprised the DNR relented on the EAB issue as soon as they did. I have heard that a bunch of state assembly members and state senators have caught an earful from hunters and others (hotel owners, bar owners, and other establishments that rely on hunting season for a good portion of their revenues) and apparently started making it known to the DNR that they had to change their approach or else...

I don't know for sure if that is true, but I have heard it from a pretty reliable source. Either way, I give credit to the DNR for listening.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

This is definately great news, but who's to say that they won't start any new ideas. With all the rumors of the majority of the bow season being doe only, and the DNR still saying that the herd is above goal, I will have to wait until the next season to decide whether or not the DNR is actually doing a good thing. However, removing EAB is a step in the right direction.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Yes this is true, they were at our meetings and as deer hunters themselves, they wanted changes made.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

They are on the track to getting things back to normal, now to get rid of HRZ's and well all be set.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Back to 15:1 doe:buck ratio. Yes!

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Your Back?..... I've really been missin ya! See ya have'nt changed though. ;):D

EAB was voted down and the changes to the bow season were also voted down due to extreme hunter participation. Everone who attended the meetings and wrote to their reps. I thank you and hope we can change the way things were going. I and other sports men and women have said it before and say it again, we all need to get involved.

It is far from over though!

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Why of course...it only stands to reason that no hunters will shoot does now, and that landowners are too stupid to know that herd balance is in their interest too. No, we need the all-knowing wisdom of the DNR who missed the population estimates this past year by...oh, at least 20%.

Yep, without the meddling of the DNR, the deer herd is doomed.

Right. Got it.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

I don't know if the question was raised before, but at our conservation congress meeting, the question was asked; How many of the fawns taken last year during T-Zone, EAB, were buck fawns?
The answer was, 45%. Now, does EAB help the deer herd? Your answer to the 15:1 smart a$$ remark Handles lies somewhere in this answer by a biologist for the DNR. There have been guy's who say, I never shoot BB's, however alot of them bit the dust last year. Clear proof that EAB & T-zone Don't work. BB's need to grow up for there to be Big Bucks. And another thing that sticks in my craw is the AG tag program where does,bucks(w-out horns) and many fawns yet to be born are shot from Feb. thru sept. This also needs to be addressed.;):D

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Why would herd balance be in the interest of a landowner? It wasn't 20 years ago.30 deer eat virtually the same amount of crops weather they are bucks or does.
If the landowner is a hunter, or leases/rents his/her property, then yes they might have a interest in it.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

I see two issues there.

First, as far as what happened "20 years ago", go no further than the restrictive process for getting antlerless permits the DNR had as little as 10 years ago to see how this supposed problem started. If you recall you had to apply for an antlerless tag, and then the DNR would inform you if you qualified, then you plunked down another $12 for the permit itself. Two steps. How's that for convenience? Or the good old "Hunters Choice" process? You had to apply to get a sticker to affix to your license...again for a fee...to have the privledge of being able to shoot a doe with your regular tag.It sure did not seem that the DNR wanted to make it easy for hunters to harvest does. But then suddenly...about face!...it's a "crisis" and along comes t-zones and EAB.

Second, if the oft-repeated DNR line that the increase in trophy hunting is one of the "problems" faced by deer managers, then managing the herd for quality means taking enough does, not too few. And as for farmers...yes, 30 deer will eat what 30 deer eat, regardless of sex. But: 1) farmers certainly have enough reason to shoot sufficient deer to reduce crop damage, and 2) if the herd is unbalanced and there are more does than bucks in an area, there will be more does than bucks shot.

Either way, another year of the DNR tryig to cram EAB down the throats of hunters, when all evidence is that the herd is far lower than thought, would lead to an even worse issue: loss of hunters and loss of harvest.

Bottom line is what DNR Secretary Matt Frank stated at the legislative hearings last week"

"We are listening," said Frank, responding to criticism that the DNR is arrogant and unresponsive to the public. "Simply put, we cannot manage and maintain a sustainable and healthy deer herd without the support of hunters."

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

The DNR says the deer herd is over a million (including CWD) and they want it down to 734,000 Hmmm,why then no EAB, if the dnr would count deer the same way they count wolves and bears we would only have 400000 or so
RC

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

The news today is that EAB is probably dead for good. Like I have said before, I did not have as big a problem with EAB as with the October hunts...but apparently some in the Legislature were getting so much heat the DNR was finally forced to listen to deer hunters.

Finally!....

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

EAB dead for good? I highly doubt it unless of course that the hunters can show that they are willing to harvest doe at a 1:1, 2:1 ratio of bucks, which they won't. Buck harvest next year will be higher statewide than doe harvest. 1 1/2 year old bucks will make up the majority of that. Too many"BigBuck Hunters"without the self control and foresight to helpthemselves or others.
Our deer herd is much more balanced than it has been since the 60's. I hope you landowners can put in place some regulations to help keep it that way. It might create some sourpusses to say "Hey joe, you shot a nice buck last year, this year we need you to shoot a doe", but it is what should happen. I feel sorry for public land hunters. They will have a banner year this year on bucks, but not much after that... Good luck everyone. Keep your wits.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

It's about effing time. Perhaps the decision was influenced by the lack of deer killed last year.I don't know guys, I still don't think I'll come home to hunt this year.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Below is a link to a pretty good story about the decision. It appears that the legislature was ready to abolish EAB by statute if necessary. The quote below sort of sums it up:

"George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, warned the board if they didn't make a move, it was inevitable lawmakers would take over and do away with earn-a-buck through legislation. Frank agreed, saying lawmakers were "looking over our shoulder.""

http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/43450177.html?page=1&c=y

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Imagine that, the good old DNR, a little nervous? Well they aughta be! Maybe the DNR will realize that they must answer to the people in the long run. Hunters have had enough of their management. Some on this site have said that trying to change the DNR's bungling ways is impossible. I guess all the hunters work has paid off.;)

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

i have a ? for all of you. where in wisconsin do you all live

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

I hunt in Unit 61...Trempealeau County

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

Here is a question:

For those units that had been traditionally "shotgun only" - which were allowed to use rifles for the first time in 2008 - will we be able to continue to use rifles in the 2009 season?

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

I had not heard anything even brought up on that issue, but I would guess that you probably could still use rifles. From what I have seen in the past, the shotgun vs. rifle argument always seems to be focused (for good reason) on safety issues as opposed to ease of harvest. We used to have a shotgun-only restriction in the Mississippi River Block opening weekend...I know when they went to allowing rifles all season the only thing I remember being brought up when it was discussed was related to the possiblity of increased firearms accidents.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

There were no incidents that I am aware of anywhere within areas that were traditionally "slug gun" counties! :)

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

In the conservation congress meeting I attended, the safety question was asked and the DNR rep said there is noreason that rifles are more of a safety concern than shotguns. They are looking at this issue from the safetystandpoint and there is no evidence to prove other-wise.

RE: EAB dead in Wisconsin for 2009!!
 

I would agree...though I remember asking one of the DNR guys at a hearing years ago why they thought it was perfectly fine to use rifles to fill crop damage tags (starting around Labor Day), while hunters were in the woods wearing camo. I framed it this way..."Why is it I have to wear blaze orange during gun season so that other hunters can see me, but I can wear camo during bow season while someone is trying to fill crop damage tags with rifles?" You should have seen the blank stare I got on that one...