Redclub

Seems like the DNR will be on the hot seat come Thursday.
RC
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/79231127.html

sconnyhunter

Yes, and with appointed by the Governor, leadership in the DNR.
We will continue to have nothing but problems with a small herd size. The problem with the meeting whether they be called by the Conservation Congress or the DNR themselves.
The DNR is not listening to us as hunters. They are listening to Gov. Doyle and his cronies.

Until Doyle is replaced by a Governor who will listen to us and allow the NRB to HIRE rather than appoint a DNR Secretary we will continue to have problems.

gunther89

I just love it when Warnke or Frank says in articles that they are listening to deer hunters, yet I haven't gotten an email back asking questions about the herd or why the CWD area is still in EAB. What a joke they are.

yankees13

Why does the DNR need to be blamed? Why not all the hunters taking more that what they need. Shooting anything that moves.How about all the road killed deer? Are you going to stop driving to save more deer? I dout it. How about all the deer that are poached? Its not the DNR's fault. People need to accept it and try do better so the population will grow.Like not shooting little bucks and fawns. And maybe one deer is enough. How about people that use their friends and family for extra tags. How about one deer per person.Take it or leave it.

gunther89

Yankees13: What I don't think you get is that many hunters this year didn't even see a deer. I will admit our hunting group used to shoot 4 or 5 deer just on opening day and it was all about filling our tags as fast as we could, but now my cousin and I are limiting ourselves to 2 deer at the most in a season and we are trying not to shoot 2 does. What alot of unhappy Wisconsin hunters can't control is neighbors. Some neighbors don't get that they should let some deer go and think that when they see a doe and a fawn they should shoot them both because they have the tags for them. The DNR has handed free doe tags out for years in the CWD area and its devastating the herd. I've learned to let deer go and I have family members who aren't happy with my decision but I just tell them that if I don't let some go there won't be as many next year. Deer hunting is Wisconsin is a complete mess right now and will be for awhile.

yankees13

What you need to understand is maybe that is not a bad thing not seeing deer. Maybe too many people took advantage of the deer population when times were good now they have to blame someone other than maybe themselves. I mean think about it times are good so people complain about paying for doe tags and when times are bad they blame the dnr. I dont hunt in your state but I do hunt my own land in Mn and we have the same problem, people blaming the DNR because they took to many deer over the years.

Trapper22

Yankees13 I do agree with you to a point. We have too many hunters in this state that do think they need to fill every tag they have. I have little time for those people. The DNR here loves those type of hunters, they have over inflated the deer herd numbers for years and have made it possible to buy as many extra antlerless tags as you want for $2.00 each. They do that to control the herd so they say. Well they have now controlled it damn near to death. The DNR is still spouting off that we have too large of a herd and need to drastically reduce it. The DNR doesn't let up on that stance even with the public outcry and dismal harvest numbers staring them in the face.

Now onto the rest of your post. You said don't shoot small bucks or fawns. In a state where we are not seeing deer numbers where we want them to be I'll shoot a small buck over any antlerless deer anyday if given the opportunity. Here's a free biology lesson for you SMALL BUCKS DON'T CARRY FAWNS, DOES DO. There is probably lots of info on the internet on which sex has the offspring if you want to look it up. I didn't see you post not to shoot does just small bucks and fawns.

Here's a breakdown of my harvest record since 1999 before that I can't really remember. I didn't shoot a lot of deer maybe 6 or so but I saw far more deer in the 1980s and early 1990s than I see now. It's not even a comparison. You had to send in for a doe tag back then not get one or more given to you automatically. I kinda miss that.
1999- small 8 pt.
2000- nothing
2001- adult doe and small 6pt. (The only year I ever got more than one deer).
2002- The only year I didn't hunt since I started in 1983.
2003-nothing
2004- 8pt
2005- adult doe
2006- nothing
2007- nice 8pt
2008- small 9pt
2009- adult doe

I am a meat hunter not a horn hunter and have yet to find a recipe for that. I did take a doe this year and passed up a standing shot on another one. I didn't want to shoot more than one on the land I was hunting. A big set of horns is nice but I'd rather see deer numbers and get one to eat. Maybe someday I will get a big buck, maybe not. To each his own. I can use at the max 2 deer a year. My deer meat will be consumed well before next season starts.


Now about the deer getting killed by autos that has been happening forever and will continue. I think someone posted that we now have about half the car kills as we did in 2000 so our deer herd is on the decline but the DNR can't see that.

Same thing as poaching I don't think it's as widespread as what people think because the cost and risk is too big. I can see it being more of a problem for someone wanting a large rack to show off. There may be some people shooting one to get by if they're desperate for food but it nothing I see much sign of around here.

yankees13

Poaching is very wide spread.I know of 7 deer shot on my land not by me. People shoot and shine all night and It is very wide spread. People do it for meat horns and fun. I bet that were my land is that there is a deer poached everyother day or more.

Trapper22

If poaching is that widespread by you that's a problem. It doesn't mean it's like that here. Where I hunt is not right along a road you have to walk and drag a deer aways. To me most poaching would be done close to a road. You must have a pile of deer if one can be shot every other day out of season.

yankees13

Just one spot. There are several people poaching.People who do it for fun and other to do it for food. And of course you got the native americans that can shoot 5 deer a person.Thats real fair to the tax payers!!!