Bounty on WI. deer.
09-19-2003, 04:01 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: CWD Central, WI.
Posts: 2,062
Bounty on WI. deer.
In case you haven' t heard.
DNR offers bounties for killing infected deer Hunters and landowners both could receive checks By MEG JONES
[email protected]
Last Updated: Sept. 18, 2003
Madison - Hoping that $200 checks will induce more hunters to shoot deer in the state' s chronic wasting disease zones, the Department of Natural Resources will offer bounties for each diseased animal killed in the areas, officials announced Thursday.
A total of $250,000 will be used to pay $200 bounties to hunters who kill a deer in the zones that tests positive for chronic wasting disease, and $200 to those who own the land where the diseased deer was killed, said DNR Secretary Scott Hassett. Landowners who kill an infected deer on their own property will receive $400.
Since there' s likely to be money left over after paying for the diseased deer - so far only 204 wild white-tailed deer have tested positive - hunters who kill a whitetail in the intensive harvest/eradication zones will get $20 for each healthy animal. If those requests exceed the money available, a drawing would be held to determine who gets paid, the DNR said.
The bounty program, a joint effort of the DNR and Whitetails Unlimited, a private hunters group, is in response to landowners who asked for a financial incentive to kill all of the deer in the zones where the disease has been targeted, Hassett said. He said he doesn' t know how many additional hunters will be attracted by the bounty.
" The DNR realizes that reducing the deer population for disease control is more like a job than recreation for the landowners and hunters who live and hunt in the CWD-infected area," Hassett said.
Since chronic wasting disease was first confirmed in February 2002 in three Wisconsin deer shot near Mount Horeb, the DNR has implemented a management strategy that calls for killing as many deer as possible in the zones in southwestern and south-central Wisconsin. The DNR last year handed out special permits allowing landowners to kill as many deer as possible on their property to prevent the fatal contagious disease from spreading.
While the herd in the target areas was trimmed by about 25% last year, Tom Hauge, DNR director of wildlife management, said no one knows just how many deer are now living in the approximately 1,150-square-mile area since fawns were born last spring. The DNR will perform aerial population surveys this winter.
Hunters won' t get rich Whitetails Unlimited President Jeff Schinkten said bounties will attract some hunters who otherwise might not have ventured out to shoot whitetails in the zones. But at only $20 a head for healthy animals, it won' t be a moneymaker for hunters, who invest a lot of time and effort to kill deer.
And as more deer are harvested in the zones, it will be more difficult to find the remaining animals, he said.
" If you think it' s a get-rich scheme, it' s not," said Schinkten. " If you' re asking, ' Will this attract more hunters?' I hope so. But will they be overrun by hunters? I don' t think so."
Dick Sonnenberg, who owns 80 acres in rural Black Earth, favors offering a bounty. He said hunters should be paid for their time, since they won' t know if the animal in their gun sight is healthy or infected. Still, Sonnenberg said a bounty won' t induce him to hunt more frequently than he already has.
" It isn' t going to influence me, but it might influence somebody else," he said.
Sonnenberg shot three deer last year before undergoing heart surgery in the fall, and others shot 10 on his land. All tested negative.
While a number of landowners refused to shoot deer or let anyone else hunt on their property last year because they disagreed with the DNR' s policy to kill the herd, Hassett is hopeful more will get on board.
" We hope it helps change their minds," Hassett said of the bounty.
Foes say DNR is panicking But an attorney who represents Citizens Against Irrational Deer Slaughter, a group of landowners opposing the DNR' s policy, said that' s not likely.
" The ones who will respond are those who are already shooting deer on their property," said David Mandell. " Those opposed to it won' t sell themselves to the devil for $200."
Mandell said the DNR is " panicking" because there are still many deer left in the area.
" They must figure it' s cheaper to do that (hand out bounties) than send out 50 DNR agents at night to stand there over piles of corn at night and shine deer," Mandell said.
The bounty money will be paid from $200,000 of DNR wildlife operation budget money that was already earmarked for chronic wasting disease. An anonymous donor is giving $50,000 for the effort, said Sen. Bob Welch (R-Redgranite), who declined to name the individual but said the donor is an avid deer hunter.
Whitetails Unlimited will administer the program and send the checks.
It will take about a month for test results. The $20-per-deer fee for healthy animals will be paid in February. Bowhunters who began hunting in the zones at the start of the archery season that started Saturday will be included in the pool.
A special firearms season begins Oct. 30 in the zones and will end Jan. 3.
[email protected]
Last Updated: Sept. 18, 2003
Madison - Hoping that $200 checks will induce more hunters to shoot deer in the state' s chronic wasting disease zones, the Department of Natural Resources will offer bounties for each diseased animal killed in the areas, officials announced Thursday.
A total of $250,000 will be used to pay $200 bounties to hunters who kill a deer in the zones that tests positive for chronic wasting disease, and $200 to those who own the land where the diseased deer was killed, said DNR Secretary Scott Hassett. Landowners who kill an infected deer on their own property will receive $400.
Since there' s likely to be money left over after paying for the diseased deer - so far only 204 wild white-tailed deer have tested positive - hunters who kill a whitetail in the intensive harvest/eradication zones will get $20 for each healthy animal. If those requests exceed the money available, a drawing would be held to determine who gets paid, the DNR said.
The bounty program, a joint effort of the DNR and Whitetails Unlimited, a private hunters group, is in response to landowners who asked for a financial incentive to kill all of the deer in the zones where the disease has been targeted, Hassett said. He said he doesn' t know how many additional hunters will be attracted by the bounty.
" The DNR realizes that reducing the deer population for disease control is more like a job than recreation for the landowners and hunters who live and hunt in the CWD-infected area," Hassett said.
Since chronic wasting disease was first confirmed in February 2002 in three Wisconsin deer shot near Mount Horeb, the DNR has implemented a management strategy that calls for killing as many deer as possible in the zones in southwestern and south-central Wisconsin. The DNR last year handed out special permits allowing landowners to kill as many deer as possible on their property to prevent the fatal contagious disease from spreading.
While the herd in the target areas was trimmed by about 25% last year, Tom Hauge, DNR director of wildlife management, said no one knows just how many deer are now living in the approximately 1,150-square-mile area since fawns were born last spring. The DNR will perform aerial population surveys this winter.
Hunters won' t get rich Whitetails Unlimited President Jeff Schinkten said bounties will attract some hunters who otherwise might not have ventured out to shoot whitetails in the zones. But at only $20 a head for healthy animals, it won' t be a moneymaker for hunters, who invest a lot of time and effort to kill deer.
And as more deer are harvested in the zones, it will be more difficult to find the remaining animals, he said.
" If you think it' s a get-rich scheme, it' s not," said Schinkten. " If you' re asking, ' Will this attract more hunters?' I hope so. But will they be overrun by hunters? I don' t think so."
Dick Sonnenberg, who owns 80 acres in rural Black Earth, favors offering a bounty. He said hunters should be paid for their time, since they won' t know if the animal in their gun sight is healthy or infected. Still, Sonnenberg said a bounty won' t induce him to hunt more frequently than he already has.
" It isn' t going to influence me, but it might influence somebody else," he said.
Sonnenberg shot three deer last year before undergoing heart surgery in the fall, and others shot 10 on his land. All tested negative.
While a number of landowners refused to shoot deer or let anyone else hunt on their property last year because they disagreed with the DNR' s policy to kill the herd, Hassett is hopeful more will get on board.
" We hope it helps change their minds," Hassett said of the bounty.
Foes say DNR is panicking But an attorney who represents Citizens Against Irrational Deer Slaughter, a group of landowners opposing the DNR' s policy, said that' s not likely.
" The ones who will respond are those who are already shooting deer on their property," said David Mandell. " Those opposed to it won' t sell themselves to the devil for $200."
Mandell said the DNR is " panicking" because there are still many deer left in the area.
" They must figure it' s cheaper to do that (hand out bounties) than send out 50 DNR agents at night to stand there over piles of corn at night and shine deer," Mandell said.
The bounty money will be paid from $200,000 of DNR wildlife operation budget money that was already earmarked for chronic wasting disease. An anonymous donor is giving $50,000 for the effort, said Sen. Bob Welch (R-Redgranite), who declined to name the individual but said the donor is an avid deer hunter.
Whitetails Unlimited will administer the program and send the checks.
It will take about a month for test results. The $20-per-deer fee for healthy animals will be paid in February. Bowhunters who began hunting in the zones at the start of the archery season that started Saturday will be included in the pool.
A special firearms season begins Oct. 30 in the zones and will end Jan. 3.
