split-fire

Well this is it the last day of bowhunting here in south west wisconsin before the gun hunters hit the woods. I hunt within the CWD eradication zone ya sure I could continue bowhunting but you have to have blaze orange on and share the woods with gun hunters it's just not right! I know this subject has been beat to death but I'm just really bumbed out with the rut just getting going the hunting was just getting good. Not only that but that "holy week" we all knew and grew up with meaning the traditional 9 day gun season has been destroyed. In case you can't tell I'm extremly ticked off [:@] at the DNR. Hunting in wisconsin has become a joke! I could go on and on about this and what I think about CWD and the so called efforts to eradicate it but I'll spare us all the pain. Is anyone else out there feeling like this or is it just me[&o]

1dahunter

I understand your feelings and the problem. I am disabled and dont have the strength to pull a bow string so until I can afford to buy a crossbow I am stuck with gun hunting. I have never taken a buck because I cant get in to the woods I have to sit in my car and wait for a deer to bust out of the woods to try and get it so far I have gotten a deer each season, This is the first time that a Tzone has been in the area where I hunt so I am hoping that while all the hunters in the woods are blasting does I might actually get a chance at a Buck, so this is an opportunity for me. I am sorry but I do understand your feelings.

Trustee

I COPY your pain. The DNR should look at other states and the way they have been doing business. I haven't heard of so many negative remarks about the WI DNR versus and other state's Resource Dept. The DNR don't care about the qualities of the hunts, harvest ratio of the hunts, but only care about the money they take in. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the big Halloween snow storm back in the early 90s that hit Northern WI. Anyhow, that was a good year for most. That year the DNR sold (maybe gave out - not sure) multiple bonus tags for several areas. Well the following year, the DNR SOLD thousands of bonus tags with the majority going unfilled. How did they not know that these tags were useless because of A. the good harverst the year before B. the extreme harsh winter the deer had to endure C. the fact that hunters prior to the rifle season reportedly weren't seeing deer. Like I said it's not about the hunters...it's about the money. I talked to many that year and to them it wasn't about what they didn't shoot, it was about what they saw - which was few to none. I could go on and on but the DNR needs a big shake up. They act like they are the once producing these deer for the hunters - like they're doing us a great service.

My bottom line is who is the responsible member in the Department that directs all this? I wish I knew that answer!

split-fire

Personally I believe the auto insurance companys are playing a silent role in all of this. CWD is just an excuse to kill all the deer. I'm sure theres money being passed under the table. I Drove passed the local check station on thursday the first day of the gun hunt and saw several trucks and trailers with 8,9 10 deer in them, you can tell me these guys are going to consume all that venision what is this teaching our young hunters about how to use the resoure? At least I know what I'm teaching my kids But the horror stories I hear from there friends about shooting 20 deer or more and just throwing them in the dumpster at the DNR check station just makes me sick! the part that really Pi$$es me of is there has'nt even been one single case of CWD found anyware near hear (North of the wisconsin river). My property butts up to Hwy B the guys on the other side of the road get to go back to archery hunting after Sunday but we stay gun for the rest of the year. If your a non resident of Wisconsin and your thinking of coming to wisconsin to hunt deer, look someware else hunting in wisconsin is a complete joke!!! I'll shut up now just needed to vent[:@] big time!

TheBuckeyeOutdoorsman

I know you guys are bummed about how the regs work in your state. It sure makes me proud of our DNR in here in Ohio. They mostly manage for tags sales here too, but the bow hunters have been heard and are respected here. We owe a great deal of thanks to OSTA for that. OSTA is the Ohio State Traditional Archers group and they pushed for our bow season to be 1st Sat in Oct to last Sat in Jan. Also, they tried unsuccessfully(a good thing) to have crossbows banned from the Archery season. At least our bow season is in tact and we can bowhunt the rut. Small game season comes in during the rut, but it's not quite as bad as the invasion of deer gun hunters. In general, I think our DNR here in Ohio does a very good job.

TBO

Jacko

Sucks don't it? Right now it's Tzone. We have a zillion deer running around. That's what were all told, right? I'm a die hard bowhunter and gun hunt because I still get time in the woods. I don't like Tzones becuase of the slobby hunting and the fact of the rut. This does disrupt our bowhunting which I will spend the next 2 weeks doing. Last year I took my little guy during the tzone so we could keep a eye on trespassers. We saw 9 deer, all bucks. This year we went again, small does a buck and a adult doe and 3 trespassers! Why not do this hunting in Sept. when no one really cares. Oh ya, the rut is on and you'll see more does, LOL, and the kids are all off school right now. Politics! Oh ya, we got the trespassers! Hunt safe everyone and enjoy, we just never know when it will all end!