August 31, 2007
MADISON – Deer hunting is a mainstay of Wisconsin’s long conservation legacy and there will be terrific deer hunting opportunity statewide again this fall, according to state wildlife biologists across the state.
A very mild winter across the north and abundant food and habitat in nearly every corner of the state has produced a herd that is quite a bit larger than it should be. Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists estimate that the herd will number between 1.6 and 1.8 million animals going into the fall 2007-08 seasons -- even after a harvest of over a half million deer (506,947) in the 2006-07 seasons.
“In Wisconsin we are lucky to have dedicated conservationist-hunters who not only provide valuable input to deer management policy but also, through their efforts in the field every fall, help keep Wisconsin’s herd in balance with the ecosystem,” said Keith Warnke, DNR big game ecologist. “Hunters helped design the seasons we have in place to manage the deer herd. Through their hard work, we have a December gun hunt statewide, a long archery season, a nine day regular gun season, and an early youth hunt opportunity.”
October hunt
This year will be the second year of a trial moratorium on antlerless-only gun hunting in October in areas outside of chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zones. The trial was one of several recommendations made by Wisconsin deer hunters with the goal of improving the state’s deer hunt. Hunters told DNR biologists that they would like to try suspending the October antlerless gun season in favor of a statewide December antlerless gun hunt, indicating that they felt that with the December hunt they would be able to kill enough antlerless deer to move deer populations close to established goals.
“In order to move the herd to established goals, hunters had to register two antlerless deer for every buck over the two year trial period,” Warnke says. “We fell short of this goal in the first year in four of our five deer management regions. Hunters will need to harvest more than two antlerless deer per buck in 2007-08 to prevent return of the October gun hunt. Moving the deer herd toward goal is difficult and it will take several years to get where we need to be, but we are making progress.”
Population model reviewed
In 2006, a group of stakeholders consisting of representatives of deer hunting groups and many other stakeholders (including foresters, farmers, and tribes) contracted an independent review of the DNR’s deer population estimation model. The review team consisted of an expert panel of biologists and statisticians from around North America. The panel concluded in a report to the Natural Resources Board that the mathematical model used to estimate Wisconsin’s deer population model is reliable and robust. The panel also reported that hunters in Wisconsin and the DNR cooperate to collect more deer-related harvest and age data than any of the other 21 states they studied.
“Every fall, Wisconsin hunters contribute to what may be North America’s premier example of citizen based environmental monitoring and data collection by participating in the deer hunting seasons,” says Warnke. “Since the 1950s, Wisconsin deer hunters have collected the information required to manage our deer herd. And, lately, they’ve done it in remarkable numbers.”
The average annual kill for the last 10 years is more than 466,000 deer – every year! The average kill in the 1980s was less than 270,000. That is an increase of 75 percent in just over 20 years. Almost 4.7 million deer have been harvested by hunters in the past 10 years.
As hunters bring in their game for registration, wildlife managers at dozens of registration stations collect age information from around 20,000 of these deer every year. This information is input to Wisconsin’s population estimation model.
“Without hunters participating as ‘citizen-biologists’ in collecting this valuable information, there would be no way to evaluate the deer population in Wisconsin,” add Warnke, “there is no better or bigger deer population survey -- including aerial flights -- that could be used with the same effectiveness.”
Scouting is important predictor of success
Even with historical kill figures and a pre-season population projection of 1.6 to 1.8 million deer this fall, some hunters do not see deer. Why is this? The answer, Warnke says, is deer biology.
“Deer are not spaced evenly across the landscape. They do not use all habitats equally and over time their patterns change. Deer densities can vary radically over a small area on the landscape, so the deer stand that was productive 10 years ago (or even last year) may not be any good this year. Careful scouting is tremendously important to deer hunter success and satisfaction. Deer hunting magazines are chock full of how-to articles on scouting and patterning deer movements. Hard work is really the one thing that will up a hunter’s odds this fall.”
Ecological impacts of high deer populations
Wisconsin’s deer population is about 70 percent over goal. All these deer must eat and deer browsing can cause long term (perhaps permanent) changes to the variety of plant species in the forests. In a heavily grazed habitat, the tree, shrub and other plant species preferred by deer decline in abundance after years of heavy browsing. Altering the types of plants on the landscape will result in lower deer populations (and less hunting opportunity) in the future and could cause a decline of other species (birds, mammals, and reptiles) that depend on habitats that are no longer available as a result of heavy deer browsing.
Overabundant deer populations cause other impacts as well. DNR figures indicated there are 40,000 to 50,000 deer-vehicle collisions in Wisconsin every year. (The Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation also compiles deer-vehicle collision figures, which are lower, because they only include collisions resulting in reportable damage to vehicles.) These encounters are costly for the vehicle owners and create a roadside mess that must be cleaned up. At the worst, deer-vehicle collisions can result in injury or death to motorists.
Wisconsin farmers claimed over $1.5 million in crop damage caused by deer in 2005. Estimates of total crop damage are much higher. In addition to the financial loss suffered by farmers, hunters also pay – it is their dollars that pay the damage claims. Lower deer numbers would no doubt reduce crop losses say biologists and agriculture officials.
“Recreational deer hunting is far and away the most effective way to manage deer populations,” says Warnke. “It is also a foundation of tradition, wise management and conservation of our natural resources. The next generation of hunters will need a conservation legacy of sound, cooperative deer herd management and we all must keep working to pass that legacy along.
“Consider taking a son, daughter, niece, nephew or friend of the family out during the Oct. 6-7 youth hunt. Future support for hunting and hunters is dependent on our youth and society’s perception that hunting results in a properly managed deer herd, ethical and safe hunting and not simply record harvests.”
Deer Management Units for 2007
Regular Units
Deer populations are at or near goal in these units. For the 2007 season, regular units will have a limited number of Unit Specific Antlerless Deer Carcass Tags. Hunters can purchase unit specific Antlerless Deer Carcass Tags on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out at any license vendor beginning at noon on August 25. Tags can be purchased by phone (1-877-945-4236) or at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Online Licensing Center. Fees are $12 each for resident and $20 each for non-resident. Hunters must possess a 2007 Wisconsin deer hunting license to apply for the additional tags. Online maps of Deer Management Units are available on the DNR Web site and in the the 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations found on the hunting and trapping regulations page of the DNR Web site.
Herd Control Units
Formerly known as Zone-T Units, Herd Control Units are designated when a deer population is over goal and increased antlerless deer harvest is required to bring populations toward goal. Every 2007 Wisconsin deer hunting license will include one free Antlerless Deer Carcass Tag that can be used in either Herd Control or Earn-a-buck Units. There is no limit to how many additional Antlerless Deer Carcass Tags can be purchased at $2 each for use in Herd Control and Earn-a-Buck units. Tags can be purchased at any license sales location or at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Online Licensing Center. Online maps of Deer Management Units are available on the DNR Web site and in the 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations found on the hunting and trapping regulations page of the DNR Web site.
Earn-a-Buck Units
Fifty seven of Wisconsin’s 130 deer management units will have Earn-a-Buck (EAB) requirements for the 2007 archery and firearm deer hunting seasons. All 21 CWD units (Disease Eradication Zone and Herd Reduction Zone) are under the Earn-a-Buck requirements, as well. Earn-a-Buck requires hunters to first tag an antlerless deer before they can legally tag a buck. Online maps of Deer Management Units are available in the 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations available on hunting and trapping regulations page of the DNR Web site.
Earn-a-Buck units in 2007: 22A, 23, 24, 27, 46, 47, 54B, 54B CWD, 54C, 57B, 59B, 59C, 59M, 60M, 61, 61A, 62A, 62B, 63A, 63B, 64, 64A, 64M, 65B, 66, 67A, 67B, 68A, 68B, 70, 70A CWD, 70B CWD, 70C CWD, 70D CWD , 70E CWD, 70F CWD, 70G CWD, 71 CWD, 73B CWD, 73E CWD, 74A, 75A CWD, 75B CWD, 75C CWD, 75D CWD, 76 CWD, 76A CWD, 76M CWD, 77A CWD, 77B CWD, 77C, 77C CWD, 77D, 80A, 80B, 80C, 81
First used in 1996, EAB is prescribed if a DMU has been a Herd Control Unit for two consecutive years, and unlimited antlerless tags along with antlerless only hunts failed to reduce the population to near goal. EAB is an effective method of population control. EAB units offer unlimited Antlerless Deer Carcass Tags, one free with each license purchased, and additional Antlerless Herd Control Carcass Tags can be purchased at $2 each.
NOTE: It is illegal to use a car-killed deer to obtain a buck authorization sticker or as authorization to register a buck.
2007 Earn-a-Buck
Deer hunters hunting in any of the 57 Deer Management Units under Earn-a-Buck regulations for 2007 will be required to “earn” a buck sticker authorizing them to shoot a buck by first shooting an antlerless deer during the current 2007 hunting season or to have earned and not yet used a buck sticker during the 2006 season.
2007 Earn-a-Buck prequalification
Under a program started in 2006, some hunters may be prequalified for a buck harvest sticker by virtue of having killed and registered an antlerless deer last year in a unit that is under EAB rules this year. This includes more than 65,000 hunters who have “prequalified” for a buck sticker in 2007 by registering an antlerless deer during 2006.
If the unit where the antlerless deer was killed was under EAB last year, the hunter received a purple buck authorization sticker on the spot. The sticker could be used immediately to shoot and tag a buck last year or saved for this year. An EAB buck authorization sticker is good in any EAB unit.
If the unit where the antlerless deer was killed was not EAB in 2006 but is under EAB in 2007, the hunter should be in the EAB Prequalification Database. Hunters in this category will be mailed a buck sticker beginning in August 2007. An EAB buck authorization sticker is good in any EAB unit.
Hunters can also earn a buck sticker for the gun deer season by killing and registering an antlerless deer during the early archery deer season in any EAB unit.
How to check your EAB status
Deer hunters who believe they have pre-qualified for a buck authorization sticker in one of these units can check their status over the Internet.
Hunters will need to have their Department of Natural Resources customer identification number handy when they go online to the deer hunting page of the DNR Web site and click on the link for “EAB Pre-qualification Status” and follow the instructions to check on your authorization.
The on-line check allows hunters to determine if their information is in the database to receive a buck sticker for the 2007 Earn-A-Buck (EAB) season.
“You should be included in this database if you registered an antlerless deer in 2006 in any Deer Management Unit which was not EAB 2006 and is EAB in 2007,” Warnke says. “Data entry errors do happen. Some of the errors come from incomplete or unreadable information on the deer registration stubs so it’s really important for hunters to be very careful in filling out their registration stubs.”
Warnke also advises hunters not to wait until the last minute to check their status.
“You don’t want to be scrambling for a sticker the week before the opener, so please check and take action now,” he says.
Hunters who believe they have pre-qualified by registering an antlerless deer in 2006 in units that were not EAB in 2006 and are EAB in 2007 but do not find a buck authorization associated with their customer identification number should contact DNR via email directly from the Web page. Press the ‘enter my info’ button and enter everything you can remember about the deer you killed.
Hunters are encouraged to make sure the address DNR has associated with their customer identification number is correct. This address is where the buck authorizations will be mailed.
People who don’t have access to the Internet either at home or at a local library or through a friend, can contact their local DNR service center who will look up the information. People may also contact the DNR Call Center toll free at 1-800-282-0367.
Repeat EAB Units
Hunters who killed and registered an antlerless deer in an EAB unit in 2006 received a purple buck sticker at the registration station last year and will not be in the on-line database.
Units that were EAB last year and again this fall include: 46, 54B, 59B, 59C, 59M, 60M, 61, 61A, 62A, 62B, 63A, 63B, 64M, 65B, 66, 67A, 67B, 68A, 74A, and 80B.
“The sticker you received last fall is the sticker you need to have this hunting season,” says Warnke. Hunters who used all their buck stickers last fall or did not kill any antlerless deer in these units last fall will need to register an antlerless deer in an EAB unit this year to get a buck sticker. The stickers issued last fall will not be re-issued or replaced.
“Hunters were advised last fall to keep track of the purple buck stickers they earned. The same is true of stickers that will be mailed in August – close to the start of bow hunting. We need hunters to be careful to keep stickers safe. We can’t replace lost ones,” Warnke says.
The EAB “watch list”
Hunters looking ahead to the 2008 seasons can get an idea of which units might be in Earn-a-Buck by looking at the EAB “watch list” described below.
Based on population trends, deer management unit history and harvest history, deer managers have created an EAB “watch list.” These are deer management units that could potentially be designated as EAB in 2008. Hunters harvesting and registering an antlerless deer in these units in 2007 will pre-qualify for a Buck Authorization sticker if the unit is designated as EAB in 2008.
Because harvest information is taken directly off the deer registration stub, hunters are reminded to completely and legibly fill out the registration stub if they want to receive their “Buck Authorization” sticker in 2008.
The following is the “watch list” for 2008: all 2007 EAB units, plus units 1, 1M, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 30, 36, 51A, 51B, 52, 53, 54A, 55, 57, 57A, 57C, 58, 59A, 59D, 60B, 72, 73B, 73D, 74B, and 77M.
October Antlerless Gun Deer Hunt
Except in CWD units, there will be no October antlerless gun deer hunt in 2007.
“Wisconsin is entering its second year of a two-year trial moratorium on October gun deer hunting,” Warnke says. “There is a benchmark two-to-one average harvest ratio of antlerless deer to bucks in herd control units (does not include CWD units) needed over the two years of the trial.
“Unfortunately, only one of Wisconsin’s five deer management regions made the two-to-one ratio in 2006. The October antlerless deer gun season will return in 2008 unless the harvest ratio in herd control units is significantly higher than two-to-one in most regions of the state.”
The October antlerless gun deer season has been replaced during the moratorium by a December statewide four-day antlerless season.
Statewide December Antlerless Gun Deer Hunt
The four-day December antlerless deer hunt will be held Dec. 6-9 in DMUs statewide, except State Park units, non-quota units and those portions of units west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad that are posted closed to hunting. Hunters will need to have a valid antlerless deer carcass tag for the unit in which they wish to hunt. All deer and small game hunters, with the exception of waterfowl hunters, are required to meet blaze orange requirements on these two days. Only CWD units will have October gun deer hunting.
Youth Hunt
The fifth annual Youth Gun Deer Hunt will be Oct. 6-7. This special hunt was established to provide more youth deer hunting opportunity. The hunt will be held in all DMUs statewide, except State Park units, non-quota units and those portions of units west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad which are posted closed to hunting.
Youth hunters ages 12 to 15 who have successfully completed a hunter education program and possess a gun deer hunting license may participate in this hunt. Qualified hunters may harvest one buck deer on their gun buck deer carcass tag and additional antlerless deer with the appropriate carcass tag.
All deer, bear, and small game hunters, with the exception of waterfowl hunters, are required to meet blaze orange requirements on these two days. For more information on the youth hunt, check the 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet available on the hunting and trapping regulations page of the DNR Web site.
NOTE: Earn-a-Buck restrictions do NOT apply in EAB units during the youth hunt.
State Park Units
State Park units 23A, 52A, 57D, 61A, 69C, 72A, 73A, 77D, 77E and 80C allow deer hunting during one or more deer hunting seasons.
Hunters wishing to hunt in these State Parks must purchase a $3 State Park Access Permit online or at any DNR license location for the State Park of their choice. Permits are available beginning Saturday August 26 at noon on a first-come, first served basis until sold out.
A State Park sticker or pass is required for all vehicles in a State Park. Special season dates, hours and area restrictions may apply within the parks; this information will be mailed to successful applicants.
Metro Deer Management Units
Metro units 59M, 60M and 64M are designated as EAB units, while 1M and 77M remain as Herd Control units in 2007. These metro units also have special deer hunting season dates.
Hunters should review the 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet, available on the hunting and trapping regulations page of the DNR Web site, and in hard copy, for season dates in these units and for other deer hunting regulations.
Check local ordinances on firearm and bow use before hunting because many areas within the borders of the Metro Units do not allow firearm discharge and some may not allow the discharge of a bow or crossbow.
2007 Season Dates:
Archery:
Sept. 15 – Nov. 17
Nov. 26 – Jan. 6, 2008
NOTE: Archery harvests in all units are restricted to antlerless only Dec. 6 – 9.
Gun:
Regular Gun: Nov. 17 – 25
Muzzleloader: Nov. 26 – Dec. 5
Herd Control hunt: Dec. 6 – 9 (statewide antlerless only)
Youth Gun Hunt: Oct. 6 – 7
Disabled Hunt: Oct. 6 – 14
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Units:
Disease Eradication Zone (DEZ):
Archery: Sept. 15 – Jan. 6
Early Gun: Oct. 13 – 21
Late Gun: Nov. 17 – Dec. 9
Herd Reduction Zone (HRZ):
Archery: Sept. 15 – Jan. 6
Early Gun: Oct. 18 – 21
Late Gun: Nov. 17 – Dec. 9
NOTE: All CWD units are unlimited earn-a-buck for the entire 2007 season except for the Youth Gun Deer Hunt (see page 38 of the 2007 Deer Hunting Regulations for specifics on the youth hunt )
NOTE: Hunters are reminded that coyote hunting is closed in approximately the northern third of the state during the gun deer seasons from Nov. 17 through Dec. 9, 2007. See page 51 of the 2007 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations for the southern boundary of this special closed area. The coyote hunting season will remain open during the two-day youth hunt on Oct 6- 7. As with all hunting seasons, hunters are reminded to be absolutely sure of their target before they shoot. Mistakes in identification can be very costly.
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Lake Michigan chinook continue to keep biting
End of summer doesn’t mean the end of Lake Michigan chinook fishing
MADISON -- As the last days of summer draw near and the changing colors of leaves signal the approach of autumn, chinook salmon fishing on Lake Michigan continues to provide a great angling experience for both boaters and shore anglers.
“It’s been a phenomenal season so far for catching chinook,” says Brad Eggold, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor for southern Lake Michigan. “We don’t have the final data yet, but judging from what we’re seeing and hearing, anglers are leaving the waters happy and the chinook continue to keep biting.”
Fish biologists are hopeful that this year follows in the footsteps of 2006, which was extremely successful, bringing in not only larger fish, but the second highest number of fish in 40 years.
Recent fishing tournaments in Sheboygan and Milwaukee brought in 2,900 chinook, which according to Eggold, is a tremendous amount of fish and an encouraging sign that it has been a solid year so far with high numbers of healthy fish being caught, most of which seem relatively healthy.
Over the past few years, chinook have been caught in record numbers, but the smaller size of a lot of those fish was a concern for fish biologists. It appeared that there were possibly too many chinook in Lake Michigan for the forage base to support. In a collaborative effort between Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, chinook stocking was decreased lake-wide by 25 percent in 2006 in an attempt to make sure the amount of forage was more evenly balanced per the number of fish.
“It’s interesting, every time we reduce stocking, the fishing actually gets better,” says Eggold. “Past reductions have meant better fishing in Lake Michigan because we were creating a better balance between the available forage and their predators. We hope that the reduction in 2006 will help assure a great sport fishery by maintaining this delicate balance between prey and predator.”
For anglers venturing out this time of year, heading out to deeper depths might prove to be more rewarding, according to Paul Peeters, a DNR fisheries supervisor in Sturgeon Bay.
“If you’re looking to catch chinook this time of the year, you often have to be fishing 50 to 60 feet down in more than 100 feet of water,” says Peeters. “Salmon prefer water in the mid 50s, so now that Lake Michigan’s waters have warmed up, you have to fish a little deeper. Find the cold water and you find the fish.”
Many charter boats run through Labor Day and beyond and do quite well, according to Eggold, but when September rolls in, he recommends trolling near the harbor or the river mouth. That’s where the mature, larger chinook start to school before heading up the river to their home grounds to spawn. Conversely, Peeters reminds anglers, there will still be two year classes of chinook that are not maturing, which will remain out in the lake and available for sport trollers offshore.
As autumn rains begin to fall in late September and river and stream waters start to rise, the maturing year class of anxious chinook leave the lake and begin the trip upstream to their spawning grounds, giving shore and stream anglers a great opportunity to reel in their share.
“Although you can always continue to fish out on the lake, the chinook spawning runs provide a unique opportunity for anglers who don’t have a boat, to go out and catch the fish from shore,” says Peeters. “It’s part of their life cycle to go back upstream to spawn, so the fish are basically coming to you.
“Anglers are continuing to catch their bag limits of chinook,” says Eggold. “There’s plenty of time left to have a great year if you haven’t already and possibly catch the “big one” that avid anglers are always hoping for.”
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation