wiscwhip
5 year old buck +
How fast? It has been almost 3.5 years since Gov Scooter authorized the Deer Trustee review audit of our deer management practices. The 2014 season was the trial run for the rule changes brought about by the DTR audit, with "emergency" rules meant to curb the overharvest of antlerless deer and grow the herd. We now have the final "rule package"(which will make the changes permanent), ready to be voted in for this fall season. We are in the process of meetings of our newly formed county committees this past week and next to set recommendations for next fall's antlerless harvest. Those will then go to our Natural Resources Board along with the DNR's "recommendations" for the NRB to review and then voted on in June to set next falls tag allotment. The hunters of WI were complaining and some were already leaving the sport for quite a few years before Walker was even Governor, so yes, it takes a long time to get those changes to occur. Kudos to everyone, everywhere that tries to change their own destiny and form coops and clubs with their neighboring landowners. But that will help you even more if the DNR's are doing their job. No one should have to do those things to spite them or because of them.
Your "what's the point in hunting here" comment is exactly what has been happening in the northern forest region of WI for a few years now due to ultra low numbers in most areas, sure there are most likely pockets, but we all know how that goes. So with the recent exodus of hunters abandoning the northwoods due to no deer, the pressure has moved south to other areas that were already starting to struggle with numbers due to unlimited antlerless tags without the additional pressure. Thus the wave of overkill continued, and things in many areas got pretty bad. I am hopeful we have reached a turning point in our management and that it is successful moving forward, and I wish the best of luck to everyone else fighting to get and keep their deer management in order. I will continue to support them and help them any way I can, skin in the game or not.
Your "what's the point in hunting here" comment is exactly what has been happening in the northern forest region of WI for a few years now due to ultra low numbers in most areas, sure there are most likely pockets, but we all know how that goes. So with the recent exodus of hunters abandoning the northwoods due to no deer, the pressure has moved south to other areas that were already starting to struggle with numbers due to unlimited antlerless tags without the additional pressure. Thus the wave of overkill continued, and things in many areas got pretty bad. I am hopeful we have reached a turning point in our management and that it is successful moving forward, and I wish the best of luck to everyone else fighting to get and keep their deer management in order. I will continue to support them and help them any way I can, skin in the game or not.