I probably should have just posted the link, but here goes. Pasted from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentential. Pay particular attention to the red sentence near the bottom and the parts about the CDAC's having more input. These comments are by one of the NRB Board Members that will vote on the new harvest goals. I like this guy, he seems like our friend, I will be emailing him tonight to express my distrust in the "DNR's system" and my hope that his voice of reason will be heard by the other Board Members.
Deer hunt was 'rebuilding year,' DNR expert says
As the 2014 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season settles into the history books, state wildlife officials on Wednesday provided a brief summary to the season and unveiled proposals that could give more power to the fledgling system of County Deer Advisory Councils.
"To invoke sports terminology, I think we'd probably call it a rebuilding year," said Tom Hauge, director of wildlife management for the Department of Natural Resources, speaking to the Natural Resources Board.
DNR officials traditionally give a recap of the gun deer season to the board at its December meeting. This year was notable for declines in deer harvest and license sales.
Hunters registered 191,550 deer in the gun deer season, a 15% decrease from 2013 and the lowest since 1982, according to preliminary DNR data.
The 2014 harvest included 90,336 bucks (down 8% from 2013) and 101,214 antlerless deer (down 21%). The nine-day gun deer season ran Nov. 22-30.
Hauge noted the lower deer harvest was linked to "very strong" DNR efforts "to help our northern forest herds recover from two years of hard winters."
Nineteen counties in northern Wisconsin had "buck only" regulations this year, rules designed to reduce the harvest of antlerless deer and help deer numbers increase.
The season also featured a change to county management units and a reduction in the number of antlerless deer tags statewide.
The number of license sales also was down. The DNR reported sales of 608,711 gun deer licenses, a drop of 24,891 (4%) from 2013. The license sales total was the lowest since 1976.
The season set a record for hunter safety, however. The state reported four non-fatal shooting incidents (earlier DNR reports had the number at three) over the nine-day season. The previous low was five incidents (three non-fatal and two fatal) in 2004.
The shooting injury rate of 0.66 per 100,000 hunters this year was also lowest on record, said Todd Schaller, DNR chief warden.
The board quickly shifted gears and began looking toward the 2015 deer season.
Next on the agenda: A request to hold public hearings on proposed changes to deer management regulations.
Several recommendations from the 2012 Deer Trustee Report were put in place this season under emergency rules. Permanent rules need to be approved by July 1 to be in effect for the 2015 hunting seasons.
The DNR presented a draft of the permanent rules Wednesday. It included several changes, including a proposal to place more emphasis on input from the County Deer Advisory Councils. The CDACs formed in September; each is made up of local residents representing a range of stakeholders, including hunters, agriculture, forestry, tourism and transportation. A local delegate of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress chairs each council.
The permanent rule ends "bonus buck," a rule under which hunters can earn an extra buck tag by shooting an antlerless deer.
However, the permanent rule would create a process by which CDACs could ask for changes in regulations such as bonus buck.
"These CDACs have to know they have skin in the game or this whole system falls apart," said Greg Kazmierski, a board member from Pewaukee.
In addition to bonus buck, the councils could vote to influence other local deer management regulations, including: holding a four-day December antlerless deer hunt; allowing the harvest of bucks during the Holiday Hunt; holding an antlerless-only deer season; instituting antler point restrictions (four points on a side or wider than the ears) in a selected season; or limiting buck harvest to the first two days of a season.
As written, the proposal would require two-thirds of the CDACs in a zone to approve a change. However, the DNR is likely to seek input on whether the public prefers "county only" or "zone wide" votes to influence such changes. Tim Andryk, DNR attorney, said the final rule could be drafted either way based on public input and board preference.
Nine public hearings are planned around the state in January.