Today's chat with the dnr in regards to doe tags

[wiscwhip]

And generating ruffed grouse habitat is often good for the deer.

I would agree bur, especially in the National Forest Areas where the woods is overly mature. When given the choice between overly mature old growth forest or newly cutover aspen regen, grouse, deer, and many other species would prefer the later, including the discerning deer hunter. Not that there isn't a place for mature forest stands, but one has to realize that you can have too much of just about anything and having too much of that thing will eventually affect everything else around it, and within it, in a negative way. As much as I hate to see our DNR spending money on something as frivolous as more elk reintroductions, I have read the forest management plans for the new areas that they are considering releasing them in and it is solid and would have a beneficial affect on deer populations as well as elk. The 2 issues I have with that are that the DNR won't let deer populations get too high in the elk reintroduction areas in the first place, so the habitat improvements won't benefit as many deer as they could and the fact that the DNR will not do improvements like this strictly for the deer. It takes the reintroduction of a species that was on the fringe of it's range in the first place to spur the DNR into creating improved habitat, which they SHOULD be doing on a continuous basis anyway, elk reintroduction or otherwise.

 

[dipper]

Elk are native to wi, I think it is great they are bringing them back. I know many people who already travel way the heck up north to enjoy them, especially during the rut. I've thought of it myself, but now that they will only be a couple counties over, I'm gonna try to enjoy them. There's deer in every single county of the state, why not bring back a native species that used to be common through much of the state.
i don't need to necessarily hunt them either. They are an amazing animal, and I don't need to travel thousands of miles to see one.

 

[wiscwhip]

I'm not arguing any of those points dipper, bison were native to my area of WI as well. The point I was trying to make is that it takes something like a species reintroduction to spur the DNR into action where habitat improvement is concerned and that isn't the way is should be. They should be willing to do those improvements regardless of elk being reintroduced or not.

BTW, you do realize that they are just another vector to promote the spread of CWD, right?

 

[sandbur]

I'm not arguing any of those points dipper, bison were native to my area of WI as well. The point I was trying to make is that it takes something like a species reintroduction to spur the DNR into action where habitat improvement is concerned and that isn't the way is should be. They should be willing to do those improvements regardless of elk being reintroduced or not.

BTW, you do realize that they are just another vector to promote the spread of CWD, right?

It would be interesting to see how much is spent per existing elk in Wis.

 

[wiscwhip]

It is really hard to quantify the CWD prevalence rates for the different cervids, as their behavioral patterns are so different. Whitetail deer have it worse than other cervids like elk and mule deer that do not rely heavily on things like licking branches and such for social interaction. Whitetail behavioral patterns put them at a higher predisposed risk to transmit something like CWD that can be spread through repeated, close-quartered, social interaction where bodily fluids like saliva and glandular secretions are exchanged regularly.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

It's funny u say that about elk and Cwd. I can't remember if I was viewing statistics or an article as to how elk are subject to Cwd, but it is a lower rate. Obviously the information was A comparison out west, which I believe included mule deer not whitetails.
Hey smith can U like me too sometime? I really want to start fitting in with u guys;)

I "liked" you Dipper. I finally get it now. you just have always wanted to be "liked" :) (I tossed it the smiley face for you too, as a special bonus).

All joking aside, I kind of miss when you used to try to beat up on me. I always enjoyed the back and forth.....it was mental gymnastics for me. Not only is that as close as I'm ever going to get being able to do anything more "gymnastic" than nut myself on the balance beam, but I never took that kind of stuff personally at all (even though I do believe it was at least somewhat "personal" on your end) and thoroughly enjoy debating the merits of the things I believe and do. If you can't defend something, you didn't really believe in it to begin with. Besides, it forces me to think deeper and good can potentially come from that.

 

[dipper]

Haha, smart thinking Steve, I like it. The guys on here now just get mean right away. It's not as much fun that way