WI Hunting Rule Changes

[Tree Spud]

EAB, did allow for some awesome bucks to grow but it was not good at all where my home farm is and it has yet to recover from the over harvest of does here.

Shawnv ... as Stu said ... should not have been applied across the state universally. It is a very good tool for units that are over goal and need hunter mgmt.

I did not agree with it at first, but learned how it changed hunter's habits ... I also saw how it changed things in our unit which has 59 dpsm density ... not something for areas of the northern part of the state ...

 

[shawnv]

Now dr.deer and the dnr put value back in the doe and raised the tag from $2 to $12/$20. Brilliant move. I already see the mentality has changed back to the 2 free tags and that's about it. Waupaca will have an explosion of deer in 2015 with all the corn up now. We will take 12 more doe and call it good. My spring plantings without cages are already toast. I have 800 total dogwoods and 100 speckled alder coming in and they won't see june

They will be safe growing at my place, it's amazing how lopsided the population is from one area to the next in this state. This is how it's messed up, they want to maintain where my home farm area should increase and they want to increase where my 30 acres is because it's on the edge of forest but there is a good number of deer. That being said it's a crapshoot unless you have the tools and neighbors to micro manage the local deer.

 

[shawnv]

Here is the dpsm trend as I see it on my two properties entering the fall season in EC County, one is farm zone and one is forest zone.

Farm: Early 2000's-32, 2010-28, 2011-26, 2012-24, 2013-14, 2014-19, 2015 Prediction-23

Forest: Early 2000's-35, 2010-24, 2011-20, 2012-19, 2013-21, 2014-25, 2015 Prediction-28

 

[shawnv]

Post fawn crop. Nothing concrete to what I list other than what I see while driving each day, see around the farm, catch on trail cameras, see while hunting and what gets shot.

 

[Tree Spud]

That's what happens when hunters ... the so called deer resource manager ... refuse to manage the herd ... and folks wonder why the DNR does not trust or embrace hunters as a part of the "solution" ... ?

 

[Tree Spud]

Tree if You are referring to my high dpsm then yes we have created a deer utopia via habitat improvements over 39 years. Refuse to manage the herd? We just dropped 2 doe this morning and another 12 will go down the next 7 days making 340 antlerless off only 140 acres the last 10 years. Imo, we manage the states deer just fine. I'd bet nobody else in the state has taken that many off 140 acres. 2 of my neighbors have crop tags of 40,30 as well.

November ... Yes the high dspm areas are a problem as are many cropland areas. You guys clearly are doing the right things ... I was speaking about the typical hunter ... sounds like you are doing all you can ...

Issue is ... if you guys take 10-15 does ... there maybe 200 hunters around you who won't shoot a doe ... you are affecting 500-800 acres maybe ... there is the 1500-3000 acres around you that still is not being managed ... I deal with the same issue ...

 

[dipper]

I've been averaging 40 the last few years on my place, and the pickings are getting slimer. Now my food sources are dwindling since I didn't get my plots in early enough. So most of the deer are in a nearby corn field that I'm not in position to hunt. If you shoot them, and hit them hard, you will lower the population. If I had more food Id immediately be attracting more deer. There are still herds of 20 plus 3/4 mile from my place. The deer will disperse again, when that corn runs out.
As I reflect where I was this time 5 years ago, I've come a long way.

 

[Tree Spud]

I know we take 30 doe and should take 50

I've been averaging 40 the last few years on my place, and the pickings are getting slimer. Now my food sources are dwindling since I didn't get my plots in early enough. So most of the deer are in a nearby corn field that I'm not in position to hunt. If you shoot them, and hit them hard, you will lower the population. If I had more food Id immediately be attracting more deer. There are still herds of 20 plus 3/4 mile from my place. The deer will disperse again, when that corn runs out.
As I reflect where I was this time 5 years ago, I've come a long way.

You guys are taking that many does ... what are you doing with all the meat?

 

[dipper]

We eat a ton of vennie, I give away deer and have donated a few