WI Licenses go on sale today

[BJE80]

I have no idea why but I can’t wait to buy my licenses every year. Perhaps it makes it feel like winter is almost over and the season is closer? I don’t know why I enjoy shelling out money for something I won’t use till my first cast of the year here in May sometime. I buy my gun deer, archery, bear, turkey and fishing license all at once on line.
I also chuckle to myself the guys that don’t buy their gun license till the day before the opener and then stand in line for 30min. I buy mine on the first day I can. I must be retarded or something.

I did apply for a Bear harvest permit for fall 2016. I also applied for a turkey permit at the cabin as a land owner for the first time even though we don’t have many turkeys around.

 

[BJE80]

I used to buy day 1 when they actually handed out the backtag # starting at 1. I have backtags as low as #2 as an nr. I now wait on the $500 plus till fall. Fyi, leftover spring turkey tags go on sale starting 3/23.

Yeah I am going to see how much turkey sign I see around and what the cameras tell me before I buy I turkey license. I have somewhat lost my drive for turkeyhunting now for some reason. I most likely won't buy a tag at all this season. Got too much work to do for deer.


As a resident mine costed $93 for gun, bow, turkey apply, bear apply, fishing, small game.

 

[CrazyEd]

I have to put in for my bear point. 6 points now.....probably 4 more to go for Zone B.

 

[Terrific_tom]

I have to put in for my bear point. 6 points now.....probably 4 more to go for Zone B.

Put in for Zone D and you will draw a tag next year. I know a good Outfitter in Zone D.;)

 

[BJE80]

I have probably 200 turkey and always am doing my week of habitat work during period c and have never bought a tag. Right now there are 4300 tags left for zone 3, period c which go on sale 3/25 but @$90 for an nr I will probably focus on trees, tractors, and stand maintenance.

You can buy a lot of butterballs for that price.

 

[Jim Timber]

I hate how our turkey tags cost more than a farm raised bird at retail. Seems counter productive to me.

At least as a land owner we get a freebee if we live on the property.

 

[wiscwhip]

I hate how our turkey tags cost more than a farm raised bird at retail. Seems counter productive to me.

At least as a land owner we get a freebee if we live on the property.

C'mon now JT, your paying for the experience, not the harvested bird, or lack thereof.;):rolleyes::D

 

[Jim Timber]

We have turkey! We have more turkey than deer. I haven't ever seen a big tom strutting, but we have plenty of bearded birds.

 

[BJE80]

Surprise, this year for the "free" antlerless tags, you need to designate which county and also public or private lands.

I don't think that is a suprise at all. They said that was going to happen early last year. The reason they could not do it last year is because they did not have approval for the new system in time.

 

[wiscwhip]

I'm fine with that, it will keep guys from just randomly getting tags to use on properties they would otherwise hunt without them being specific. Now how that helps the DNR kill more deer, which is what the freebies are for, I do not know. It will help force landowners into choosing to get the free tag for their own place or shooting a doe off public and open more quality opportunities up for the public land only hunters to hunt without excess pressure from guys who own their own land but would rather shoot does off public lands instead of controlling their own herd, and possibly increase their chances of harvesting a deer. It works out great for me, being I live in the Central Farmland and hunt public areas occasionally near home and I hunt primarily in the Central Forest Zone, which I have to "apply" to get a tag for that area anyway. I think it will also help to gather more precise data to be used to monitor the new quota system. I'm in!

 

[EOB]

If I understand this correctly you have specify the county and private/public for the free antlerless tag, yet the antlerless quotas have not been released. I hunt in Lincoln and Oconto counties on private land. Lincoln is northern forest and Oconto is central farmland. Are the free tags only for farmland areas?

 

[wiscwhip]

Yes, like last year the freebies will not be available to use in a Forested Zone.

 

[EOB]

Thanks for confirming. For the traveling hunter this kind of stinks. I hunt at least one weekend a year in LaCrosse County and I liked having the option to tag a doe.

Maybe all this specific county private/public land confusion is an attempt to generate revenue through fines.

 

[wiscwhip]

Thanks for confirming. For the traveling hunter this kind of stinks. I hunt at least one weekend a year in LaCrosse County and I liked having the option to tag a doe.

Maybe all this specific county private/public land confusion is an attempt to generate revenue through fines.

I think it is more to generate revenue through the purchase of bonus antlerless tags, you want the option to shoot a doe in 3 counties, you will pay for that option through the purchase of 3 separate antlerless tags. $12+$12+$12;) See how that works. Money in their pockets.

 

[bwoods11]

What does a NR doe tag in SW Wisconsin cost??

 

[bwoods11]

$20 unless you are in a farmland zone that gives you 1 free tag per bow/gun license. The license is $162

Ok thanks!!

Is there a limit per county?

This would be SW corner?

 

[wiscwhip]

It depends on what the quota is for that year, it could possibly vary year to year. Recently that whole area of the state has been a "kill 'em all" zone complete with extra seasons over the Christmas Holiday, so there were unlimited tags. With the new "system" we have now, where a county committee has public comment meetings and sets the population goal and quotas, it will be interesting to see what happen over the next couple seasons.