DNR cancels Earn-A-Buck in 2009 By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel Apr. 9, 2009 2:51 p.m. In a move that surprised and pleased many in the hunting community, the Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday a moratorium on Earn-A-Buck deer hunting regulations for most of the state in 2009. According to DNR Secretary Matt Frank, the department will recommend a regular deer hunting framework, without even an October antlerless gun hunt, for the fall seasons in most of the state. Earn-A-Buck regulations will be offered only in Chronic Wasting Disease management zones. “Deer hunting is a rich tradition in Wisconsin, and the DNR takes our role in protecting this important part of our heritage very seriously,” said Frank. “In light of the recommendation from the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, and the concerns of hunters expressed at meetings across the state, the DNR is recommending a break from Earn-a-Buck this year." According to the plan announced Thursday, the DNR will recommend a regular season framework for 62 deer management units, a herd control framework for 50 units and Earn-A-Buck for the CWD units. The move is a departure from a DNR proposal drafted in March. Under that plan, 25 deer management units outside of the CWD zone would have had Earn-A-Buck regulations this year and most of the state would have had a gun hunt for antlerless deer in October. Earn-A-Buck requires a hunter to shoot an antlerless deer before taking a buck. The regulation is the most effective tool used by wildlife mangers to reduce deer numbers in areas with significantly high populations, said Tom Hauge, DNR chief of wildlife management. The DNR has been working for years to reduce the deer herd in Wisconsin. The department estimates the herd at 1 million animals following the 2008 hunting seasons; the population goal is 739,000. Though successful at reducing deer numbers, Earn-A-Buck has proved onerous to many hunters. It has, for instance, required some hunters to pass a shot at a buck because they hadn't fulfilled the antlerless harvest requirement. Opposition to the regulation mounted following the 2008 hunting seasons when hunters killed 13 percent less deer than in 2007 and many reported seeing fewer deer on the landscape. Hunter dissatisfaction led some to talk of boycotting the 2009 hunting seasons or prohibiting hunting on their land. The DNR has been collecting comments from hunters over the last 6 weeks. Over 6,000 responded via an on-line survey; the state also held over 40 meetings around the state. The Wisconsin Conservation Congress' Big Game Study Committee last month recommended a season framework very similar to the one presented Thursday by the DNR. Thursday's announcement shows the department is listening, said Rob Bohmann, vice-chair of the congress. "I think this will be very well received by many hunters," said Bohmann, of Racine. "This addresses the single biggest complaint out there. You have to give the department credit." Retaining Earn-a-Buck within the CWD zone maintains the department's commitment to controlling the spread of CWD by reducing local deer populations, said Frank. Hauge, the DNR wildlife chief, said the department will continue to look closely at harvest numbers and deer population trends in the coming year. "The success of our deer management depends on our deer hunters," said Hauge. "We'll keep working with the hunters to manage the resource in the best way possible." The recent DNR recommendations have been crafted in a "Green Sheet" and will be presented to the Natural Resources Board for approval at its April 22 meeting in West Bend. Post a Comment Comments (0)
OMG. If this is true in my little part of Wisconsin where I only hunt September... .........:d It's gonna be alot more fun come September.
Ya.. but.. my unit isn't CWD.. its herd management??? or something like that. Is Kettle Moraine CWD.. I'll shoot up there and hunt if it has no EAB in September.. heck ya's I will.
The North was herd control last year, might go back to a regular unit. The South will be CWD/EAB again this year! What Unit do you hunt in??
thats great news...nut the WI DNR still blow in my book! But did all you guys know that there is a law that is trying to be passed about limiting the times you can hunt bucks in Wisconsin that will be voted on?
My two main spots are still EAB since they are in a CWD area. I do have a buck sticker already for next year though.
