Ran across this today, not sure if this has been hashed over already or not. NEWS! From the AP: Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, a Weston Democrat, demands Department of Natural Resources fire deer experts MADISON — A powerful state senator called Thursday for wildlife officials to fire anyone involved with deer management after hunters killed the fewest deer in years during Wisconsin's traditional November hunt. Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, said the Department of Natural Resources' has draconian herd-control policies that have devastated the deer population, leaving hunters empty-handed. The experts who designed the regulations deserve to lose their jobs, he said. "They've earned what they got coming. They've screwed us over too many years in a row now," Decker told The Associated Press. "They got what they wanted. They wanted a decimated deer herd. I don't think anybody trusts them anymore." DNR officials rejected Decker's demand. "We know there is hunter frustration, but the suggestion to fire staff is not a constructive proposal," DNR Secretary Matt Frank said in a statement. Wisconsin's November deer hunt is as much a part of the state's culture and image as cows, cheese and the Green Bay Packers. Hunters constantly complain about the DNR's deer regulations, but Decker's statements reflect a new level of anger over two years of anemic hunts. At the heart of the issue are the DNR's herd-control policies. For much of the last decade the agency insisted Wisconsin's herd had grown too large, creating more car-deer crashes and jeopardizing forest growth. The DNR has imposed several herd-control measures, including multiple hunting seasons, more antlerless deer tags and earn-a-buck regulations, which require hunters to kill an antlerless deer before they can take a buck. The idea was to kill more does and cut the herd's reproductive potential, but hunters dislike the requirements because it forces them to pass up trophy bucks.
is this a sample of (who works for who ) the dnr of any state is not it's own government and has to answer to the powers that run the state. and we the people vote in the politicians that best reflect are ideas and the way we want are state run. As americans we can simply vote for a change, contact your states governor and let him know what you think ..
What kills me is how hunters here ***** about not seeing any deer. Yet, when the DNR was handing out tags like candy, guys were bragging how many does they shot and filling every tag they had the chance to fill. Couple that with the "I got my buck" mentatlity and you have half the equation solved. Yes, the DNR deserves some blame.......but WI hunters need to look in the mirror and point the fingers at themselves too.
Well said Dan. No question there is some miss-management, but how quick everyone is to shift the blame entirely on the DNR (oh yeah, and those damn wolves...)
Dan, we have seen this debate before, and I agree with you again. Just because the DNR gives out a tag does not mean that you as a hunter must fill that tag. A great deal of the blame goes to the hunters along with the Wisconsin DNR.
I agree too about people shooting too many deer here but ya have to think about how many year we had earn a buck which forces you to shoot a doe if you want to get a buck. The earn a buck was a great idea because we did have an over abundance of deer but it lasted too many years. I believe it was 4 years and with 600,000 hunters out there, granted not everyone got a doe but say even half the people shot a doe each year all 4 years and thats just does. thats a lot of frickin deer. That is what i think was the problem.
EAB wasn't statewide and I don't credit it with the drop in population. The unit our cabin is in was not EAB, but there were unlimited doe tags given out. Let me say that I don't have a problem with the DNR wanting to bring the deer population down a bit. What I do have a problem with is the WI mentality that you need to see 20 deer per hunt for it to be a good hunt. That and the fact that guys will let 15 does walk by and shoot the spike following them....."You shot a doe? Yeah, well, I got my buck." (which is a different debate and not the cause of the population drop.) I don't see how anyone in this state can now ***** about seeing less deer, when they themselves shot them off. Let me also say that individual hunters are great at prpperly managing the resource, no matter what the DNR does....but, as a group, they are horrible. They will go along with the DNRs bidding and then blame anyone but themselves. Now that the deer population is down.....it would be nice if we could get rid of that "I got my buck" mentality and see some more mature bucks. Yeah, I know, thats another can of worms for a different thread............
Why don't they put in a 3 or 4 point(on one side) rule? Let the young bucks grow up some, and force hunters to shoot more doe. Arkansas installed a 3 point rule(3 on one side) a few years ago, because everyone here was griping about the limited trophy bucks we had(which isn't a problem for you guys in WI).
What's this? A WI hunter with common sense. I agree that maybe WI DNR has out-did some of it's main objectives wholeheartedly. However.. I believe.. with Dan.. that its much more than just the big bad DNR. The hunters need to take equal blame for their mess(es).
WOW so basically you think that all wisconsin hunters have no common sense??? that's a pretty bold statement duke, tell us how you really feel the dnr cannot be blamed completely, each person is responsible for him or herself and the lands they hunt on.
I have to be a little careful here. Russ Decker is not a bright person, I know he cannot read NO Tresspassing signs. I doubt he can spell DNR if you spot him the D and the N. His group has shot a boatload of fawns and does the last five years. One of my neighbors who constantly has issues with Decker tresspassing said they killed 10 in his area last year. It woul;d seem he would need to look in the mirror. What the mighty Decker make a mistake? Funny how the last time I caught him tresspasing I made sure he knew it was the last time. Three weeks later he introduced legislation that would have done away with backtags. A little selve serving? Yes, the DNR has made some mistakes but Decker is constantly meddling and trying to cut their budget. When the DNR tried to get baiting banned. He wanted the masses to "nuke the DNR" . Sorry no time for him or his drivel.
I LOVE Wisconsin. And I love the people of the state. But.. you have to admit.. many of her deer hunters or naive... or lacking of common sense. I pay $160 dollars to hunt your great state.. cause frankly your state runs great with public land. I've been doing this over the past 3 years.. maybe 4. In those 3 or 4 years.. I've hunted like an educated hunter.. not like many of the WI hunters I meet.. who just slay deer left and right.. and they as residents pay a fraction of the price I do.. and I've taken but 1 doe from your herd.. a real solid one with age to her. I've passed on many deer to finally take her.. even missed a few too.:D I continue to meet so many of these public landers who complain they are not seeing the deer.. then in the next sentence tell me how they took 7 last year. But.. they still complain how they don't see 20 deer no more??? It baffles me.. I'm from Illinois and I see deer nearly every sit in your great state.. And I ONLY hunt in September up there... on public ground no less! Just baffles me. I love your state.. always have.. love to fish it.. boat it.. swim it.. and hunt it. But sometimes.. I can just do without the resident hunters and their constant complaining of "how bad things are". All I'm saying is.. you have a right to get mad with the DNR of your state.. but you need to look in the mirror too. I agree with Dan.
I agree with you both, Duke and Dan, it goes both ways! You will always have the hunters that will shoot whatever walks by them, no matter what. But the DNR need to realize when you have the majority of the state in Herd Contol and Doe tags are only $2, of course people are going to shoot as many as they can. It also doesn't help when the DNR pressure us, the hunters, to shoot does, or else we are going to have EAB the next year, or an extended gun season. Again, it goes both ways, but the DNR need to get this problem, that they started, fixed.
I agrre with both of you too! The dnr i believe has done things that i dont agree with but the people who follow them are stupid. Them handing out doe tags for $2 and people rushing in to get them and filling them. Like this year i bought a bow and gun lisence which includes 2 buck tags ( bow-gun) and 3 doe tags! AND people need more tags!!! (granted i know this year was different with all units.not everyone got that but in my unit thats what i got) and its been that way for idk how many years now. over the last 3-4 years w/e ive killed 1 doe each year and 2 bucks in the 4 years or w/e and both of those bucks were over 140". SO its the dnr's fault for giving the tags out as they do and us the people for actully filling them.
I agree totally with you guys, although our DNR is obviously not on the same page as WI hunters, the ultimate game manager in the state of WI is the individual hunter. It is baffling to me how a hunter can see few to any deer in an area over an extended period of time and then shoot the only deer that the hunter saw?? Then complain year after year about not seeing many deer. This scenario is being played out in every part of our great state, season after season.
