Lower deer harvest forecastDNR says several factors lead to dipBy Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Nov. 5, 2009Hunters should expect a lower statewide deer harvest in 2009, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
Factors cited by wildlife managers include: a throttling-back of aggressive hunting regulations; below average fawn production the last two years; a drop in doe permits in northern units; and a delayed corn harvest.
"Hunters told us they wished to return to a more historically traditional hunt," said Keith Warnke, DNR big-game ecologist. "They will see that traditional hunt in many management units in the north and central forest where deer populations are at or close to a healthy goal and where there will be no Earn-A-Buck and few or no antlerless permits issued."
Hunters registered 453,480 deer in the 2008 archery, gun and tribal seasons, a drop from 520,416 in 2007.
The prospect of seeing fewer deer this year will not be welcome news to many hunters. But it's not unexpected, either.
"I think everybody has resigned themselves to a few bleak years coming up here," said Ed Harvey, chairman of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
The Wisconsin deer herd has declined in recent years due to hunter harvests focused on antlerless deer, increased predation from wolves and bears and lower than average fawn production.
The increased harvest pressure on antlerless deer was by design.
"Herd control and Earn-A-Buck are accomplishing what they were intended to do, bringing deer numbers down to healthy population goals in parts of the state," said Warnke.
An outcry from hunters after last year's drop in harvest led to legislative hearings on Earn-A-Buck. The Natural Resources Board later suspended the regulation indefinitely.
"Hunters have been observing fewer deer the last couple years and that's what led to a return to the deer wars," said Greg Kazmierski of Waukesha, representative of the Wisconsin Hunters Rights Coalition. "We hope recent considerations to modify regulations will lead to increased expectations in the future."
The state's legally established over-winter population goal is about 740,000 deer. Last year the DNR estimated the over-winter herd at 1 million deer.
Hunters registered 618,274 deer in Wisconsin in 2000, highest of any state on record.
A harsher than average winter in 2007-'08 reduced fawn production last year to 0.73 fawns per doe; the long-term average is 0.87.
This year's fawn production is still being estimated but will likely be below average, said Warnke.
As always, wildlife managers recommend hunters scout to increase their odds of success. Fewer than 40% of hunters tag a deer each year, according to the DNR.
"But deer hunting is a whole lot more than just killing a deer," said Warnke. "For most deer hunters, it's about spending time with family and friends getting outside in the autumn air, observing wildlife and enjoying the various traditions associated with the deer season."
The 2009 gun deer season runs Nov. 21-30, followed by the muzzleloader season Dec. 1-9 and a late antlerless-only season Dec. 10-13 in select zones. The late archery season ends Jan. 3 in much of the state.
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