SHOULD WISCONSIN EXTEND THE DEER HUNTING SEASON?
A legislative column by state Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin)

What say you, Wisconsin deer hunters?

Currently, Wisconsin’s annual rite of passage, the gun deer hunting season runs for nine days. A proposed rule would extend the hunt to 16 days during 2010 and 2011. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board wants public input about the proposal that would start the season one week earlier with the first four days restricted to antlerless deer. Public hearings are scheduled around the state from October 14, 2009 through November 3, 2009.

The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is searching for new ideas to reduce Wisconsin’s whitetail herd since DNR Secretary Matt Frank announced during April 2009 that a one-year moratorium on the controversial Earn-a-Buck program would be imposed outside the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) zone during the 2009 deer hunting season.

Deer populations were lower than anticipated during the fall of 2008 due to a rough winter and a late, cool spring. The deer kill was down 19 percent during 2008, and hunters generally opposed to the Earn-a-Buck program blamed the DNR for its projections of the deer population that were too high. The Earn-a-Buck program was quite unpopular.

During January 2009, the Wisconsin Outdoor News reported, “The Earn-a-Buck program forces hunters to shoot antlerless deer before taking a buck. It’s designed as a population-control measure, but many hunters despise it because it forces them to pass up trophy kills.”

The Earn-a-Buck program has been scrapped, and the DNR believes a new method to thin the herd would be an extended season. Thus far, reaction has been as chilly as deer hunting weather.

Jon Gafner, owner of Jon's Sport Shop in Oshkosh, told the Oshkosh Northwestern he has yet to hear a positive comment from his customers about a 16-day hunt. Russ Ref told the newspaper, “I think the deer herd has already been decimated by the Earn-a Buck and antlerless deer seasons. I'm opposed to any change that is going to reduce the herd more."

Several public hearings are planned about the proposed extension. The closest location to southeastern Wisconsin is a hearing October 28, 2009 at the Waukesha County Technical College, Room C051/C057, 800 Main Street in Pewaukee. The public hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. with an informational presentation about the proposed rule followed by public comment at 7:00 p.m.

If you are unable to attend the hearing, you can e-mail written comments to Keith Warnke of the DNR at: keith.warnke@wisconsin.gov. More information about the proposed rule and the complete hearing schedule can be found on the Wisconsin DNR website at: http://dnr.wi.gov/

Even if you are not a hunter, you still need to be aware of deer. State Farm Insurance reports a vehicle collides with a deer somewhere in the United States every 26 seconds.

Wisconsin ranks eighth in the nation for the likelihood of vehicles crashing with deer. Your odds of crashing with a deer are 1 in 116.

Here are some safety tips from the DOT for avoiding deer collisions:

  • Be vigilant in early morning and evening hours, the most active time for deer.
  • Drive cautiously at all times.
  • Heed deer crossing signs and speed limits.
  • Always wear your safety belt—there are fewer and less severe injuries in vehicle vs. deer crashes when safety belts are worn.
  • If you see a deer by the side of the road, slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten the deer away.
  • When you see one deer, look for another one—deer seldom run alone.
  • If you find a deer looming in your headlights, don't expect the deer to move away.
  • Do not swerve. It can confuse the deer as to where to run.
  • If your vehicle strikes a deer, stay in your vehicle and do not touch the animal if it is still alive.
    • The injured deer, in attempting to move, could hurt you or itself.
    • Walking or stopping on the highway is very dangerous – you could be hit by an oncoming vehicle if you get out of your car.
    • The best advice is to get your car off the road, if possible, and call law enforcement.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT), during 2008, 10 people died in 10 fatal motor vehicle-deer crashes, 99 people suffered incapacitating injuries, 243 people suffered less serious injuries, and 183 people were possibly injured.

 

If you have comments on this or any other issue, please contact me at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov, www.SenatorLazich.com, Senator Mary Lazich, State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 or 1-800-334-1442