What would you do if you were the head of the DNR?

[wack]

On the Fish list #1 I agree.
2)Part of my stimulus plan hire people to improve every public hunting ground one by one. I want land that holds deer year around and especially well adapted for winter. I want food sources year around to compete with the agriculture in the area. I want acorn oaks and fruit trees, natural browse, food plots and a variety to suit the wildlife unique to that area. I would no longer allow cash crops to be grown on public land and harvested prior to winter and these public grounds are the ones I'd start with. If planting these grounds is part of the land deal with the state, I'd buy out the farmers rights or give up the land because a dirt field is useless during winter and devastating to wildlife depending on that land.

3) food pantry hunters are good for hunting image. DNR claims there will be fewer hunters in not so far away future. Keep tags reasonable but lets figure out how to count the deer and be more careful about tags issued and methods used to reach goals.
4)I'll leave testing up to you but I'm spending my efforts on research for better method of testing,(I.E. testing live deer, and for a cure.  A vaccine that maybe could be put into bait? I've got the whole UW system and Obama money, get them on it now.
5)Farmers who don't hunt and don't want crop damage should get grants from DNR (Obama money) for fences. We can keep terrorists out of the US, we can keep critters out of a corn field. For those who do hunt, give them the ability to manage there own land. Encourage habitat restoration with grants, and give them control in a way that they can profit from good land management. I'd take a hard look at Texas programs and implement what works.
6)We don't have a clue as to the actual number of bears. Mind blowing that 13,000 bears turned into 47,000 over night. How'd that happen? We need a recount! lol I want more bears than wolves and if we are going to have both, we need elk. Until then, I'm raising the price on bear tags and waiting to know how many. I'm cashing in bear tags and shooting for 15,000 bears after harvest 2010.
7)Keep with the wolf program and start selling wolf tags. This will help offset lost deer hunting rev. and give deer hunters something to shoot at until deer population recovers. 500 wolves should provide 500? tags 2009. 2010 will have to be a count and see, I'll put the current biologists in charge and let them determine the numbers, but get some tags out there 2009. I'd hire A Hmong chef to put together a K9 cookbook for wolf meat recipes to encourage hunters to eat what they hunt or at least give it to someone who will. [:)] Feeding my elk to the wolves will be a death sentence in Wisconsin. If we have to capture the wolves, I'm using Doyle and his communist regime as wolf bait. When they run out, child rapists and snowmokillers next.
9)The perfect habitat is exactly the same habitat that was here 300 years ago, before white man came. Every animal, every plant had it's place and role to play. We're missing a lot of our animals, there for we are missing a lot of our plant life, there for the ecosystem is weak and vulnerable to invasive species of insects, disease, plants and animals. As our forestry industry dwindles do to China's willingness to sell there wood products cheaper than we can produce them here, and in sight of the paperless revolution, it's time to re evaluate our investments in timberland and start converting this land into habitat, healthy woods restored to support wildlife and keep our forests strong. More wildlife, more renewable resources, stronger economy. Forestry and wildlife industries can work together for the better of all.
Turkey's? Yummy. 1 in spring and 1 in fall isn't enough. I missed the darn dead line for spring. That's got to go. lol Same story as deer, count them and kill them. No hen hunting in spring, maybe if needed in fall. Got to go, wife's callling.

[Fish]

****update****(this thread can't be dead!)
 
I have a revision of my plan.   People, forget the Ag tag, never have they counted more than 10,000 deer, more like 5000 a year.  Only if your land is next to the farmer will it matter.
 
Here's my new plan.   Remove te buck recovery rate from the SAK formula.  End EAB and T-zone for good.  In 5 years, the SAK will correct itself.  Doe tags will be free(now wait, there is a reason)
 
You, the hunter will manage your herd.  You are now educated in deer management.  When your herd is "to goal" in on your land, you must remember to shoot 1.5 anterless for every buck you shoot.  If you shoot an adult doe, you only have to shoot 1 doe for each buck. (no nubs or doe fawns).  By doing this, your maintaining your herd population.  I will not charge you for a doe tag to manage your herd.  Public land will be mananaged by the DNR(doe tags).  So the free tag is for land owner and for shooting doe on private land.
 
 

[bullwinkle]

Some of my thoughts:
 
1.  Wolves are open game south of Hwy 10, managed North of Hwy.  Too much agriculture and people conflict potential.
 
2.  Earn a gobbler and offer more tags and longer seasons.  These majestic birds have gotten so out of control, a lot of people view these as pests - including me.  I have hunted twice and it took me all of 30 minute to get my two birds.  The first time I hunted I had 7 gobbles running in to my decoys in a V - there really is not much of a sport on some properties.
 
3.  Quit registering deer.  Have a call in system.  I can think of numerous times where I wanted to shoot a doe but because of the hassle of running it to the registration station I didnt draw my bow.  Early season can be a problem for Sunday evening hunts - finding a opened registration station.  This would save costs in gas for us and cost for the state administering the program.  What are they worried about, shooting too many deer by not reporting???  Most other states dont have this requirement and seem to get by real well. 
 
4.  Start logging on National Forest and State properties.  The state should open up some power plants that burn wood chips.  The state has a real problem with its over abundance of wood.  The housing market and paper industry will be soft for quite a period of time.  As you all know, the best thing for deer habitate is a chainsaw.  Plus this will make jobs and economic value for all of us Wisconsinites.  Logging is dying in Wis and we better do something - this is a huge problem in my mind
 
5.  Get the politicians out of the habit of mandating hunting rules.  Baiting has to go.  There is not one biologist that supports baiting.  I have a hard time believing the politicians know better.  We will be lucky if we dont regret this someday. 
 
6.  Change EAB to shoot two does and get another buck tag.  Incent the guys who want to manage their doe population and like to shoot deer.  Dont punish the weekend hunter who struggles getting a doe before a buck.  All this does is reduce hunters.
 
7.  Extend the bow season to 1/31.  Have muzzleloader from 1/1-1/31 as well.  On private land, no blaze orange required during this time
 
8.  Eliminate the recent MFL leasing law change.  All this is going to do is chase people out of the program.  Why would you not pay the $26/acre tax and lease your land for the going rate of $40/acre vs keeping it in the MFL program where the DNR tells you what you can and cant do.  The only ones who will stay in this program are the hunters looking for a tax break.  In the long run, it does not help making more land available to non-owners one bit.  Also, MFL is going to be very important in the future.  I have some upcoming MFL cutting and the pulp and saw lumber markets are horrible.  If I was not in the program why would I want to cut?  I bet I will really struggle finding someone to take my lumber.  If I dont cut, all it does is errode habitate further and hurt the economic wealth in Wis.  Big catch 22 the politicians have gotten the state into in my opinion.
 
9.  This one is out there.  Let the people manage their own deer herds.  For QDM coops with 2000 continuous acres (75% participation rate), let the QDM coops determine how many does need to be taken from their properties - Ie - Tigerridge.  Who better really knows how many deer they have and how they want their habitate and herd health to be.  Dont put them on EAB.  This will do a number of things, stimuate more QDM membership, increase property values, get the DNR off the hook politically and pull land owners together.  If you are in a validated QDM you live by the coops rules, if you are a neighbor, you live by the states.
 
10.  Make residents and Non-resident land owners tags the same price.  If you jack up the NR land owners tags, all it will do is reduce hunting pressure -they will not show up for the hunt and the deer will sit on their property throughout the season
 
11.  Continue to support the expansion of rifle areas
 
12.  Let the kids over 10 hunt with an adult.  I have done this with some kids in the south and it is really rewarding for all.
 
13.  I like the earlier idea of developing some food plots and habitate on state properties.  You could fund this with tag draws and small permit fees.  A number of southern states do this on their state lands.  Some are managed for real trophy deer and it works.  For some of the bigger state properties, you could expand the rifle seasons to run each week in Nov.- thus increasing the number of people who could participate.
 
I feel better.