DNR Agenda 2013 - Dr Czar

[bullwinkle]

If I hunted state property - it seems to me I would favor no driving deer and draw for doe tags by county/DMU. I don't know a single person who thinks DNR land has too many does.

This also will reduce pressure on the land and the hunting will improve and the herd will be more balanced- private to public land

[X Factor]

Definitely not just state land. All private land would tags would be together and all public separate, different color tags, and a lot less of 'em.

[Dan Salmon]

So what you guys are wanting is limited access on public lands. If you've been watching what this administration has been emphasizing, more public access, you've got a long hard uphill battle ahead of you.

Besides, there already are limited amount of antlerless tags available on a DMU basis. Whether or not you agree with the amount of tags available is another matter, but with the exception of the CWD units, there are not infinite amounts of antlerless tags available.

This isn't a deer hunting or deer management issue any longer. It is a people management issue.

People, Americans anyway, don't like being told what to do.

[bullwinkle]

Dan - if we don't change some of the practices on public land, I don't know how to improve the hunting. Private land deer hunting is in general substaintially better than public

I would guess the loudest complaining of poor deer hunting is not from guys paying taxes on vacant property

How do we improve the public properties without limiting some current practices?

[Dan Salmon]

I wouldn't say that at all.

Lots and lots of 5 and 10 acre landowners in WI (at least in the NE) that think there should be deer on their land because they pay taxes.

I don't really hear a lot of complaining specifically about any one piece of property, just generally about the deer herd.

[bullwinkle]

Boy that's hard. Even at 60deer/square mile you have less than 1 deer per 10 or 5 acres. Pretty unrealistic to expect great hunting on this limited amout of property. Glad somedays I don't work for the DNR dealing with people with these expectations

[X Factor]

Bullwinkle, that's so true. We don't invade the most popular bedding areas unless we're cutting wood. Get a kick out of all the guys that think you need vast sanctuary acreage that you never ever walk unless it's to drag out a mature buck. We get a crack at a big one or two every year or two and hunt pretty hard with family and friends bow and gun seasons and take some adult does and the occasional eater doe fawn too. More than enough deer on managed woodland. That's not the case on the tracts of nearby public land which is hit hard. The time to separate public and private doe tags is past due but still not too late to help out.