They are giving out three free doe tags in many counties this year with each license. That means you can shoot up to eight deer between your bow and gun.
Unbelievable.
(Tried to attach the map, but can't do it. Counties include Shawano, Waupaca, Oconto, Green Lake, Marquette, Washington, Ozaukee, Grant, Vernon & Buffalo)
JC- i wouldn't piss on walkers guts if they were on fire, however I do agree with selling public land that is land locked with no access to it. Why not have someone else pay the taxes on it rather than the state. Unless the state forces an easement through, it's pointless for me to pay for land the public can't use.
"They pretty much bank on the rut now for a big buck. Years ago people would move deer during gun season and bump those big deer."
It was mentioned that hunters are lazy now, and no longer push deer. I don't see that as purely the case. I see the main reason being that no longer do landowners let large groups push their woods. On public land, I see multiple large groups pushing the same pieces of property each day during rifle season. Unless these groups have large tracts of property owned by their members, they have either dissolved or simply focus pushing public land only now.
"I wouldn't complain about deer hunting at all in today's terms. In 50 years if you don't have land or money you will not be able to hunt. Plain and simple. Wicassa said it best in that you will see a European system. The public land you have today will be sold off. Walker is selling it off like no other govenor before him. Go to your local conservation club. How many young adults are at the meetings to help continue conservation practices and purchases of land and easements?"
Governor Walker is the devil I take it. Selling off public land that has no easement to get to it is very worthwhile in my opinion. The only ones who benefit are the neighboring landowners. I don't want my taxes paying for private landowner's private deer farm. There will most likely always be public land, and it is almost impossible to have hunting any worse than it already is. However, you have to be lucky enough to live near these large parcels, and I agree everywhere else will turn into Europe - most of the State is already that way.
"How many bucks are getting bigger if the meat mongers are chasing does. I say let them, they want the meat then so be it. They are just improving your chance at a buck. "
Huh? These guys hunt bucks and does, and their goal is to fill all their tags. Just because they shoot a doe doesn't mean they won't continue hunting for a buck. Shooting does also destroys future buck populations.
"I have been bowhunting for 31 years. The key is to adapt, improvise and overcome. It's how I look at public land properties. How many guys cry on opening day of bowhunting when it's 92 degrees out and mosquitos carry you away. While there home I'm in the woods sitting on the best public property I can find and I also have the first crack at a buck. After it cools off, and the lazy hunters hit the woods I may either A) harvested that buck or B) educated that buck with my scent. The lazy hunters are then behind the 8 ball. "
Great for you. There are a lot of guys who hunt public land all archery season. The premise of this topic is the destruction of the deer herd in many parts of the state. I don't care how much of a master hunter you are, deer have to be present to be successful.
"Don't get me wrong, there is a select few who dedicate themselves to the woods and the hunt. Especially public land, but these hunters are few. "
I am one of those "few" hunters, and I can honestly say that public land I hunt is at an all time worst.
"Dnr actually hates deer".......Study it a little more and "deer hunters hate the DNR". Why? Because it affects what has always been convenient to the hunter. People HATE change."
If you mean "change" as slaughtering the deer herd the past 20 years, then yes, I hate "change."
when i was growing up, it was one tag for bow hunting. Buck or Doe, take your pick and you were DONE. Personally I don't know i could go back to that. I hate eating buck meat, it's sausage meat only or jerky. I like eating tender doe straps.
I agree with Red Eagle, most hunters i've met are lazy. Don't go early because of bugs and heat, don't do the October Lull...then no late season. Hardcore for sure, they hunt 3 weekends.
I wouldn't complain about deer hunting at all in today's terms. In 50 years if you don't have land or money you will not be able to hunt. Plain and simple. Wicassa said it best in that you will see a European system. The public land you have today will be sold off. Walker is selling it off like no other govenor before him. Go to your local conservation club. How many young adults are at the meetings to help continue conservation practices and purchases of land and easements?
I sometimes work around the Grafton area and all the so called "men" don't even hunt anymore. Can you blame them. They have nowhere to go due to the great expanse of urban areas moving outward. Deer hunting for the working man will disappear as you know it.
I scout year round and have a system I utilize to try and put a 125" buck in the freezer. I have been fairly successful with this system the past several years and I only hunt public land. But I appreciate every year I can hunt and see quality deer on public and ecstatic when I capitalize on a goal.
Don't complain on being able to shoot all those does either. I can think of numerous times where if I decided to take a doe I would of lost out on a trophy buck. How many bucks are getting bigger if the meat mongers are chasing does. I say let them, they want the meat then so be it. They are just improving your chance at a buck.
I have been bowhunting for 31 years. The key is to adapt, improvise and overcome. It's how I look at public land properties. How many guys cry on opening day of bowhunting when it's 92 degrees out and mosquitos carry you away. While there home I'm in the woods sitting on the best public property I can find and I also have the first crack at a buck. After it cools off, and the lazy hunters hit the woods I may either A) harvested that buck or B) educated that buck with my scent. The lazy hunters are then behind the 8 ball.
Adapt to whatever rule or rules are in place. It's funny because I feel the greatest creature that adapts to change is the whitetail deer. Whether it be urban development, new cutover, big timber, small parcels, they always adapt. Yet hunters complain about this and that. Makes me wonder who really is smarter, Whitetails or hunters. Don't get me wrong, there is a select few who dedicate themselves to the woods and the hunt. Especially public land, but these hunters are few.
"Dnr actually hates deer".......Study it a little more and "deer hunters hate the DNR". Why? Because it affects what has always been convenient to the hunter. People HATE change.
Should someone hunting in Wisconsin see 45 deer in one day? No, that area probably has too many deer. Should someone who hunts a full week only see one or two deer all week? No that area probably is underpopulated. Wisconsin is a diverse state with 3 or 4 different terrain and climate areas. Each area can support a different population of deer.
As far as people not hunting hard enough "like they use to", I see both sides of this. I know guys who bust their butts scouting and getting back into some of these places. I also know guys who don't scout and hunt the same tree every time. I know some guys who hunt over 30 days a year and some who go two days on opening weekend and that's their season. The part about people doing deer drives makes a lot of sense to me, those seem to almost be a thing of past in some areas now.
I honestly believe there is plenty of deer. Its deer hunting not getting.45 years ago we sat all season with a party tag and hoped like he(( you filled it and that was hunting the whole 9 days. We still thought it was agreat time. We hunted Rhinelander area... Now you have this younger generation that hunted during the "GLUT" era and they are spoiled. That along with there instant gratification up bringing will never get "HUNTING". Its my belief that the DNR would like to get back to some of those deer herd numbers tjhat there were back in the 70's, nothing wrong with that.Made me a good hunter and a patient one. Dont get mne wrong the first dry doe that walks by gets a broadhead but thats ok too. there are plenty of them to shoot.
I agree about how hunting has changed. To a point I think hunters got more greedy and it turned them dumb. They pretty much bank on the rut now for a big buck. Years ago people would move deer during gun season and bump those big deer. That was okay then, but now its terrible if someone else gets 'your' buck. So everyone sits in a tree, one the deer already know about, and its a stalemate. Deer sit tight all day, you sit tight all day....great strategy right? I guarantee this plays into things. Wonder why many of the deer shot are the stupid 1.5 year olds... I remember one year distinctly that my dad and both brothers shot deer opening day. All were pushed and came running into the woods. Had that been in today's world, they'd probably not have gotten anything and said the hunting sucks.
Reading different deer hunting topics on Lake-Link a common statement heard is “we just don’t see as many deer as we used to”. While that may be true I believe it is more about we don’t hunt like we used to rather than the numbers are not there. While the Northwoods May have less deer density than in the past I am talking about the central farmland area that the bulk of the extra harvest tags are for. Look at how hunting style has changed, few groups do deer drives like they used to. More private land is closed to hunting other than the owner and a select few they allow in. Public land is over pressured and crowded. Then you have the guy that bought a 40 to hunt, soon that guy has a group of 6 buds out there from Labor Day on setting stands, bow hunting 3-5 days a week and more come rut. Those deer are soon educated and become so nocturnal you think there are none around, yet the deer sign is evident and everywhere. Crop damage, forest over browsing especially when cutting and attempting to get regeneration and car deer collisions all are indications of a healthy number of deer in a particular area. The central farmland areas have seen increases in those indicators and that has driven the antlerless tag number increase.
The DNR needs to do more to protect the slaughter that happens every gun season on public lands. The new tag system where you have to specify public/ private was a big step, but not enough. Id like to see the bigger pieces of public land managed individually and the smaller ones grouped up and managed by each county, kind of like they are now. Example: X state park has 3500 acres of hunting land. The DNR examines and says there should be 50 does taken off this land every year (no clue if this is high or low). They will issue 100 tags for this area (assuming success rate of 50%) by application the previous year. Or they could go to a quota system like they do for sturgeon. Once 50 does are taken, no more does can be shot out there. This may be better to ensure anti hunters are not just buying tags and sitting on them. Should be easy with the new registration system they have.
For the smaller pieces of public, say the 80 acre, 200 acre etc pieces. They get grouped up based on county and a certain number of public doe tags are given out based on the total acreage.
I'm not complaining about public land, I have always had good luck and I've shot some very nice bucks off of public land but I put my time in year round scouting and always looking for new places to go. I just think it can be managed better and by doing so, everyone will benefit.
Like most posts about tags and deer numbers, the responses on this topic are based on everyone's own personal experiences.. I grew up on a family farm in Washington Cty that still has some deer hunting opportunities. However I spent most of my early hunting career bow hunting Public lands. Had alot of fun and opportunities on these public lands.. However that has changed dramatically over the years. There are still quite a few deer in Wash. County but most are now on Private land with little opportunity for access. Appears others have experienced this same issue in their county.
We now lease land in Vernon Cty and there is no shortage of deer in the area.. We always take 2-3 does off the land every year and should probably shoot even more.
I have been turkey hunting in Grant Cty for over 25 years and the number of deer we saw this past spring was very high.. Counted 64 deer one night while looking for turkey roosting sites. Seemd like deer were everywhere when we were scouting for turkeys.
It is a challenging issue with higher deer numbers that are concentrated in smaller metro area's or on Private land. No amount of free tags will get a private landowner to shoot more deer.. As others have stated, we (the hunters) ultimately control the volume of deer harvested in each county. If you do not agree with the number of free tags then do not pull the trigger.
"Sorry I dont agree with the crowd here but the day will come where there is little to no regeneration of the northern forest the way it should be and most here just dont see the problem at all."
Deer numbers have been poor for over a decade, and I do not see this as a problem whatsoever in the northern forest. When you struggle to cross a deer track in a mile walk after rifle season, the least of my worries is whether or not a maple sapling got chewed off.
