Charlie Elk

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The Ten Minute Buck Leads Us to Next Day

January 6, 2018 by Charlie 10 Comments

Hunt date October 24, 2017

The buck stood just a mere 15 yards with one back leg lifted as if a dog on point.  The setting sun’s glare was blinding as I settled into the stand, so I turned my back to it while waiting for its further descent to the horizon.   The view on the other side of this short ladder-stand can be just as productive.  Figures, just like turkeys, deer like to appear on your backside.

The first assumption is the buck has busted me in this seven-foot stand. However, buck’s eyes are focusing on something at ground level and not at my position.  Apparently, this buck has come to find out what made the walking noise.  Whenever approaching a deer stand, it is best to walk in like a deer, the noises made must be natural sounding within the cadence of the deer’s world. In this case, instead of thinking a hunter had moved in this beautiful buck came to investigate a potential doe.

The temptation is to count points while waiting for a good shot; longtime experience has taught me not to do this, stop the one, two, three… immediately and focus on the task at hand.  This evening’s thermal current is gently cascading downhill from the buck to me; there is plenty of time.

When deer are in close moments must be slowly deliberate so that they don’t catch the deer’s attention by sight or sound, including neurological background noise.  Like the hands of a clock, my lower torso shifts to align the bow when its time comes to rise. The front angle of the deer is too sharp for a shot; he needs to move down about eight feet for an arrow to hit the pocket behind the left shoulder and exit before the last rib on the opposite side.

Time seems to have stopped, I’m not sure if 54 years of deer hunting have numbed my excitement or if more concerning, shooting a buck no longer causes the fever.  Sadly, I feel no excitement, only intense concentration to not screw this up because no matter the experience level, things can go wrong in a hurry.

The multipoint buck sniffs the thermals one more time before moving on the downhill trail, almost broadside he comes to a stop with his front shoulder extended forward. Perfect, the arrow is released.  My buck bounds angle straight away uphill, stops, his antlers are above the brush then disappear while the sapling he was standing by vibrates as if life is leaving the deer or he is making a rub.  It is time to wait at least a half hour; I give it 40 minutes even though my arrow is blood-soaked.  Slowly descend to the ground, all senses alert.  Upon inspection, the blood on the arrow has bubbled up and down the shaft, indicate substantial lung penetration.  There’s chest color hair on the ground and a good blood trail to follow.  However, this deer should not have gone up any hill, which always makes me suspicious that things are not as they first appear.

It takes me at least 15 minutes to move 50 yards towards a dead buck, the sound of a deer bounding downhill freezes me, and more deer sound like they are walking away side-hilling.   More time passes, the sun is low, and light is fading fast as I reach the sapling.  At the base of this little tree, an empty blood-soaked deer bed.  Wait some more even though a substantial blood trail beckons me to follow.

Apparently a mortal hit. Air bubbles in the blood pool indicate lungs are pierced.  At this point, I did not think the deer would go far.

The thick hillside brush makes moving sound like anything other than a human crashing their way ahead impossible. At any moment a carcass should be illuminated in my beam of light, depressingly, I find another bed, blood, and a good crimson trail leading off onto neighboring land.  Time to seek permission.

The neighboring landowner was, perhaps, one of the most accommodating, he promptly granted permission to search.  Shane with Calling all Turkeys was to arrive tonight so that we could video some fall turkey dogging.  I called to let him know I’d likely be busy hauling a buck in, at that time, my expectation was for a smooth recovery.  This year Shane was training his 9-month-old Blue Tick hound, Callie, for deer recovery, a leashed tracking dog is legal in Wisconsin. I agreed and waited until Shane arrived with Callie before resuming the buck’s trail.

We were back at the point of shot five hours later.  Callie quickly picked up the trail as she started dragging Shane behind her.  Large puddles of blood confirmed she was on the correct deer.  With all Callie’s baying and commotion of us busting brush to keep, we flushed several other deer on the way. In spite of the distractions of the deer, Callie stayed on the track.  However, that gut feeling of something is not going right begin to seep into me.  During my half-century-plus of deer hunting, I have been on hundreds of recovery trails, for many of those years I was on the tracker’s call list to help other hunters; something was not going right here.  A deer who has lost this much blood and continued to do so, should not be leaving yet another bed.

After a couple of more hours, the blood on the ground started turning a grainy black color typical of deteriorating lungs and not a lot of it.  According to Callie’s nose, the deer crossed an open grassy field that took us to another woodlot.  We decided to wait until sunrise before going further.  We all needed rest and a break from the inky black night.  My sleep was not restful as the mind kept replaying all the events of the shot and track over and over looking for some details it might have missed.

As the sun rose it all its splendor, we were back sorting through the evidence to figure out where this buck went.  At a planted food plot the deer was expected to cut across to the other side, wounded animals are known to take the path of least resistance.  The buck did not do this.

Blood sign continues to be easy to follow.

Instead, he circled and bedded in the opposite side’s brush line. He bedded stretched out; the moist ground leaves

Charlie is pointing out the bucks outline where he laid stretched out.

held an imprint of his body.  And he had moved out yet again!  Tracks and small spots of blood led us downhill towards a paved county road and past several trail cameras.  Shane suggested I contact the landowner for permission to pull the cards so that we could perhaps see the condition of the deer was.  Yeah, I, of course, was having doubts about my shot placement too; to my pleasant surprise, the landowner allowed us to pull the camera cards.

As we ate lunch, we perused all of the camera pictures and were shocked; there was no photo, not a single one of the buck!  How could this be?  The sign and Callie’s nose confirmed the buck had used the trails heading downhill.

After lunch and some rest, we replaced the camera cards.  Unless this deer possesses powers from the gods not yet discovered by us mere mortals, there must be an earthly explanation.   While Callie continued dragging Shane around in attempts to pick up the trail and that included attempting to take him for a walk along the busy county road, I started back trailing in an effort to find the

Shane covered in burdock including some particles in his eyes. He trusts me to remove them from his eye.

“earthly” reason for no pictures.

This old buck knew where the trail cameras were!  Figured out he should let his picture get taken.  He had left the trail to walk behind every one of the cameras!  Never before had I encountered this kind of behavior from any deer.  How could he possibly have figured out how hunters use and why hunters use cameras?  Of course, my mind has worked on this quirky happening.  The only thing that seems logical is the electronics in the camera make some noise that spooked a cautious buck; he did not like the sound or the flash causing him to move around the camera.

By this point in the day, I’m feeling queasy, hate not doing my part well and losing a deer and, the thought of giving up bowhunting gnaws in my head.  The trail is cold and the final option, grid searching appears to be it. There’s a long grass swamp at the hill’s base along the road; he must be in there.  As we searched I lost track of the deer remains that we found, one a small buck died within a week, others large, literally mossy covered natural European mounts and some more recent.  What we could not locate was our buck.

In what was to be the final loop along an old logging trail that would allow Callie to scent on the downwind side of the swamp.  As we moved around the swamp getting close to the county road, I was ready to give up on the recovery of this buck.  Or at least until the vultures and crows showed me where he was in a few days.  The case could not be made that he’d be OK and alive.  In situations like this, I always consider my tag filled because clearly, I killed the animal.

Callie suddenly jerked Shane off the path into a thick bushy patch that lay between the trail and county road.  Shane yelled. I got something in my eye and need help.  Earlier Callie had dragged him through dense patches of cockleburr, and I had to get him to hold still while pulling some fragments out of his eye.  Oh no, not again.  But my partner needs my help so into the brush I go.

Shane had his camera pointed at me, his eye was ok and on the ground lays a large dead twelve point buck with a perfectly placed arrow wound.  It’s about 3p, nearly 24 hours since the shot. Shane has a video of me he continues to laugh at–as my face from depression to ecstatic “Holy shit is that my buck?! I mean holy moly…”  The back story there is Shane had made the reasonable request that I refrain from profanities during recordings.

We would not have recovered this deer without the aid of Callie the deer tracking hound.  She had tried to take us along the buck’s trail along the shoulder of the road.  We did not think a wounded deer would walk on the shoulder of a busy county road during daylight.  Moral of this story, trust the dog.  In this case, even if she is an inexperienced 9-month-old.

Shane has every reason to be proud of Callie and training he as given her over the summer months.

Excitement might not have hit me way back at the shot, had the buck been recovered from his first bed, I’d have been thrilled.  But after all

I will be forever grateful for Callie’s excellent nose work. Notice where the arrow hit. This is a shot opportunity I would take every time it is presented.

that trailing and becoming ready to give up then finding him;  well, I was in touch with a  lot of that old-time deer excitement.   The buck’s meat is perfectly fine and delicious, weighed over 200 pounds field dressed.

Callie absorbing the hard found deer scent.

What went wrong? Why such a long trail?

This is an obvious question that all hunters think hard about, and the answer did not hit me until I was reading a piece by a chef regarding knife sharpening and proper knife selection for the task.  The chef stated a knife cuts best by slicing, not pushing.  It is the length of the back and forth pulls, causing the food to be sliced cleanly and not pressure pushing the blade down to get it through.   Of course, I knew that!  This year I had been convinced to use a different broadhead which has a wide stout blade.  This head smashed its way into and out of the deer’s chest but did not do a good job cutting its way.   Kind of like a hatchet would have performed.

An arrow kills by hemorrhage, which requires cutting like a knife, not a hatchet type whack.  Broadheads that are wide, and short, even though they are sharp, are not as deadly as the longer knife like heads.   A big wide broadhead causes entry damage, making for copious amounts of blood. However, internal cutting–hemorrhage may be minimal.  Both lungs on this buck were penetrated, plus the edge of the liver. With my old Zwickey or Grizzly heads, he would have been dead within 60 yards with a hit like this.

Both lungs were hit, and the liver, which has a large wound.  Notice the bruising and tearing.  No evidence of the broadhead slicing.

Starting from the left; QAD Exodus this is the broadhead I used this year, notice the short blades, they are not long enough to slice.  The Grizzly has the most extended cutting surface and slices it passes through a deer’s chest.  The Zwickey operates similarly to the Grizzly head with slightly shorter cutting length.  The last broadhead on the right cutting length is short due to notches at the rear so it too will tear rather than slice.  Tearing does less tissue damage, thus allowing game animals to live longer after a lethal hit. 

In my experience, the Grizzly and Zwickey broadheads when adequately placed have killed deer without fail to cause the deer to drop dead within 60-70 yards.  After my experience with the QAD Exodus this season, no one will talk me into using a broadhead that does not have enough cutting length to slice rather than tear its way through a chest cavity. Other broadhead designs may look “wicked,” but no company has done a study that refutes the finding of Dr. Ashby’s study of arrow lethality on African game.  I should have known better.

Filed Under: Deer Hunting, News, Stories Tagged With: deer, hunting stories, WI deer hunting, Wisconsin deer

Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Forecast

September 5, 2016 by Charlie 4 Comments

Wisconsin DNR’s annual Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Forecast is published and available.  

The downloadable PDF is here:

2016 Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Forecast

Download Wisconsin 2016 Hunting & Trapping Forecast

Some of the highlights inside include

Find a place to hunt in Wisconsin

Pocket Ranger App has been downloaded 210,000 times for Apple and Android phones.

  • Places to hunt
  • Deer registration locations
  • Rules and regulations
  • License and permit information
  • Safety communication tool
  • Advanced GPS mapping features
  • Trophy Case, join a community of anglers and hunters
  • News and alert feature.

Public Access Lands (PAL) Atlas

Finding Open Lands – A mapping tool shows the approximate location of all MFL–Open and FCL lands in Wisconsin – here, you’ll find landowner info, acreage, and enrollment information.

Voluntary Public Access VPA and Habitat Incentive Programs HIP

Provides financial incentives to private landowners who open their property to public hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife observation and improve wildlife habitat.

FFlight the Fields and Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool

Features available within the program will help hunters locate DNR public parking areas, overlay township descriptions, and provide access to maps and aerial photos of prospective hunting areas.

Deer District Forecasts

  • West Central
  • Northern
  • Northeast
  • Southern

Migratory Game Birds

  • Ducks
  • 2016 Changes
  • Canada Geese
  • Mourning Doves
  • Woodcock

Upland Game

  • Wild Turkey
  • Pheasant
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse
  • Bobwhite Quail
  • Rabbits & Hares
  • Gray & Fox Squirrels

Furbearers

  • Raccoon
  • Coyotes
  • Gray and Red Fox
  • Beaver
  • River Otter, Muskrat, and Mink
  • Fisher
  • Bobcat

Black Bear Forecast

  • Northeast District
  • Northern District
  • West Central District

The folks at WDNR did an excellent job producing a thorough overview of the upcoming 2016 fall hunting and trapping seasons. I highly recommend you download this document; there is lots of useful information.  You will not be disappointed.  Good hunting.

Filed Under: Deer Hunting, News, Trapping, Turkey Hunting, Upland Birds Tagged With: deer, Fall turkey, news, Turkey Hunting, Wisconsin deer, Wisconsin Grouse, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

Velvet Trophy Shows His Stuff

August 1, 2016 by Charlie Leave a Comment

vic preparing for setup

Due to Vic’s training, he will not chase deer.

On Sunday, Vic and I were out for a woodland stroll during the lunch hour.  Of course, our ultimate goal is to locate turkeys and check on the local flock dynamics.  There are so many deer across the landscape these days that most of the time they just blend into the background, but then on occasion, a few standout.

You never know what you'll see on a summertime stroll in a Wisconsin Woodland

You never know what you’ll see on a summertime stroll in a Wisconsin Woodland.

This smallish velvet buck was eating small burning nettles, as Vic and I approached he lifted his head and walked over to get a better look at us.  Fortunately, I had my camera and was able to get out and turned on.

Deer, including trophy class bucks are not afraid of dogs.

Deer, including trophy class bucks, are not afraid of dogs.

As the deer approached, Vic sat near my left leg, so I was able to snap this picture of a beautiful public land buck.  After spending the better part of a half a century pursuing trophies like this, I marvel at how at home they are around dogs.  I wrote about deer and dogs here.   I know what some readers are thinking, “Oh, well, that’s just a summertime buck.”  Wrong, this happens in the fall while wild turkey hunting, pheasant, grouse, or woodcock hunting.  At that time of year, a shotgun is in my hands, and the camera is in a waterproof, cushioned pocket so getting a picture like this is more challenging.  Interestingly the deer will tolerate my dog even if he growls or barks at them, but they will not stand around when I start digging in my pockets.

My passion these days, fall turkey hunting, so now the question I ponder; Should I go out this season and take him or should I give the GPS coordinates to some other deserving hunter?

Deer can’t be reliably saved for future years because there are too many hazards in the wild that most likely will take their lives.  In Wisconsin, a buck deer like this has about a 50% CWD infection rate.  There is a 50/50 chance  that any buck you encounter will look like this next year.

Patrick Durkin wrote an excellent piece on CWD in WI.

Patrick Durkin wrote an excellent piece on CWD in WI.  His article should be mandatory reading for all hunters.

Somewhere along the line this fall I’ll meet a deerhunter who’d like a crack at a nice buck and I’ll give them the coordinates.  Perhaps, they’ll tip me off as to where all those turkeys I’ve been seeing went.

Filed Under: Deer Hunting, Featured Stories, Turkey Hunting Tagged With: deer, Fall turkey, hunting, hunting stories, news, Turkey Hunting, Wisconsin deer, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

Does Wild Venison Tastes Best when Procured in September or Early October?

July 28, 2016 by Charlie 17 Comments

Early Season Buck

Ever wonder if wild deer meat, venison, has a different taste and or meat quality during the year?  Which is better table fare; a buck, doe or fawn?  Many a deer hunting camp have hotly debated the second question, but it seems no one talks about or even thinks about the first question.  Perhaps, this is because due to work and family commitments most deer hunters have a limited window of time to hunt and as a result hunt during their state’s firearm season.  Most gun seasons are open later in the fall, so without a thought of hunting any other time they go out to fill freezer when they can.

Deer killed in November and December are good to eat and for many outdoor folks, some very excellent eats indeed.

Whitetail deer numbers have grown significantly since the late 1960’s, and early 70’s when some states had to close deer season due to the small numbers or in some areas where there were no deer.  Nowadays, deer are found all over the country with very liberal deer hunting doe-2-fawnsseasons.

Here in Wisconsin farm country, deer season starts with archery mid-September continuing with a variety of seasons into January.  The long season structures give deer hunters the chance to shoot, eat and compare table venison each month of the fall.

I have killed deer throughout all of the seasons, in many years I have taken deer during each month of the open hunting periods and found early season (mid-September to mid-October) venison is the best eating.  Here’s why:

  • No matter which sex the deer, they have less fat or tallow on and in their flesh.  Tallow is not pleasant to eat, without the fat build up the venison’s flavor is not tainted nor gamey.
  •  Deer food sources are abundant and varied, so the animal does not need to travel very far to eat. Nor do they need to eat a lot during the summer months, so their meat is more tender due to much less effort required to live comfortably.
  • Neither bucks or does pay much attention to each other, for the most they stay in their chosen territories eating and sleeping to build up strength for the upcoming rut in early November.
  • The reproduction hormones are not flowing yet.  The production of these hormones seems to change both the texture and flavor, not saying it’s bad, just different.
  • Starting late October the deer begin to move about much more.  Bucks are on the move setting up breeding territories while the does attempt to avoid them.  All the extra exercise firms up the muscles which have a direct effect on the texture of the table venison.

Deer watching

Several times when I have had dinner guests we dined on venison from each month, and there has not been a single guest who did not prefer the early season deer over the later season.  All the venison is delicious no matter when it’s taken so continue hunting and enjoying yours.  Just, if you get the chance at a September deer, take it and see what you think.

turkeyanddoe

Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: deer, WI deer hunting, Wisconsin deer

CWD Infects Bucks Twice the Rate of Does

March 7, 2015 by Charlie Leave a Comment

courtesy Green Bay Press Gazette

CWD-infected buck. Courtesy Green Bay Press Gazette

The rate of CWD infection continues to increase in Wisconsin’s deer herd.  Whitetail bucks 2.5 years old and up have a higher rate of infection according to the most recent sampling.

Statewide in 2014 5,400 deer were sampled for CWD.  324 deer were found CWD positive mostly in Wisconsin’s southern endemic area this is a 6% infection rate.

The infected deer by age and sex-

  • 25% – adult male white-tailed deer (2.5+ years-old)
  •   8% –  yearling males
  • 10% – adult female deer
  •   7% – yearling females

Since the beginning of sampling in 2002 CWD infection have continued to increase mainly among bucks 2.5 years and older.  The best hypothesis regarding the spread of CWD is that it is spread via body fluids containing the prion.  Many researchers believe this is due to the natural behavior of the adult buck.

  • Creating and maintaining  scrapes,
  • Licking branches to leave a scent that is then licked by other bucks and some does.
  • Adult bucks wander a wider geographic area which risks spreading CWD to new areas.

So far, research indicates the best thing to do to contain or at least slow CWD’s  progress is reduce the herd density while removing as many 2.5-year-old bucks as possible. The problem with implementing this strategy is hunter opposition. During the last couple of decades, hunters have come to believe they should let small bucks pass in order to grow them up for bigger antlers, referred to as Quality Deer Management  (QDM).  When CWD was first discovered in Wisconsin, the DNR set in motion a deer extermination policy in the believe they could eliminate all CWD-infected deer in what has become known as the CWD Zone.   During this failed effort a system known as Earn a Buck (EAB) was instituted.  However, according to the documented infection rates an Earn a Doe (EAD) should have implemented instead.  Assuming the infection rates by age and sex above it makes more sense to push down the buck population. A lower population of bucks may keep bucks in the area.  When bucks become crowded in an area, some move-out or are pushed out by dominate bucks.  Causing a certain number of bucks, some which could be infected to move on and infect new areas.

According to Tami Ryan, DNR wildlife health section chief.

“Long-term monitoring of disease patterns is crucial in understanding the dynamics of this CWD, and it’s also important to make sure we keep the public informed, prevalence continues to increase within the department’s long-term monitoring area in Southwest Wisconsin, and remains higher in males than females and higher in adults than yearlings.”

“The department is very grateful for the cooperation that hunters and landowners have provided over 13 years of sampling, they are helping monitor the health of Wisconsin’s deer herds and providing information that is of interest to many.”

WDNR statements regarding CWD monitoring.

Monitoring efforts also included ongoing surveillance within a 10-mile radius of the each new positive found in 2012 in Juneau, Adams and Portage counties in central Wisconsin. Four additional positives were found in 2013 in Adams and Portage counties, while two additional positives were discovered in Adams County in 2014.

Surveillance was also conducted surrounding a CWD-positive captive deer farm in Marathon County, with no wild CWD deer detected.

Following the 2012 discovery of a CWD-positive adult doe near Shell Lake, 2014 marked the third year of surveillance efforts in Washburn County in Northwest Wisconsin. Following recommendations from a local community action team, local landowners and hunters helped the department sample more than 1,900 deer in the area over the last three years. No new positives have been detected. Based on three years of sampling, all information has indicated CWD is not widespread in the Washburn area, and occurs at a very low prevalence rate.

 

CWD infected Doe. Courtesy WDNR

CWD-infected Doe.
Courtesy WDNR

Filed Under: Deer Hunting, News Tagged With: Chronic Wasting Disease, cwd, hunting, news, Wisconsin deer

Wisconsin 2014 Deer Hunt Is All Different

July 25, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

arrowed-buck

Be aware Wisconsin Deer Hunters, August 18th at 10 o’clock starts the over the counter sale of antlerless permits on a first come first serve basis.  There are numerous changes concerning deer hunters they need to  get informed, understand and be ready for deer hunt 2014 well in advance of the season’s start.

In case you have not heard 2014 deer licensing has major changes.  Counties are now the new deer management areas with each one assigned to one of these 4 zones. Wisconsin Deer Management Zones 2014

  • Northern Forest
  • Central Farmland
  • Central Forest
  • Southern Farmland

Antlerless tags sales begin on August 18th and continue until sold out.  A hunter may buy one tag per day until the county is sold out. It is very likely all permits will be sold well before the opening of gun deer season, perhaps before the archery deer season.  So plan to purchase your permits early. Remember permits are good for private or public land but not both.

  • Monday, August 18 at 10 a.m. – Northern and Central Forest Zones
    Tuesday, August 19 at 10 a.m. – Central Farmland Zone
    Wednesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. – Southern Farmland Zone
    Starting August 21 at 10 a.m. – all zones can be purchased continuing until sold out.

Wisconsin 2014 Antlerless Permit Information this link includes a county by county number of available antlerless permits for both public and private lands. Permits cost $12 for residents and $20 for nonresident deer hunters.   $5 for ages 10 and 11 hunters.

Crossbows are legal for all Wisconsin hunters starting fall 2014.  The crossbow season is concurrent with the archery season and  requires the purchase of a crossbow license.  Or the combination archer/crossbow license for $27.  With the combination license a  hunter is free hunt with either as their mood or conditions dictate.

 

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: deer, hunting, news, Wisconsin deer

Is Quality Deer Management Theory Destroying Wisconsin’s Deer Herd?

February 25, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

Test results provide current snapshot of CWD in south-central Wisconsin

For 12 years WDNR has had ongoing CWD surveillance efforts, Department of Natural Resources officials maintain a current picture of trends and

To stop CWD should we focus on removing the older bucks?

To stop CWD should we focus on removing the older bucks?

prevalence of chronic wasting disease within the area previously known as the Wisconsin CWD zone map in the southern part of the state.

The Prevalence of CWD has increased in all categories- Based on 2013 test results for the western monitoring area, encompassing western Dane and Eastern Iowa counties where sampling has been occurring annually since the disease was discovered, current prevalence is:

  • 25 percent of adult male white-tailed deer
  • 10 percent of adult female deer
  • about 7 percent of yearling males
  • about 6 percent of yearling females

All the CWD research has shown, very clearly that adult bucks are more likely to be infected. WDNR’s 12 years of CWD surveillance proves this yet again.  CWD infects 1 out of 4 adult bucks and if yearling bucks are included 1 in every three bucks are infected compared to 1 out of 6 female deer are infected. The research demonstrates: If the goal is to reduce the incident of CWD adult bucks should be removed from the deer herd.  So instead of “earn a buck” there should have been “earn a doe”.   Is it time to target bucks for removal or is it too late?

A rational person could conclude quality deer management theory is destroying Wisconsin’s deer herd.  Why? The emphasis of quality deer management is on preserving bucks and letting them grow older to 3-6-year-olds before killing them.  These 3-6 years old bucks have a much greater chance of carrying CWD, and these are the deer that migrate into new territories spreading their CWD infection as they go.

Tami Ryan, DNR Wildlife Health section chief-

“Sampling deer from these areas where there has been long-term monitoring of disease patterns is important to understanding the dynamics of this disease,” . “Prevalence has been increasing as expected, and we continue to find that prevalence is higher in males than females and higher in adults than yearlings.”

In 2013, DNR staff tested deer from within and outside of the CWD-MZ in south central and southeastern Wisconsin. The sampling strategies were aimed at detecting changes in the location and trends in the prevalence of the disease. Monitoring plans focused surveillance on adult deer, which are most likely to have the disease.

Beginning in 2014, with the approval of the Deer Trustee Report rule package, DNR will have a new funding source available beginning this fall to provide hunter service testing statewide. The funding comes from having the authority to apply $5 from each additional antlerless deer permit sale in CWD-affected counties towards CWD testing and monitoring.

Tami Ryan, DNR Wildlife Health section chief-

“Prior to this change, DNR received no money from additional permits sales. We are pleased to now have a consistent funding stream for CWD testing and monitoring,”

Also emerging from the rule is the Deer Management Assistance Program and the formation of county deer committees, both of which give DNR flexibility to work locally to develop cooperative approaches to disease surveillance and management.

Tami Ryan, DNR Wildlife Health section chief-

“It’s important to be able to work cooperatively with hunters and landowners, as their participation is essential to CWD surveillance. It’s also very important that we connect with the local communities so they can stay informed on deer disease and DNR’s approach to monitoring. They are also the conduit for public sentiment, sharing information with us in addition to taking information back to their community.”

CWD-buckIn spite of the evidence, we are still going to target antlerless deer when the science proves; if the goal is to stop CWD, the population of male deer needs to be reduced. Perhaps this won’t help the deer in the CWD zones, but it sure would stop those wandering bucks from leaving the area and infecting the rest of Wisconsin’s deer.

Filed Under: News, Think Pieces / Opinion Tagged With: cwd, deer, deer hunting, WI deer hunting, Wisconsin deer

Crossbows Are Legal in Wisconsin 2014

December 13, 2013 by Charlie 1 Comment

A hunter's crossbow. Will it be legal for all hunters in 2014.

A hunter’s crossbow. Will it be legal for all hunters in 2014.

Update March 9, 2014 Wisconsin Cancels Disabled Hunter Permits

 

Starting the 2014 hunting season all Wisconsin hunters will be able to use a crossbow no matter their age or physical condition. 

On December 10, 2013  Governor Walker signed AB194 now referred to as Act 61 into Wisconsin law.  The State Senate approved AB 194 in September with an amendment and the Assembly passed it twice unanimously.  These days it is very rare for our political leaders to agree on anything which indicates there is a lot of grassroots support for the legalization of crossbows in Wisconsin.

Starting in September 2014 bowhunters will have another option.  The crossbow season will run concurrent with the traditional archery season.  A separate license is required for each season.  The cost of the crossbow license is $3 if purchased with an archer’s license, – $24.00 making the total license fee $27.00.  This allows a bowhunter to use either crossbow or other archery equipment.  Hunter’s choice.

If a hunter wants just an archer’s license or crossbow license the cost of each equal at $24.00.  This hunter would then be limited to using only a crossbow or other bows such as compounds, recurve or longbow. etc.

This change has been a long time coming.  Finally a new, different and challenging way to hunt is available to all Wisconsin hunters of all ages and abilities.   Although, keep in mind the crossbow itself is not a new hunting tool. Its use dates back to 400 BC.  The hunting crossbow predates compound bows by quite a few years.  So here is your chance to try out a piece of ancient history.  Enjoy and good hunting.

Filed Under: Deer Hunting, News Tagged With: crossbow, hunting, news, Wisconsin deer

Wisconsin Senate Passes Crossbow Bill

September 18, 2013 by Charlie 6 Comments

The bowhunter's crossbow

The bowhunter’s crossbow

Read Update Crossbows are now legal in WI

On Tuesday September 17, 2013 the Wisconsin State Senate passed

SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1, TO ASSEMBLY BILL 194 ssa1_ab194

authorizing a crossbow season in Wisconsin.  All Senators with the exception of Senator Mark Miller voted for passage.  This revised bill is the same as the original Assembly which was passed earlier this year with the Senate’s additional amendment 1 giving the DNR authority to change the crossbow season after 2 years.

Many think this is the backdoor for Wisconsin Bowhunters to later gain restrictions on crossbow hunters after the attention dies down.  The Wisconsin Bowhunters have made no secret of their dislike for crossbows especially if these crossbow hunters are allowed to hunt during the rut.  Apparently after years of having the rut period to themselves many “bowhunters” feel entitled. Originally they had proposed accepting crossbow legalization only if the crossbow season were to close mid-October and not reopen until December.  Crossbow advocates may have made a mistake accepting this compromise, Wisconsin Bowhunters are well connected inside the WDNR giving them ability to influence regulations.

Hopefully, in 2 years all of the crossbow opposition’s fears will be laid to rest as they discover the crossbow is just a bow that casts an arrow just like any other bow.

Nonhunters I have spoken with wonder why all the hoopla and controversy on this issue.  They sum the situation with something like this-

 “The deer ends up dead. Why does it matter how?”

Good question.

Filed Under: News, Think Pieces / Opinion Tagged With: crossbow, deer, Wisconsin deer

The Death of Fawn Named Giggles

August 9, 2013 by Charlie 1 Comment

Fawns like this are rarely if ever abandoned. Do not try and help, Mama deer will be back.

Fawns like this are rarely if ever abandoned. Do not try and help; Mama deer will be back.

Post Updated August 30 WDNR proposed Policy Change– scroll down–

A sad story, with plenty of wrongs on all sides.  Watch the first WISN 12 ” Armed Agents Raid Animal Shelter for Baby Deer” news story here.  It started when a good-intentioned Illinois couple mistakenly thought they were rescuing an abandoned baby deer close to the Wisconsin / Illinois border.  They compounded the problem by crossing a state line with a living wild animal to bring it to Wisconsin-based St Francis shelter for “rehabilitation”.

  • The first mistake, a fawn left alone is rarely, if ever “abandoned” by its mother.  Does frequently leave their young fawns alone for extended periods of time.  One can only imagine the panic the doe experienced when she returned to find her fawn gone.  Many times I have watched does dash madly about to find wayward fawns that had wandered out on their own.  The giggling sound made by the fawn which led to its name Giggles was the fawn calling out for its mother.  In this case, the fawn was removed when it should have been left alone.
  • The second mistake, St Francis should not have taken the fawn in without contacting the WDNR within 24 hours to apply for a permit as Wisconsin law requires.

Regarding – “The Armed Raid” – It’s quite clear WDNR law enforcement overreacted, although I can find no evidence of any illegality on the part of law enforcement. I have corresponded with some of those involved and law enforcement friends who were not involved. On the condition I not reveal their names here is what I found.

  • Before a search warrant, St Francis refused a request by a couple of wardens to search and take custody of the fawn.  They did not sneak around and spy first as reported in the news.  St Francis was within their rights to refuse a warrantless search.
  • 16 government agents and employees came back to serve the search warrant.  10 Conservation Officers dressed in regular duty uniform with the prescribed sidearm.   One Deputy Sheriff dressed in regular duty uniform and normal sidearm. Two plain clothed detectives with concealed arms. Three WDNR Wildlife staff, presumably the ones who tranquilized Giggles.  The Wisconsin Reporter confirms my information above.

Supervisor Jennifer Niemeyer did the WDNR no favor in her interview with WISN 12 News where she said:

  • “the law requires the DNR agents to euthanize animals like Giggles because of the potential for disease and danger to humans.”  charlie says: Actually, that is not true as it is not a blanket kill requirement, the law allows for the issue of a permit for rehab purposes.
  • “These are always very difficult situations for both parties involved, and we are empathetic to the fact of what happened because we know in our heart of hearts they tried to do the right thing,” Niemeyer said.  charlie – Yes, correct, sensitivity and common sense should have entered in this situation.  WDNR used neither.
  • “Could you have made a phone call before showing up, I mean, that’s a lot of resources,” WISN 12 News investigative reporter Colleen Henry asked.
  • Niemeyer continued “If a sheriff’s department is going in to do a search warrant on a drug bust, they don’t call them and ask them to surrender voluntarily their marijuana or whatever drug that they have before they show up,”

Niemeyer’s last statement is really over the top.  There is no comparison or moral equivalence between a drug raid and a 35 lb. fawn.  This case clearly demonstrates the problem with the “letter” of the law and the spirit of law.  Or as most citizens think of it – common sense.  In the sad case of Giggles, the ability and the power of the position overruled compassion and common sense.

Deer who have found their way into life-threatening predicaments such as stranded on ice flows or bucks with locked antlers are routinely saved when found.  Further, those who engage in saving them are given accolades, not citations.

In the case of Giggles, the fawn WDNR claimed the risk of CWD as the excuse to kill her.  But it is well-documented fawns do not have CWD nor are they carriers of CWD in their first nine months of life.  In this case, the DNR could have issued a permit and allowed the fawn to return to an Illinois shelter as was the plan before they interfered.

Fortunately, Governor Walker agrees this WDNR enforcement action was uncalled for and over the top.  He is demanding significant changes in procedure.

 Proposed Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources policy change August 30, 2013
Immediate reintroduction of wild animals into the wild

After voluntarily collecting an illegally captured wild animal, DNR staff would reintroduce the animal to the wild if it does not pose a threat to public health, the health of wildlife, or to the animal itself. In the case of deer, if a deer originates in a Chronic Wasting Disease zone, it could only be reintroduced in a CWD zone.

•Ability of a licensed rehabilitator to rehabilitate wild animals for reintroduction to the wild If a wild animal cannot be immediately released into the wild, but could be safely released after rehabilitation, it would be taken to a licensed rehabilitator. In the case of deer, following rehabilitation, a deer which originated in a CWD zone could only be reintroduced into a CWD zone.

•Restricted use of euthanasia DNR staff would only euthanize a wild animal if it is sick, highly likely to be diseased, or a threat to public health or the health of other wildlife. Additionally, the proposal calls for the following change which would require action by the state legislature to change state law:

• Ability of an individual to care for a captured deer with proper health and disease protections Individuals who illegally hold a captured wild deer would still face citations and penalties for illegally possessing the deer. They may be able to keep the deer if they meet a series of regulations to ensure the health of the deer and the state’s deer population as a whole. These include, but are not limited to, specific size and space requirements for an enclosure, health tests administered by a licensed veterinarian, and a notification process to both DNR and DATCP.

We are still waiting for changes in their law enforcement procedures.  Sending 16 government agents to deal with one small fawn and six animal shelter employees is ridiculous.  It is not the same as a drug raid.

Filed Under: News, Think Pieces / Opinion Tagged With: deer, news, Wisconsin deer

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