Published: Nov. 18, 2015
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Hunters prep for gun deer season
State switches to electronic registration
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
Jason Jahnke, a native of Kewaskum living in Arkansas, shot
a buck with a bow last month in Wisconsin. Then he wondered where the nearest
deer registration station was.
It was tradition to think that. But his friend stepped in
and said there was no reason to worry.
“My buddy told me all I have to do is call it in,” Jahnke
said. “I thought it was pretty neat.”
Jahnke also thought it was convenient, not having to worry
about getting the deer to the car and driving it to the nearest town to get it
registered.
That tradition is giving way to a new tradition, one the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources not only hopes enhances the hunting
experience, but also help it generate better and faster data for the future.
Starting with this year’s gun deer hunting season which goes
for nine days starting Saturday, the DNR is adopting an electronic deer
registration system. Hunters are asked to either call in a deer or register it
online. In the past, registrations were done at stations throughout the state
and on paper. The paper part is gone.
“It is a big change,” said Bob Nack, the DNR’s big game
section chief. “I talk about traditions; it’s a big change of traditions in
Wisconsin.”
It is expected to be a change for the good.
“The (benefit is) increased convenience for hunters,” Nack
said. “They don’t need to drive to town to register their deer. The efficiency
and time savings for the hunters is certainly pro.”
There are several other reasons why the DNR decided to go away
with paper registration. Convenience was one of them. But the other was
efficiency, and that is expected to have a greater impact on the future deer
population and century-old tradition of deer hunting in Wisconsin.
“We look at our harvest numbers and we predict what our
population is and to also indicate trends in deer numbers,” Nack said. “The
sooner we can start working on numbers for next year, the better.
“When we get an idea of what population is doing, we can
start talking about permit numbers for next year.”
Wisconsin is a popular state for deer hunters, Nack said,
because of the deer population and the size of the game.
“We have good deer numbers here in the state,” Nack said.
“Hunters enjoy seeing deer. We have, in the country, some of the biggest deer
as well, not only in size of antlers, but body size in general. We have big,
healthy deer in Wisconsin.
“The opportunity of harvesting deer combined with
camaraderie and family time is what makes it attractive.”
If the DNR can get a handle on the deer population sooner,
the chances of more revenue generated from hunters is a bonus — it’s a win-win
for the state.
Jahnke said he believed inconveniences for hunters (not
having access to deer registration stations) made them more inclined to not
report it. He believes that has a chance of changing with hunters knowing they
can register their deer in the woods.
Nack said it was recommended Wisconsin go to paperless deer
registration from a Deer Trustee Report.
“Wisconsin was one of the few states left not using
electronic registration stations,” he added.
On the downside, there is concern a tradition will be lost.
It is commonplace for friends or family to part ways in the woods and meet at a
registration station to register the deer and catch up. But Nack said
electronic registration shouldn’t deter the tradition of meeting up with
friends or family to talk about their hunts.
Another change hunters will face this season is the DNR
asking for hunters to indicate the type of land they’re hunting on.
“It gives us more control on where deer is harvested,” Nack
said. “The hope is to provide more deer hunting opportunities on public lands.”
More deer means more hunters.
“When you’re sitting out there, it’s always nice (to see a
deer),” Nack said.
Washington County DNR Warden Bob Lee said he expects the
deer harvest in the county to be “pretty typical.”
“We’re pretty consistent with the kills through the years,”
he added.
Last year in Washington County, 2,122 deer were registered —
838 bucks, 1,284 antlerless. That was similar to the 2013 numbers (735 bucks, 1,397
antlerless).
Statewide, more than 191,000 deer were registered, which was
down 15 percent from 2013.
Lee also reminded hunters to be safe in the woods.
“For the number of hunters we have in the woods, Wisconsin
hunters are very safe with very few incidents,” Nack said. “That’s attributed
to the very successful Hunter Education Safety Program we have.”
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