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News

Deer kill down nearly 10 percent

By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
Preliminary figures from the 2002 gun deer season show hunters killed 9.7 percent fewer deer in Portage County than they did the previous year, with the biggest drop being the number of antlerless deer harvested.

Hunters bagged 4,959 deer, 2,377 bucks and 2,582 antlerless, during the nine-day season which ended Sunday, Dec. 1, compared to 5,491 deer, 2,484 bucks and 3,007 antlerless, in the 2001 season, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The preliminary results for Portage County reflect that for Wisconsin and the DNR's 19-county West Central Region. The preliminary figures for registration stations show hunters harvested 261,093 deer during the regular gun deer season, which is about 10 percent less than the tally of 291,563 in 2001 and about 20 percent lower than the 10-year statewide average of 328,000.

The tally for the West Central Regions shows hunters killed 83,622 deer this year compared to 94,001, or an 11 percent drop. The numbers of bucks and antlerless bagged this year weren't available as 11,351 deer in the district were list as unknown in the preliminary tally.

Game managers get the preliminary figures by a call-in tally of registration states. Better numbers will become available as managers complete the tasks of counting registration stubs taken from each deer carcass. The final count will also provide the harvest by deer management unit.

"I'm very pleased with the effort hunters made to get out and with the number of CWD samples they volunteered to our surveillance effort," said Department of Natural Resources Secretary, Darrell Bazzell. "I think that given the unusual nature of this year's hunt, with the early lag in license sales, the fear and uncertainty caused by discovery of CWD (chronic wasting disease) in Wisconsin, and the extraordinary effort to collect CWD samples, hunters and staff can be proud of the effort they've made. The success of Wisconsin's statewide surveillance effort will be because of their contributions."

Several factors have combined to reduce the deer kill. License sales were down 10 percent. The season opened at its latest possible date, so most bucks weren't in the rut and actively moving. Weather conditions also limited hunters' success, as the lack of snow across most of the state made deer harder to see and windy weather kept deer holed up in thick cover.

The DNR had estimated the deer population at 1.6 million and set a goal of reducing the herd to 1.1 million by the end of the hunting season.

Gun hunting for deer is continuing in the CWD Intensive Harvest Zone (IHZ), where about 2,000 deer were registered at the three stations in the zone. Gun hunting will close in the IHZ on Jan. 31. Hunting in the CWD Management Zone, an area surrounding the IHZ, will continue to Dec. 15 and resume Dec. 21 through Jan. 3.

About 11,000 deer have been harvested in the IHZ since CWD was first reported on Feb. 28. Wildlife managers want to reduce the deer population in the CWD infected area to as low a level as possible. Estimates place the pre-hunt deer population in the area at about 25,000 to 30,000.

"History will tell us that we took the appropriate steps based the best science available at the time," said Bazzell. "Some have claimed that our actions are too aggressive but we feel good about the effort we've made and our commitment to defining the CWD problem in Wisconsin. What's important for the future is that we continuously evolve our management of CWD as we learn more from the laboratory and the field.

"Outside the CWD Management and Intensive Harvest Zones a 10-day muzzleloader hunt is under way. And there is a second Zone T hunt Dec 12 to 15 in Zone T designated units south of Highway 8 so there's lots of hunting opportunity remaining in many areas of the state."

The four-day December Zone T season allows firearm hunters to shoot antlerless deer in deer management units designated as T zones. Two deer management units that include parts of Portage County are included in the Zone T framework this year, units 62B and 65B in the extreme eastern part of the county. All hunters, even those not hunting deer, must wear at least 50 percent blaze orange above their waists while hunting in T zones during the four-day firearm season that runs from Thursday, Dec. 12, to Sunday, Dec. 15.

Bow hunters have also returned to the woods. The archery deer season resumed Monday, Dec. 2, and runs to Jan. 3.

A private lab in Wauwatosa conducting CWD tests that were marketed at sporting goods stores reported Tuesday a deer shot in Grant County tested positive for CWD. The lab, Wisconsin Viral Research Group, is using testing procedures not certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If the result can be verified, it would the first positive test outside of the 411-square-mile CWD management area that covers parts of Dane, Iowa and Sauk counties. Grant is adjacent to Iowa County and is along the Mississippi River.

The DNR has collected about 36,000 deer heads, out of its goal of 50,000 heads, for CWD testing at certified government laboratories. Most of the results are pending. So far 41 wild deer have tested positive for CWD in the state.



	Deer kill down nearly 10 percent By BRIAN LEAHY of The Gazette Preliminary figures from the 2002 gun deer season show hunters killed 9.7 percent fewer deer in Portage County than they did the previous year, with the biggest drop being the number of antlerless deer harvested. Hunters bagged 4,959 deer, 2,377 bucks and 2,582 antlerless, during the nine-day season which ended Sunday, Dec. 1, compared to 5,491 deer, 2,484 bucks and 3,007 antlerless, in the 2001 season, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The preliminary results for Portage County reflect that for Wisconsin and the DNR's 19-county West Central Region. The preliminary figures for registration stations show hunters harvested 261,093 deer during the regular gun deer season, which is about 10 percent less than the tally of 291,563 in 2001 and about 20 percent lower than the 10-year statewide average of 328,000. The tally for the West Central Regions shows hunters killed 83,622 deer this year compared to 94,001, or an 11 percent drop. The numbers of bucks and antlerless bagged this year weren't available as 11,351 deer in the district were list as unknown in the preliminary tally. Game managers get the preliminary figures by a call-in tally of registration states. Better numbers will become available as managers complete the tasks of counting registration stubs taken from each deer carcass. The final count will also provide the harvest by deer management unit. "I'm very pleased with the effort hunters made to get out and with the number of CWD samples they volunteered to our surveillance effort," said Department of Natural Resources Secretary, Darrell Bazzell. "I think that given the unusual nature of this year's hunt, with the early lag in license sales, the fear and uncertainty caused by discovery of CWD (chronic wasting disease) in Wisconsin, and the extraordinary effort to collect CWD samples, hunters and staff can be proud of the effort they've made. The success of Wisconsin's statewide surveillance effort will be because of their contributions." Several factors have combined to reduce the deer kill. License sales were down 10 percent. The season opened at its latest possible date, so most bucks weren't in the rut and actively moving. Weather conditions also limited hunters' success, as the lack of snow across most of the state made deer harder to see and windy weather kept deer holed up in thick cover. The DNR had estimated the deer population at 1.6 million and set a goal of reducing the herd to 1.1 million by the end of the hunting season. Gun hunting for deer is continuing in the CWD Intensive Harvest Zone (IHZ), where about 2,000 deer were registered at the three stations in the zone. Gun hunting will close in the IHZ on Jan. 31. Hunting in the CWD Management Zone, an area surrounding the IHZ, will continue to Dec. 15 and resume Dec. 21 through Jan. 3. About 11,000 deer have been harvested in the IHZ since CWD was first reported on Feb. 28. Wildlife managers want to reduce the deer population in the CWD infected area to as low a level as possible. Estimates place the pre-hunt deer population in the area at about 25,000 to 30,000. "History will tell us that we took the appropriate steps based the best science available at the time," said Bazzell. "Some have claimed that our actions are too aggressive but we feel good about the effort we've made and our commitment to defining the CWD problem in Wisconsin. What's important for the future is that we continuously evolve our management of CWD as we learn more from the laboratory and the field. "Outside the CWD Management and Intensive Harvest Zones a 10-day muzzleloader hunt is under way. And there is a second Zone T hunt Dec 12 to 15 in Zone T designated units south of Highway 8 so there's lots of hunting opportunity remaining in many areas of the state." The four-day December Zone T season allows firearm hunters to shoot antlerless deer in deer management units designated as T zones. Two deer management units that include parts of Portage County are included in the Zone T framework this year, units 62B and 65B in the extreme eastern part of the county. All hunters, even those not hunting deer, must wear at least 50 percent blaze orange above their waists while hunting in T zones during the four-day firearm season that runs from Thursday, Dec. 12, to Sunday, Dec. 15. Bow hunters have also returned to the woods. The archery deer season resumed Monday, Dec. 2, and runs to Jan. 3. A private lab in Wauwatosa conducting CWD tests that were marketed at sporting goods stores reported Tuesday a deer shot in Grant County tested positive for CWD. The lab, Wisconsin Viral Research Group, is using testing procedures not certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If the result can be verified, it would the first positive test outside of the 411-square-mile CWD management area that covers parts of Dane, Iowa and Sauk counties. Grant is adjacent to Iowa County and is along the Mississippi River. The DNR has collected about 36,000 deer heads, out of its goal of 50,000 heads, for CWD testing at certified government laboratories. Most of the results are pending. So far 41 wild deer have tested positive for CWD in the state.