By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
How blaze orange the countryside looks at first light Saturday will tell what impact the appearance of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wisconsin has had in keeping deer hunters from the woods.
CWD has been a topic of conversation among customers at Sportsmans Choice, Stevens Point, said owner Leonard Jelinski, who has been busy helping hunters finish their preparations.
"We're doing a lot of last-minute things, like scope mounting and repairs," Jelinski said.
Sportsmans Choice is in its first year of operation, so Jelinski jokes his business "is up 100 percent over last year," but adds distributors have reported sporting goods sales are down statewide over last year.
"I am hearing anywhere from 25 to 40 percent down," Jelinski said.
While Jelinski's working behind the counter opening weekend will keep him from getting into the woods, he says hunters shouldn't let concerns about CWD prevent them from going deer hunting. He has a table printed from the DNR's Web page on his counter so he can show hunters the CWD test results. The only positive test results have come from Dane and Iowa counties. Of the 12,303 wild deer tested in Wisconsin so far for CWD, only 41 have tested positive for the disease.
"That's so negligible," he said. "I'm going to say the average sportsman is more concerned about mosquitoes (which carry the West Nile virus) than CWD."
The DNR has a goal of testing 500 deer from each county to determine if CWD is present anywhere else in the state.
"This deer season probably is the most important deer season of either this or the last century," said David Weitz, public affairs director for the West Central Region. "It's an opportunity for everyone to help in fighting a disease that could devastate our deer herd. "Free CWD testing will be available statewide. DNR crews will be taking samples at stations throughout the state on opening weekend to investigate the health of the deer herd statewide. This will be the most comprehensive investigation of this disease in the nation's history. We need the help of every hunter who can donate the head of a deer for sampling."
Free CWD collection stations will be set up at two Portage County deer registration stations Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24. The sites are the Tomorrow Valley Co-op, 116 N. Main St., Amherst, and Super 39 Shell, 5339 Harding Ave., Plover.
In order to be sampled, the deer must be adults and they cannot be shot in the head or neck. Hunters will be notified by mail if their deer tests free of CWD and by phone if it tests positive. Results will also be available on the DNR's Web page and updated every Friday.
As of Friday, Nov. 15, 41 deer heads had been collected in Portage County. CWD tests on the samples have not been completed.
Besides fewer hunters because of concerns about CWD, a couple of other factors could impact the kill.
In its weekly outdoor report, the DNR reports the rut - deer mating season - is past its peak or finished in much of the state. Deer activity is significantly increased during the rut as bucks aggressively wander around the woods at all hours of the day in search of does. Now that the rut is winding down, natural deer activity will be highest at dusk and dawn, with movement during the day primarily limited to deer spooked by hunters walking around.
Weather always plays a factor in hunter success rates. DNR officials attributed a reduced harvest in 2001 to above average temperatures that kept deer from moving. Snow on the ground, but not falling, is best, as brown deer are more visible against a white backdrop than against a carpet of brown leaves. Too much snow impedes hunters' mobility.
Any weather prognostication in Wisconsin longer than two hours can become worthless faster than Enron stock, but the National Weather Service forecast holds promise for opening weekend.
The service's seven-day forecast for Portage County issued Wednesday calls for lows in the middle teens and partly cloudy weather Friday night. Saturday's weather should be mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers and flurries. Highs should be in the mid-30s. Sunday should be mostly cloudy with chance of snow showers and flurries. Lows will be in the lower 20s and highs in the lower 30s.
Another factor impacting hunter participation is a Green Bay Packer game with playoff implications. The 8-2 Packers face the 8-2 Tampa Buccaneers. The winning team takes the lead in the race for home field advantage during the playoffs. Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m. Sunday - about an hour before shooting hours end.
Without any snow cover, the DNR reported Wednesday the fire danger is moderate in central and west central Wisconsin. Fires have started this fall from people carelessly discarding ashes from wood stoves, said Arvid Haugen, regional forester.
"Just a little spark from a campfire or embers can land in leaf litter and cause a fire," Haugen said.
Fires should be built on a mineral soil and completely doused with water when done, he said. Ash from wood stoves should also be disposed of on mineral soil and doused.
If fire conditions warrant, DNR fire crews could be placed on duty in Stevens Point, Cornell, Augusta, Black River Falls, Tomah, Wisconsin Rapids, Necedah, Friendship, Wisconsin Dells and Wausau.