By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
Bow hunters will have another place to hunt for deer this year.
The Plover Village Board approved a trial bow hunt for deer in a limited area of the village.
"Ultimately we're talking about vacant, undeveloped lands that adjoin the Wisconsin River," Village Administrator Dan Mahoney said when the Special Administrative Committee worked out details of the hunt Monday.
The proposed hunt area doesn't include any single-family lots two acres or less in size, Mahoney said. Bow hunters would have to follow all Department of Natural Resources hunting regulations. None of the lands in the specified area are publicly owned.
Before hunting in those areas, bow hunters would need to obtain a permit from the village allowing them to shoot a bow and arrow. When getting the permit, the hunter must submit written permission from the landowner allowing access to hunt and provide the village clerk with a back tag license number. After killing a deer, the hunter must report the kill to the village clerk.
Original plans called for the hunters to pay a $5 administrative fee, but the Special Administrative Committee and Village Board opted to waive the fee.
The ordinance permitting the hunt expires on Dec. 31, which will allow the Village Board to make any needed changes, Village President Ken Shibilski said.
Plover officials set up the hunt following several complaints from residents about an out-of-control deer herd devouring plants in their yards and causing traffic safety concerns.
One property owner said he feels neglected since nothing's been done to control the deer herd.
"They first stop at my place for lunch, then they come back for dinner," said Ed Pliska, 2130 Oak Bluff Circle, during Monday's meeting. "There's nothing unusual seeing 10, 12 deer in my flower garden."
It's "very seldom" when he doesn't see a deer crossing the road while he's driving in his neighborhood, Pliska said.
Depending upon the results of this year's hunt, the board could open more areas in the village up to hunters, Mahoney said. If any problems arise with the hunt that outweigh the benefit from it, the village could choose not to renew the hunt.
Village Trustee Orv Damrau suggested Monday the village also adopt a no-feeding ordinance, like Whiting has. The board previously rejected a no-feeding ordinance.
"When you're feeding the deer, they may be going to that feeder, but they're picking up your neighbor's shrubs to and from your feeder," Damrau said.
Private landowners are the key to the hunt, Mahoney said.
"One of the things that has to be done in order to make this a success is to ultimately encourage property owners to let deer hunters on their land," Mahoney said.
In other business Wednesday night, the board tabled action for two weeks on a Highway B traffic analysis report. Village officials first need to sit down with representatives of Lokre, the owners of the former Skippy property, to determine what its plans are for developing vacant land in the Highway B corridor, Mahoney said.
The traffic analysis examined traffic flow on Highway B between Hoover Avenue and Interstate 39, including the intersections at Menards Drive and Mall Road.
Recommendations from the traffic study are to put signals the Mall Road intersection and construct a left-in/right-in and out median at the Menards Drive intersection, said Rick Zahn, an engineer with Rettler and Associates. An access road should also be constructed south of Highway B. Signals may be needed sometime in the future at the northbound off ramp at Interstate 39 to prevent backed up traffic during peak traffic hours.
With the left-in/right-in and out median, traffic leaving Menards Drive (both south and north of Highway B) would be prevented from driving straight or turning left. The only option to leave would be a right turn.
The Menards Drive intersection is too close to the Hoover Avenue intersection to allow for signals, Rettler said.
Businesses, developers and landowners in the area expressed strong concerns with limiting access at the Menards Drive intersection.
"We prefer a full movement access, naturally," said Rich Evans of Pine Tree Development, which is developing the Shopko-Copps Food Center complex at the northeast corner of the Hoover and Highway B intersection.
Because Highway B is a county road, the village can only make recommendations to the county, which has the final decision on access to the road.
County officials have significant safety concerns about the Menards Drive intersection, Mahoney said. The county originally said it would only allow right-in/right-out access (with a nonmountable median across the intersection), but will now consider a left-in/right-in and out access if the southern access were adopted.
"The important thing is can people get out of that intersection (Menards Drive and Highway B) and either go left or straight across," Mahoney said. "What really makes this thing difficult is there is no center turn lane for safe refuge."
A Menard's representative said the store needs a left-turn access into its property from Highway B so delivery trucks can get in from Interstate 39, otherwise they would have to come in from Maple Drive and pass a soccer field on the way.