Wisconsin - Losing Public Deer Hunting?

[[Blocked]]

 I was torn where to put this (either in Deer Hunting or the "Great Lakes" area), feel free to move it if need be.

 I've been hear from some of my relatives, and now even on Fark, about the guy Gov. Walker hired to manage the white tail population there. Apparently this guy wants to go strictly private hunting (like most of what they have in TX). No public land either I guess. My relatives are not happy. I can't blame them.
 
 Anyone else following this? Do you have insight into it? (I'm across the country so my news sources are limited.)

 http://www.ultimateoutdoorsradio.com/public-game-management-is-the-last-bastion-of-communism/outdoor-news/
 
/don't think "public land" is "communism" either. 

[[Blocked]]

Im from Wisconsin and I have nothing but good things to say what the Govenor is trying to do. I went to one of the town hall meetings that they had no body ever said a thing about doing away with public land. I dont think they could if they tryed

[[Blocked]]

OK. that was a lot to absorb. the key is, nothing is set in stone. no rules or laws have been changed yet.

as for the public land. my hunting land is basically surrounded by federal land. the federal land hasn't had a timber harvest in 75-100 years. the only openings in the forest are from wind damage. therefore, there is minimal food for deer. that said, most of the 'good food' is on private land and i think most of the deer are there also.

if i were to manage the WI herd, predation (wolves, bears, yotes) would be my priority, especially in the north. the numbers are WAY to high.

secondly, i would manage the forests and come up w/ a selective cutting program to increase the natural forage/food.

third, i would have the hunting zones more concise. part of the zone i hunt is ag land w/ high deer density and the other is national forest w/ low density. when these issue doe tags, folks in the forest can kill as many does as the folks in farm country. it's just the opposite of what is needed

and last but now least, i would tie up all the tree huggers, put them in a crate and send them to france where they belong

i hope it all works out. the current DNR hasn't been able to figure it out for my 37 years of hunting.  dr deer is getting a handsome salary. i hope he's worth it.

i also like what gov. walker is doing. WI is a healthier state because of his decisions 

[[Blocked]]

 Yeah, I kind of figured people would be keen to keep their public land.

 Other than that, yeah there's definitely a lot that can be done for management that isn't being done right now. I don't think you have to go strictly "private" to pull it off.

 I live in an area with a lot of private land, hunting has suffered significantly. The reasons are varied, but include things like: deer are an annoyance - not something to encourage, they don't like hunting in general - they can't okay someone to kill another animal, they don't trust hunters (gun safety, vandalism ect...), they don't want strangers around their house/property, land is too valuable to waste on things like deer management.

 It's bad enough that WDFW here warns any hunters that are applying for special permit hunts that the lands are closed and they should make sure they have permission to hunt somewhere first.

[[Blocked]]

It sounds to me like the big business that is deer hunting here in Texas hasn't hit WI yet. Here the landowners are all about charging big $$$ for hunting and most actually support qdm....because it makes them mo money.  It's quickly becoming a "sport" only for those with very deep pockets that are loaded with disposable income.
We do have public land options here but the quality of hunting in these areas is not comparable to private land.
Deer hunting here has been changing over the last decade or so. The changes are all controlled and put in motion by the wealthy. They are slowly but surely taking some of our most cherished traditions and past times away from those that live pay check to pay check. Not trying to be a pessimist just stating the truth. If you want a nice deer lease to enjoy with your family you have to pay what the big boys pay. Simple as that. $15 per acre is about average. Or hunt the scraps of public land that is left over.
It wouldn't surprise me if the WI situation is also under tremendous pressures from the wealthy landowners. Their interests will prevail eventually just like here in Texas.

[[Blocked]]

All the Wisconsin hunters have to do is stop buying the hunting tags.  One thing we forget as hunters.  We spend the money, we buy the tags, we keep those bars/restaurants going in those small towns.  If the Wisconsin DNR spends the money on private lands and does not do any thing to improve the public lands then stop the money train and things will change in a hurry.  I don't want to start a war here but I am not a fan of hunting on property that has high fences.  It is just not my thing.  On a different note: I have a friend that hunts on public land in upper Michigan and he plants two small food plots every year on public land.   He improves the habitat on his own and he has been rewarded taking a nice buck almost every year.

[[Blocked]]

So far I have not heard anythink to impress me about "Dr Deer", but I do not see how they could do away with public land. Just do not see it happening

[[Blocked]]

OK. that was a lot to absorb. the key is, nothing is set in stone. no rules or laws have been changed yet.

as for the public land. my hunting land is basically surrounded by federal land. the federal land hasn't had a timber harvest in 75-100 years. the only openings in the forest are from wind damage. therefore, there is minimal food for deer. that said, most of the 'good food' is on private land and i think most of the deer are there also.

if i were to manage the WI herd, predation (wolves, bears, yotes) would be my priority, especially in the north. the numbers are WAY to high.

secondly, i would manage the forests and come up w/ a selective cutting program to increase the natural forage/food.

third, i would have the hunting zones more concise. part of the zone i hunt is ag land w/ high deer density and the other is national forest w/ low density. when these issue doe tags, folks in the forest can kill as many does as the folks in farm country. it's just the opposite of what is needed

and last but now least, i would tie up all the tree huggers, put them in a crate and send them to france where they belong

i hope it all works out. the current DNR hasn't been able to figure it out for my 37 years of hunting.  dr deer is getting a handsome salary. i hope he's worth it.

i also like what gov. walker is doing. WI is a healthier state because of his decisions

Very good points Yari, especially #3. Units that have large tracts of forested public land mixed ag are tough to hunt. Most of the ag land is posted and access is denied unless you lease or know someone.

There is absolutely no possible way to privatize all public hunting land in Wisconsin. There are hundreds of thousands of acres of national, state, and county owned lands. I think people are over reacting to Dr. Krolls preliminary report. It will be an interesting next couple of months.

[[Blocked]]

i just got an email responce to this article from Dr Kroll. it is total garbage. none of it is true. it's a LIBERAL writer trying to cause havoc on the hunting community and possibly turn hunters against Gov. Walker in next weeks recall election. 

this is getting out of control. i've heard several 'crazy' changes that Kroll was going to make. to date, not one of them has been true. i've emailed Kroll's headquarters personally to verify. so far they are all rumors and INCORRECT

i'm keeping an open mind about this. the DNR has been using a very inefficient method to calulate deer densities for decades. we need an unbiased professional to administer changes needed. Kroll might be the right guy and he might not. until he proves otherwise, i'll give him a shot. i like what Walker has done so far. i hope he made the right move w/ Kroll. and, i hope the DNR listens to his recommendations.(that will be the key)

WI RECALL ELECTION IS 6/5. REMEMBER TO VOTE.

[[Blocked]]

It sounds to me like the big business that is deer hunting here in Texas hasn't hit WI yet. Here the landowners are all about charging big $$$ for hunting and most actually support qdm....because it makes them mo money.  It's quickly becoming a "sport" only for those with very deep pockets that are loaded with disposable income.
It wouldn't surprise me if the WI situation is also under tremendous pressures from the wealthy landowners. Their interests will prevail eventually just like here in Texas.

"Big Business" is here in WI - try to hunt in Buffalo County.

I know this thread is old but Yari called it true, I wrote a pretty angry post about it the night before the recall election (A Serious Rant "For All You Wisconsin Hunters Buying In To The Dr. Kroll Is “The Texas Devil” Garbage" http://carriezylka.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/a-vote-for-walker/).

Bottom line - it was all liberals stirring the pot right before the election - notice how all of a sudden the point isn't in the headlines anymore?

It was a lot of propaganda, the "Preliminary" report was not law or set in stone.

Just wanted to throw my two cents out there cuz it kinda ruffles my feathers every time it comes up and I feel always feel a compulsion to answer.



 

[[Blocked]]

Sounds like a publicity stunt,  glad to hear that was a bunch rumors!

[[Blocked]]

Me too! 

 I'd be very bummed for my family back there if they lost their favorite hunting spots.

 In terms of public land though, the trick is to not just let it turn into an old growth forest again, but have periodic openings to allow forage growth.

 It's been driving some people I know where I live (couple of them are biologists too!) nuts because everyone is all "Save the trees!" which is great except that it starves the deer/elk. But they don't know that. I got to explain to my mother in law what the deer actually need to eat and how they get it (brushy areas, not under heavy forest). She was very surprised. We need more education out there I think...

[[Blocked]]

I don't think the Trustee team was ever saying eliminate public lands. I think there has been a lot of things said that were politically motivated. I think we are in a time where we need change and the Gov. is doing some good things there. If we needed the trustee? Probably. The three folks on that team said one thing that is loud and clear to me. We all must work together or we will loose deer hunting.
As a former federal employee I know there are groups that will use the system to take contriol of management in what they think is best. But I do not see what they want is what we want.
The article in question where Dr. Kroll said that remark about  public management being the last bastion of communism is something that he did say in an article years ago long before he came to WI. for the review but it has nothing to do with this review and the recent posting in a paper was definitly was politically motivated.

[[Blocked]]

I don't think the Trustee team was ever saying eliminate public lands. I think there has been a lot of things said that were politically motivated. I think we are in a time where we need change and the Gov. is doing some good things there. If we needed the trustee? Probably. The three folks on that team said one thing that is loud and clear to me. We all must work together or we will loose deer hunting.
As a former federal employee I know there are groups that will use the system to take contriol of management in what they think is best. But I do not see what they want is what we want.
The article in question where Dr. Kroll said that remark about  public management being the last bastion of communism is something that he did say in an article years ago long before he came to WI. for the review but it has nothing to do with this review and the recent posting in a paper was definitely was politically motivated.

 

Very well put Sneska (since your retirement perhaps you could keep a closer eye on this for us all)... I don't think a glance at the panic button is warranted just yet. I'm still undecided as to the merits of Dr. Kroll's report and wonder if it warrants the 125K+ salary. The report says nothing that could not be found by googling and public record. That's just me a born skeptic as far as the running of our States government.

Don't even get me started on County and Local Governments.

[[Blocked]]

i think i mentioned this before, but this whole thing was brought about to try to get Walker out of office during the recall election. the guy was trying to turn hunters against Walker. there was no merit to the whole thing.

it was a sneaky ploy by the libs. i'm not a big fan of gov't either dutch