The first in a series of meetings on possible changes to the 2014 deer hunt was held last night in Wausau. About 20 hunters came out to talk about the deer trustee report and the recommendations being offered in the report.
DNR regional wildlife manager Kris Johansen says a host of changes are on the table. “Possibly changing management units, possibly changing tagging options, changing season dates and season structures.”
One of the larger changes on the report would be ending the current Deer Management Unit boundaries and going over to a county based system. Johansen says there are some advantages to that. “Known boundary lines and jurisdictions there, also the Conservation Congress runs based upon a county basis, so there are certainly some advantages to that.”
He also says a lot of hunters are used to the current highway-based delineation system, which can be easier to track while in the field. Thirty-five meetings in total will be held over the next two weeks, and Johansen says that if you can’t make the meetings, you can leave your comments online. “We would ask that they go to the DNR website, and if they type in “Deer Trustee Report” they can find all that information. They’ll also be able to access an online survey and be able to weigh in on what we’re proposing.”
All of the changes being proposed would apply to the 2014 deer hunt.
(Raymond Neupert, WSAU)
