Although the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has completed its Deer Trustee Report implementation meetings, there will still be more chances for public feedback. DNR officials are encouraging people to pay attention to upcoming Natural Resources Board meetings and the public hearings that will follow.
The changes that originated from deer expert James Kroll will not affect the 2013 hunting seasons. “This coming fall, we don’t want to throw any last-minute curveball at folks, so we’re again looking at the 2014 deer season,” says Eric Lobner, trustee report coordinator. “They can plan as they normally have. They know what the season frameworks and season structures are.”
The discussions up to this point lead Lobner to believe certain things will definitely change. “I can definitely see some significant changes in how we issue our permits, what the cost of those different permits are, what our different management units or zones look like, and how we ultimately manage them.”
Lobner says one of the goals is to help local hunters and landowners to be able to work more closely with their local wildlife biologists so that management plans can work better in many different areas of the state.
Larry Lee-WSAU