Whitetail deer in central Wisconsin (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson)
The Natural Resources Board has sent a number of administrative rules adjustments about the annual deer hunt on to the governor’s office and the legislature for approval.
The annual Deer Trustee Report was approved earlier this week, and along with new deer management goals, the package will be putting new and revised administrative rules in place. DNR regulations specialist Scott Loomans says the process is slightly different than introducing a bill. “First we’ll get the Governor’s signature, and then we can send it over to the Legislature, and they will refer it to standing natural resources committees in each house, in the Senate and the Assembly.”
Included in the package are permanent annual rules for how the deer hunt will work. “We’ll have a continuous archery season, a nine day firearms season, a ten day muzzleloader season after the firearms season. One new feature, or slightly different, is that the four-day December antlerless deer only firearms season would be held statewide.” Loomans says that will include formalizing the crossbow hunt, which was an emergency rule last year. “So now we’re wrapping this into the permanent rule package and, again, for for 2015 the crossbow season will be the same as 2014. And if everything goes smoothly, which is sounds like it has been, that will be the season framework going into the future as well.”
The package will also set the Deer Management Assistance Program into state code, and formalize the new County Deer Advisory Councils which are responsible for recommending population goals across the state.
WSAU