*****Bowhunting threat alert*****Your bow season is at risk. While reading through the Conservation Congress Spring hearings questions, I came across question 57 which seeks to make the archery season an antlerless only season except for opening weekend and two weeks during the rut. Bowhunters would not be allowed to harvest a buck at any other time of the bow season if this passes.
It is being labeled an "EAB alternative" is really an attack on bowhunters. The wording is sneaky enough not to mention the bow season which is most likely an attempt to trick unsuspecting CC voters into voting for it as an "Alternative" to EAB on the grounds of fairness. By fairness, it means that since gun hunters get an opening weekend and the 9 day season to hunt bucks that bowhunters should only get that same amount of time to harvest bucks.
As a Bowhunter, you have more reason than ever to attend the April 13th spring hearing to vote NO to question 57. Please make sure to spread the word about this assault on the bow season.
Here is the wording as it appears in the CC spring hearing book.
QUESTION 57 – An EAB Alternative
The use of the Earn-a-Buck deer season in Wisconsin has been controversial, unpopular, and seemingly unfair to many hunters since its inception. Yet, EAB has proven to be effective at reducing high deer populations. It accomplishes this by tying the ability, opportunity, and desire for harvesting a buck with the biological necessity of harvesting antlerless deer. Sadly, EAB does this on an individual hunter basis where one hunter may be able to hunt bucks for over 100 days, while another hunter may never have even one day’s chance.
Another way of utilizing the same “ability, opportunity, and desire for harvesting a buck” would be to implement a full-length antlerless season with a shortened buck harvest period. Season opening weekends (and perhaps a two or three week rutting period) would always be open for buck harvest so everyone in the DMU has the same chance at that time for a buck every year that the program is in effect. Antlerless harvest would be spurred on during the rest of the season by the desire to return to a full-season buck hunting opportunity again. Specific time periods and trigger points for the implementation of such a management tool could be developed cooperatively with the DNR. All hunters under this system would and should be treated equally.
In areas or DMUs of high over-goal deer populations and in an effort to provide equal buck-hunting opportunity to all hunters in those units, would you prefer the concept of shortening buck hunting opportunity by limiting the buck harvest equally for all hunters on a seasonal basis instead of limiting individual opportunity through the use of EAB?
To find out where your county CC hearing is, go to the following link.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/nrboard/congress/spring_hearings/index.html
