Time for gun hunters to plan ahead
MADISON – Although there are no solid harvest totals available at this time for the now three-week old archery deer hunting season, state wildlife officials say anecdotal reports from around the state suggest that bow hunting got off to brisk start this fall.
“The cold front that came through just as the archery season started got deer moving on opening weekend,” says Keith Warnke, deer and bear ecologist for the state Department of Natural Resources. “Hunters have been out in force, particularly in earn-a-buck units taking antlerless deer in order to qualify for buck stickers.”
Earn-a-buck (EAB) unit rules require a hunter to first register an antlerless deer before they can harvest a buck. In EAB units, the “buck stickers,” as they are called are distributed at registration stations when hunters register an antlerless deer. If a hunter does not receive one, they should make sure to ask for one. They will not be mailed. Buck stickers are not weapon specific, so a hunter can kill an antlerless deer with a bow in an EAB unit and use the buck sticker to take a buck either with a bow or with a gun in any EAB unit either this season or next.
Hunters who pre-qualified for a buck sticker by registering an antlerless deer last year in a deer management unit that is EAB this year but was not EAB last year should have received a buck sticker in the mail recently. Buck stickers are not replaceable and if lost cannot be replaced. The hunter can earn another, however, by shooting and registering another antlerless deer.
“I can’t stress too much the importance of checking the pre-qualification database immediately if you think you should have received a sticker but haven’t,” Warnke says.
Gun Hunting seasons
The early gun deer hunt in the Chronic Wasting Disease runs Oct. 13-21 in the Disease Eradication Zones (DEZ) and Oct. 18-21 in the Herd Reduction Zones (HRZ).
“Unlimited earn-a-buck regulations are in effect in all CWD zones this fall,” says Warnke. “Hunters will receive a buck sticker for every antlerless deer they shoot and register in a CWD zone. There is no limit to the number of antlerless deer they can harvest in the CWD zones. The buck stickers they receive are good this year or next for either bow or gun seasons.”
Watch unit list; look ahead to next year
Hunters should also check the following list of EAB “Watch Units” for next year. EAB watch units include all units designated as EAB this year and all units that are in their second consecutive year of herd control.
Current EAB and Herd Control Units are shown on a map in the 2007 Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet, available at license outlets and on the DNR Web site. They include deer management units: 1, 1M, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 22A, 23, 23A, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 36, 46, 47, 51A, 51B, 52, 52A, 53, 54A, 54B, 54C, 55, 57A, 57B, 57C, 57D, 58, 59A, 59B, 59C, 59D, 59M, 60B, 60M, 61, 61A, 62A, 62B, 63A, 63B, 64, 64A, 64M, 65B, 66, 67A, 67B, 68A, 68B, 72, 73B, 73D, 74A, 74B, 77C, 77D, 77M, 80A, 80B, 80C, 81.
Also all CWD units that include units or portions of units 54B, 70, 70A, 70B, 70C, 70D, 70E, 70F, 70G, 71, 73B, 73E, 75A, 75B, 75C, 75D, 76, 76A, 76M, 77A, 77B, 77C are part of the watch list.
“If a unit you hunt in is on this list, you can be prepared for EAB next year by registering an antlerless deer in that unit this year,” explains Warnke, who also adds the following important tips about the EAB prequalification system.
“If the unit is EAB this year and you do not use the buck sticker this year, save it. Buck stickers received at registration stations for antlerless deer harvested this year are valid next year if the hunter does not use them this year.
Finally, “If your unit is not EAB this year but is EAB next year, registering an antlerless deer this year will still qualify you to receive a buck sticker in the mail next summer.”
Prospects for return of October gun deer hunting
After a two-year trial moratorium, the October antlerless deer gun season is likely to return in 2008, according to wildlife officials. The trial was set up to test the theory that herd population control goals could be met without statewide October gun deer hunting.
The benchmark objective of the two-year trial was an antlerless to antlered deer harvest ratio of 2:1 in herd control units (not including EAB units). In four of five Deer Management Regions in the state, the ratio was substantially below the benchmark and in the fifth (the Central Forest Region) the ratio was exactly 2:1. In Deer Management Regions where the two-year average ratio is below 2:1, the October antlerless deer gun hunt will be an option next year.
“Hunters did a good job with the trial season structure last year,” says Warnke. “The reality, however, is that it simply appears to be a matter of increasing the number of days of gun hunting opportunity in order for herd control seasons to be effective enough to avoid EAB.”
If the October antlerless deer gun hunt is in place in 2008, it will start Thursday Oct. 16 and extend for four days through the Oct. 19.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke - (608) 264-6023
