Black bear hunting zone designations to change for 2008 season
MADISON – Bear hunters who are submitting an application for a 2008 Wisconsin Bear Harvest Permit should be aware that Subzone A1 will be renamed Zone D. There will now be four zones, A, B, C and D where hunters may apply for a bear hunting permit.
The deadline for submitting a 2008 bear application is Dec. 10, 2007.“Hunters will note that the paper applications still have a zone choice of A1. If a hunter selects A1, they will automatically be entered into the drawing for Zone D. Hunters who apply for Zone A will no longer be authorized to hunt in the new Zone D,” said Linda Olver, DNR assistant deer and bear ecologist.
The department will contact all potential Zone A winners after the deadline, but prior to the drawing to give them an opportunity to change their zone choice.
The proposed change was supported by voters attending the 2007 Spring Fish and Wildlife rules Hearings and was later approved by the Natural Resources Board. It will allow biologists to more closely manage the bear harvest in the “renamed” zone.
“This will give wildlife managers a much better handle on the number of bear hunters hunting in what was Subzone A1,” says Olver. “Before this change, any hunter who possessed a permit for Zone A could also hunt in Subzone A1 making it difficult to accurately predict the number of hunters in the zone and hence, manage the harvest at sustainable levels.”
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/HUNT/bear/FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Olver, (608) 261-7588
