Kyle Finger
2/14/11
CWD zones a factor in decreased harvest rates??
This is currently a large factor in determining if deer hunting enthusiast will partake in the following hunting seasons. There is a big issue that the deer numbers are a lot lower than what the DNR “counts” and the DNR is taking all of the blame for it. I do believe that maybe the counts are off in the deer counts every year but that is why they are called estimates. Also for the fact that the estimates are also based on how many deer are harvested and if there is a lack of honesty in the hunters and they shoot deer and don’t report them or tag a single deer several times then the counts are off due to that.
In CWD zones there is technically an unlimited harvest and some people will take full advantage of this while others will take this as an opportunity to wait for a better deer if there are more deer available. I do not think that there is a lack of deer by any means in these areas; I believe the deer are becoming more adapted to different areas and are becoming smarter about when hunting season is coming around. If there is a large amount of shooting in a particular area then the deer would obviously be smart to stay where they are unless pushed out. In CWD zones the hunt last into the early part of January and this allows hunters to harvest more deer until the DNR deems the population to a suitable level. If hunters take advantage of the lengthened deer hunt then how can they complain about when the deer numbers are low? The more activity will push the deer to another area that is less active and more of a safe zone.
Many of these areas that are considered to be CWD zones have a very low number of deer actually found to be in there. While I understand that the DNR wants to rid the woods of the CWD disease, putting some of these areas in zones and lengthening the hunt has proven not to be a popular choice with a large portion of the population. When I say this I am referring to the EAB or earn a buck regulations that have been established recently. Granted nobody is saying that the people this is affecting have to shoot a ton of deer every year but until the numbers are down nothing is going to change. This is where you get least honest people as far as deer more than once in order to get buck tags without having to wait for a doe to walk in.
Of course not all hunters have these characteristics and a large majority probably follow the rules but these are also instances that are quite practical and do occur, and I believe that CWD zones do play a part in the deer population miscounts.
3 comments:
To start things off I think White-tailed deer are truly amazing and smart animals. I read a study where they had a few deer radio collared and would track them through multiple years. They found that as hunting season came around some deer would go to their bedding areas and not move the whole day until night came around. They would do this year after year and teach their young the same tricks of the trade to survive the hunting season. Of course the ones that wouldn't bed down got killed and the researchers lost some of their future data.
In my opinion there should be increased hunting period. Many people are used to just going out in the woods for a couple of hours and shooting a deer. The sport of hunting has been lost to some regards with the high population on deer. The art of scouting has been lost and preparing for the hunt. But people expect to go out in the woods and not come back empty handed because they think its "Their Deer" but its not.
Now if having the increased season with the CWD units is making people less honest in registering their deer is a possibility. But from what I understand the CWD units would make people less honest if the kill a buck. Because with EAB you have to shoot a doe first in order to shoot a buck. Well does are the main source of your population drive, if you shoot a buck and don't register it, it doesn't throw off the numbers too much. Now if you take a doe and don't register it that's where the real problems can occur. The CWD units would effect other units that much except for the adjacent units because each unit has its own SAK (sex age kill) numbers. Also I can't remember for sure but I think the DNR do account for some data not being accounted for like not registering a harvested deer in their data output. Either way like you said these are estimates, some of the best in the world when it comes to a species population level.
Forgot to add that a forest regeneration study in CWD units could be an interesting study because of the high hunting pressure.
I do almost all of my deer hunting in the CWD zone. I hear all sorts of complaining from hunters who didn't harvest a deer or didn't see many deer. Personally, I probably passed 100+ deer while in the stand between bow and gun season. I do not own any land and have to hunt public land or get permission to hunt certain areas. I think the people that have beef with the WDNR and their management efforts just aren't putting in the time and effort. In 2011, the deer are more educated and wise to human contact than they were 25 years ago. Both hunting practices and game species have evolved after time. If you disagree with these statements, go to Columbia County and shine deer at night. You'll be suprised at the number of deer you see!
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