Wisconsin Learning from Past Deer hunting Regulations

Jesse Servais

2/1/2012

                The firearm season here in Wisconsin has been a holiday for many men in this state.  It always seems to be filled with the adventurous nature of deer camp.  The ways of the past seems to be slowly dying though.  In past years, the number of deer hunters in the state of Wisconsin has varied the past ten years but for the most part, but total licenses have decreased almost every year.  In the past five years the deer population has been hit hard with regulations such as Earn-A-Buck and the implantation of the CWD zones in the state.

                In the past, the Wisconsin opener for the gun deer season was shotgun only.  In it being shotgun only, it was also buck only.  The following seven days of the nine day season would return to rifle in the zones that permitted the use and the buck tag could also be used for a doe now.  After the opening weekend of the season the opportunities and chances at shooting deer becomes greatly reduced.  With an average of 650 thousand Wisconsinites taking to the woods the pressure applied to deer makes deer movement almost nonexistent.  The old art of deer drives were often used to increase the chances in later days of the season. 

Hunting often occurred in groups instead of the couple people hunting a large set acreage. Fragmentations of land today and with all the completely private lands deer hunting has become much harder.  For all the hype about the large deer herd here in Wisconsin it is not completely factual.  With today’s regulations in place, even with fewer hunters the deer population is being obliterated.  When purchasing your deer license your get a buck tag and one or two doe tags depending on the quota zone you hunt in.  You would think three deer would be enough for one person but for the small price of ten dollars each, you can purchase more doe tags in the herd control units and CWD units.

With Wisconsin’s declining deer herd in many regions of the state it is becoming harder and harder to inspire youth to take up hunting.  After sitting in the woods for many hours not seeing a deer it is easy to question why am I here?  I remember going out with my dad when I was real young, way before I could hunt, and we would see a great deal of white tails.  Even in the first two years of hunting I saw deer every time I went to the woods.  With the introduction of the Earn-A-Buck program came the destruction of our deer herd.  It took the first two years of implementation and deer hunting as I remembered vanished. 

Hunting in general in this country is a very large business.  Many people have been taking to the woods or swamps to hunt deer, squirrel, and ducks, along with all the other game species for many years.  It’s not just a tradition for some, but more or less a way of life in which we have come to cherish. 

Wisconsin needs to go back to the ways of old.  More conservative harvest limits to promote the growth and health of our game populations.  With implementation of past ways, Wisconsin could return to one of the premier states to hunt in again.  The tradition would be far easier to pass along and our youth would have a productive past time to take them out from behind the television and out into the woods. 

I have long believed that hunting isn’t about harvesting the animal.  It’s about being out in nature enjoying the outdoors and all her beauty with family and friends.  Harvest is just the bonus you may be fortunate to earn.