[Nuthatch]

Looks like I'll be spending some time in WI. Probably sometime in Sept to early Nov. Could be longer. I went to the DNR site, but it looks like the deer hunting regs are currently being processed. I see there is a first time buyer license for archery deer. I'm wondering how WI handles tags with nonresident hunters. Is there and application process, or can they be obtained over the counter?

 

[Mitch]

Looks like I'll be spending some time in WI. Probably sometime in Sept to early Nov. Could be longer. I went to the DNR site, but it looks like the deer hunting regs are currently being processed. I see there is a first time buyer license for archery deer. I'm wondering how WI handles tags with nonresident hunters. Is there and application process, or can they be obtained over the counter?

It has been a couple of years since I hunted WI, but I always bought the necessary license`s and tags online, and they were mailed to my home.

 

[kenn1320]

OTC for license. They have had a big reduction in deer numbers recently, but still producing some big bucks. It's on my wish list of states to hunt.

 

[Rick Harrelson]

You could PM J. Wesbrock and ask him, I know he hunts WI and lives in IL.

 

[Tom M]

The state is divided up into zones. Most zones are"earn-a-buck. You have to shoot a doe and produce a part of her to get a buck tag.
I have a buddy that lives near Middle of state. He says there has been to much effort to kill off the does and the hearts in his area are smaller. Also the state has an issue with chronic waste disease which is another reason for kill off.
You may have to hook up with some one in the know for a good buck but the state is a great place to hunt and fish.

 

[J. Wesbrock]

Wisconsin NR deer tags are sold over the counter. If they stay the same as last year, you will get one statewide buck tag, one doe tag good statewide (except in a few select zones in the far northern end of the state) and one Herd Reduction Zone doe tag, which is good in most of the state. From there you may be able to get additional doe tag depending on your zone which will be free, $2, or $20 each. The only part of the state that are Earn-A-Buck are the CWD Zones in the southern third of the state, and in those you only have to "earn" your second buck anyway.

Do a google search for the 2013 regulations guide. It will give you a good idea what to expect until the new ones come out in a few months. Not much changes from year to year anyway. If need be, I'll be happy to email you a pdf file of last year's booklet.

 

[Str8 Shooter]

Good info from Jason. But, I've read some stuff lately that the rules will undergo some fairly significant changes. No more freebie doe tags, hunters will have to specify if they hunt public or private land and tags will be slotted accordingly. I'll see if I can dig up more info and post it later on today.

 

[mnxs54]

Bart, they have a TON of deer. Where in the state will you be?

 

[Bowmania]

We've had a very rough winter. Northern part of the state where there's a lot of public land has a high winter kill. Pretty sad - go to the local WI on the bowsite. Do you have a canoe?

Bowmania

 

[Nuthatch]

Thanks to all. Good info as usual.

Bart, they have a TON of deer. Where in the state will you be?

I'll be in the Port Washington area between Milwaukee and Sheboygan. Never hunted whitetails before and I'd be thrilled to have the chance to hunt them.

 

[Atlatlista]

Down south it's been cold, but at least my property hasn't been much affected in deer population. I scared eight of them grazing in one of my fields yesterday as I was going to my car. Kind of fun to watch that many white tails bouncing through the high grass. There's so much deer sign on the property it's kind of hard not to step in it sometimes. I may have to take up this hunting business in the fall if I can find time to take the stupid hunter safety class.

 

[MAT]

I’ve lived and bow hunted deer in WI since 1979. The state has some great hunting, mostly on private land and mainly in the southern/western parts of the state. BUT, despite killing huge numbers of deer hunters haven’t been very happy so the regs are undergoing major changes which I think will ultimately do more harm than good.

There is no earn a buck anymore, or free doe tags. NR can buy a bow or gun license OTC at any time. With the bow you get a buck tag (statewide) and a doe tag, which I think is only good for certain areas (central farm zone being one). But now all additional doe tags are by county, and are either public or private land specific only. And now they are $12 each, so guys like me that hunt several areas now have to buy a ton of $12 tags, but hey it’s a fee not a tax so all is good, right?

But here’s the sad part, unless you have a place to go that you know has potential don’t bother. The reason why is baiting has destroyed deer hunting here. That’s why years we’ve killed over half a million deer hunters were complaining about not seen many deer. Well if you feed deer they don’t move much during the day, and if you do the math hunters put out enough corn to feed every deer in the state, and in some areas many times over that! Never mind areas where it’s banned, the corn piles are everywhere and they affect deer movement patterns so much you can scout all you want, but the minute the corn hits the woods everything changes. WI sells 220,000+ bow license, and it’s a cumulative effects that add up so don’t come back and say baiting isn’t a problem by you. Big tracts of private land can be good if you are lucky to know someone, but forget the public stuff.

Myself and many of my buddies hunt other states because of baiting. It’s really sad to live in what used to be one of the top states for deer hunting but now have to go elsewhere. Our stupid state legislature knows baiting is killing the sport (in more ways than one) but they refuse to do anything about it, other than come up with stupid regs that won’t do anything. This winter is very harsh too and there will be less deer this fall, after there were less last fall. We have land up north and even when we had lots of deer it wasn’t worth it to bow hunt since the early 1990s. That’s when baiting really took off. Now we have some of the lowest deer numbers in recent times, so it’s even more bleak. Lucky I can hunt by my house but it’s surround by houses so at times it’s like I’m sitting in someone’s back yard.

Plus we have CWD in a large part of the SW, which hasn’t affected hunting too much yet but in the core area 1/3 of the bucks 2.5 years and older have CWD, and it keeps on climbing. Every deer with CWD will die in 18 months. What do you suppose this will do to trophy hunting? Plus CWD is spread by baiting, which is only illegal where CWD has been found, not where it will be if a deer decides to go for a walk across a county line.

And one more thing, crossbows were legalized for the fall. No one really knows the impact that more hunters with more effective weapons will have. All I know is xbows and baiting were made for each other, so it can’t be good.

 

[Str8 Shooter]

Warden Wire brings to you this special edition of FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions dedicated to the Managed Forest Law (MFL) lands and the new online mapping tool unveiled by Gov. Scott Walker on November 6. The governor announced more than one million private acres classified as open for public use for specific recreational activities under the landowner-incentive program, known as MFL, are easier to find thanks to a new online state mapping tool. The mapping tool was created by the Department of Natural Resources. The new mapping tool also includes lands enrolled under the Forest Crop Law. To access the mapping tool, visit the DNR web site at dnr.wi.gov, and type MFL open land in the Search or Keywords field. To view the governors November 6 statement, visit: http://walker.wi.gov/Default.aspx?Page=db3d2547-4382-4c8d-a03c-9912e6749933.

Read the FAQs and find more hunting opportunities:

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/WardenWire/WardenWire_Lookup.asp?id=157

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Page Not Found | Office of the Governor - Scott Walker
walker.wi.gov

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University Bookstore's Digital Storefront provides new opportunity to acquire Wisconsin Public Access Lands Atlas

MADISON - The Public Access Lands Atlas of Wisconsin, recently released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is now available for purchase through The University Book Store. The atlas highlights the significant increase in public access to Wisconsin lands made possible through the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, as well as other lands open to the public for outdoor recreation.

The University Book Store's digital storefront provides a web-based option for those interested in purchasing a Public Access Lands Atlas of Wisconsin. The original atlas, with 441 maps, two indexes and a glossary is available for $89.95. Separate atlases for each of Wisconsin's 72 counties are also available for $24.95. Lastly, a DVD with more than 450 pages of public lands access data is available for $5.95.

A mail order form [PDF] is available also on the University Book Store's website (exit DNR) for people who would like to purchase are also available e the atlas by check. People should not send cash or credit card information with a mail order form.

To place an order by phone using a credit card, call: 1-800-993-2665 EXT 5929. In order to simplify the purchasing process, be sure to mention the item number (099127660) in your call.

For more general information, search the DNR website dnr.wi.gov for keyword "atlas." To order the Public Access Lands Atlas via DNR's website, simply click the "buy" button. You can also download and print the maps from your home computer.

EDITOR'S ADVISORY: Images for the cover of the Public Access Lands of Wisconsin and of one of the maps are available by contacting Sawyer Briel, communications specialist, at 608-261-0751

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Runyard, 608-267-7471
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Friday 12:43pm

Wisconsin
Deer Hunting
Rule Changes
For 2014
For additional information, to read the full DTR report or to
contact us, please visit
http://dnr.wi.gov and search keyword, 'Deer Trustee Report'
This pamphlet summarizes some, but not all rule changes to
deer hunting regulations for 2014, including some that were
developed as a result of the Deer Trustee Review process. A
more complete explanation of all deer hunting rules as well as
more detailed maps of hunting zones and Deer Management
Units can be found in the 2014 Deer Hunting Regulations
pamphlet available in August at all DNR license vendors.
Automated Deer Registration

The protection of white/albino deer has been
restored statewide, including CWD affected
counties

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
dnr.wi.gov

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Deer Trustee Report Implementation
What it Means for Deer Hunters in Wisconsin
2014 Licenses and Antlerless Tags

A free
statewide
antlerless permit will no longer be
issued with archery hunting licenses.

Each deer hunting license (archery, gun, crossbow)
will be valid for one buck statewide. Hunters who
purchase both archery and crossbow licenses will
be issued
one
buck tag for the two licenses.

Central and Southern Farmland Zones:
One free
antlerless tag will be issued with each deer hunting
license (not weapon specific) for use in any
Farmland Zone unit only. Additional bonus
antlerless tags may be purchased if available.

Northern and Central Forest Zones:
No free
antlerless tags issued. Additional bonus antlerless
tags may be purchased if available.

Additional Bonus Antlerless Tags:
Where available,
all bonus antlerless tags will be unit and land type
(public or private) specific. The number of public
and private lands tags available will be based on
harvest objectives within each unit. Bonus
antlerless tags may be purchased for $12/tag
(residents) or $20/tag (non
-
residents) and will be
sold first
-
come, first
-
serve until all are sold. Sales
begin August 16, 2014.

 

[Str8 Shooter]

MAT,
It isn't so doom and gloom. I know you've been beating the baiting issue to death over the years but I don't honestly believe that's why people aren't seeing deer. The issues have a lot more to do with individual hunting practices and inflated numbers coming out of the DNR offices.

I hunt public land 90% of the time and I get opportunities every year. Maybe not at what you consider trophy deer but that's fine. I hunt in the Mud Lake area which receives a pretty fair amount of hunting pressure. I also hunt up near the Dells and I saw more deer in that area than I did down here.

And crossbows really won't be the death of archery in WI. If you buy an archery license and crossbow license you still only get one buck tag. Most guys who already have bows won't run out to spend $1,000 on a crossbow. It may encourage more people try archery and over time bring them into the upright bow side. The biggest reason I hear people complaining about crossbows is because they are afraid of people shooting "their" deer. It's the same lame argument gun hunters use to complain about bowhunters shooting "their" bucks before the season and now it's just being re-hashed in a different form.

Sorry to sidetrack...

 

[Str8 Shooter]

Here's a link to the WI DNR site for an interactive land map. Click the "launch" option and follow the directions. It will bring up a map of the state. Cursor to the portion you plan to hunt and use the wheel on your mouse to zoom in. It will show you public lands available. It's a good tool to find access in your area.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/PAL/

 

[Nuthatch]

Here's a link to the WI DNR site for an interactive land map. Click the "launch" option and follow the directions. It will bring up a map of the state. Cursor to the portion you plan to hunt and use the wheel on your mouse to zoom in. It will show you public lands available. It's a good tool to find access in your area.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/PAL/

Very Cool!

 

[MAT]

Shooter:

You are right hunters are not seeing deer now because the population is down. But they weren't seeing them before when it was a lot higher (if it's down now it had to be up before). Still good hunting can be found but not in areas where baiting is legal (or the law ignored).

We have a pretty good chunk of land in Oneida county (big woods) that I'd love the hunt again, but I haven't seen a buck there during the bow season since 1994. Lots of deer sign back then, but it was all made after dark. We found a stand that someone hauled a car battery back into the woods to setup a light over his bait pile though, so even he knew what was going on. I stopped bowhunting there about 6 years ago.

Back to the topic, I grew up on Lake Wisconsin just S of the Dells. There's some good hunting to be had that way. I have it really good right now in a metro zone, lots of places for deer to hide out in back yards and get big. But its nothing like Iowa, Illinois, Missouri or even eastern ND.

BTW - This topic should be in spike camp!

 

[Nuthatch]

Probably should be. Perhaps one of the moderators could move it over.

 

[Bowmania]

It's Port Washington or you may never find it. There's a state park just north of Port called Harrington Beach. It had a special hunt that you had to apply for. Don't know if they still have it, but the area was really loaded with deer. Your probably still in time to try to draw. I'd call the DNR and check it out. If you can get the permit it would be like hunting on private land.

Bowmania

 

[Nuthatch]

It's Port Washington or you may never find it. There's a state park just north of Port called Harrington Beach. It had a special hunt that you had to apply for. Don't know if they still have it, but the area was really loaded with deer. Your probably still in time to try to draw. I'd call the DNR and check it out. If you can get the permit it would be like hunting on private land.

Bowmania

I'll look into it. Thanks