Is anyone OK with deer hunting in N. Wisconsin the way it is?

Cause this sucks. If the reason we have few deer is because hunters (we) shot too many does then why doesn't the darn herd recover? I pay attention to the species of shrubs and trees that are growing and there is absolutely tons of stuff deer used to chow so much you wouldn't even see it when it was young like say serviceberry and sumac?anybody notice how mush of this stuff grows on our roadsides now? you won't see it..at least not less then about 6 feet tall if our deer ever come back. I don't have much time left..who does? and I would really like my beloved north woods deer herd to come back please

Starts with D , ends with NR??? That would be ??? Decisions Non Returnable?

"Endangered Species Act - No, they did not write the Act. However, they set the quota for wolf kill. Even though the wolf quota is met quicker every year, they respond by shrinking the quota." While I agree there is a wolf problem, I also agree with the steady and measured harvest pace. If not, and a harvest or two gets out of control, we lose it. Don't believe it, take a look at what happened to wolf hunting in Wyoming. Some relaxed seasons and high harvests and the feds put the wolf back on the list... now they have nothing, and won't for a while.

I did vote. No license this season gun or bow. If they do not control the herd why do I have to pay them to hunt first. I look at it as business, management allowed it to happen. In the end its up to them. Simple I think?

"Didn't know the managers pulled all the triggers, determined the weather, wrote the Endangered Species Act, or set the quotas on bears. I learn something new every day. " Triggers - The managers set the quota, and raise the quota the next year if it is not met. They also advertise and persuade people to fill the tag, and are the main source of deer population information for the state. Weather - Managers don't influence the weather. However, the managers blame the weather almost every year for low deer registrations. Endangered Species Act - No, they did not write the Act. However, they set the quota for wolf kill. Even though the wolf quota is met quicker every year, they respond by shrinking the quota. Bears - They set the quota on bears. They are also responsible for population estimates. They have goofed on population estimates, but yet fail to issue more tags.

"JC, Who are these or what are these "managers" you refer to? U lost me there. " Not tough to figure out. Starts with a "D", and ends in a "NR".

Society blames the DNR? Do you mean the people we have hired to manage the herd? Well if you interviewed them and hired them, I am sure you hired the person you felt best qualified to do the job you wanted. Or is it not that simple? Just because you pay taxes does not mean people with government jobs are here to serve your needs. They do a job outlined by your elected officials, you did vote right? You want change, you have to voice your opinion where it matters and to whom it matters. Or you educate yourself a bit, and do what you can to control your little hunting area. JMO

Society blames the DNR? Do you mean the people we have hired to manage the herd?

You may be a good guy ATP, but we greatly disagree on philosophy. I know many people like you, freezer is full of every possible wild game or fish they can stuff in there. When they catch or shoot more they give it away to make more room. A buddies kid killed 5 deer this year. 3, 1 1/2 year old bucks. I am sure the kid had fun and dad was proud but how many deer does he need to kill to be happy? How about next year, will he shoot 4 bucks because 3 is now boring? If your not breaking any laws it's your right and I respect that, but please think about the next guy a little bit. I always used to blame hunters for low deer numbers, but I think I may be changing my tune. Let's be honest the average WI hunter just keeps proving how they are mindless zombies who could give two sharts about the resource. It's all about how many they can shoot. Give them more deer on the landscape they will still shoot every deer they see. "We used to shoot 20 a year, now we don't see crap, darn DNR is screwing us" I propose the DNR just gives up and says screw it, you hunters are the "experts" you handle it. That did not work many moons ago but we are confident now it will work. The DNR made some big changes to deer management, changes that "you" guys wanted, now give them time to work or realize you were wrong in the first place. My hunting situation has not changed much in the last 20 years, but then again I am a bar stool herd manager who likes to see deer and realizes what it takes to do that. I am not a DNR lover by any means but I also would not want their job. Society blames the DNR, Police, and Government for all their problems and shortcomings instead of looking in the mirror. If you don't see many deer, STOP shooting deer for a few years, seems pretty simple. If you need to hunt 45 days a season to kill a deer, you are doing it wrong, sorry but it is not that hard.

ATP the only thing you exposed was that your in the ranks of the slob hunters

There's better ways to kill grouse than walking. Deer too for that matter. Why does everyone get so worked up over these glorified goats anyway?

take the kid grouse hunting with a bird dog...or rabbit hunting with some beagles. great way to start a kid off. these days its all about starting kids with big game right away. then again most of the bone collector deer whiners...i mean hunters... wouldn't last 10 minutes grouse hunting....you actually have to walk

I'm starting to feel bad now, I've upset a bunch of self proclaimed trophy hunters and kind of exposed them for the a holes they truly are. Or maybe that was the whole point. Oh and by the way my son and I let more deer walk by this year than most of you saw. I'll stop now and let somebody else get your blood pressure up for awhile.

JC, Who are these or what are these "managers" you refer to? U lost me there.

I am going to blame the managers for allowing baiting...

This thread has brought out the reasons why hunting is so poor in WI. 1st, the notion that a kid needs to shoot every buck he sees will be the only way the kid will remain interested is ridiculous. If my kid feels the need to shoot extra bucks and have family members tag them as the only way he will remain interested in hunting, then I don't want him hunting - pure and simple. He is then hunting for the wrong reasons. My kid would be sitting at home in front of a Call of Duty game and I wouldn't let him out of the house. We should be teaching our kids deer management, not kill every deer you can. If your kid needs to shoot extra bucks to remain interested, he is a slob hunter. A slob hunter that is just younger than most. As a kid, I started passing up small bucks in high school, all on public land, as my end goal was taught to me that killing is not the reason we hunt. Every extra buck you tag for your kid is one less buck available for another kid to shoot. Don't pretend like you are worried about the future of hunting. How many others are you screwing over when you are having family members tag extra bucks for your kid? People don't realize that when they shoot extra bucks, that is just less people having an opportunity to fill their tag. Many times, it is a kid sitting over the next ridge. Blaming hunters for little effort is another poopy statement. You know why there was less pressure this year? People DID NOT BUY TAGS. The overall deer license sale was down 4%, and I bet the impact was greater in buck only counties. If people have gotten sick of hunting because there are few deer, it is not the hunters fault. It is the fault of who is managing the numbers. The notion that baiting has ruined hunting is frankly laughable. Some people believe that bait contains a magic pixie potion that causes deer to move only at night. People, get real. The problem is simply pressure on the animals. If you have guys in the woods the week before rifle season putting out bait, hanging stands, scouting, etc., of course the deer are going to be threatened and move after dark. The influx of people once per year is a change the deer are not used to. QUIT BLAMING HUNTERS!!!! If you need to blame something, blame the managers. They are the ones that got us to this point. The problem with deer hunting is simple - lack of deer. Baiting, hunter effort, etc. has little impact on deer numbers when the population has crashed. It really isn't that difficult to understand.