Wisconsin Deer Hunter Forums are underway

Deer Hunter Forums are underway statewide to collect information from you to help shape Deer Season 2013.

Whether you are a deer hunter or not, we want to hear from you!

By participating in a deer hunter forum, you can access information about your preferred deer management unit, and also provide your opinions and observations while discussing possible strategies to manage the herd with local wildlife biologist.

The schedule of 34 meetings began this week. If you haven’t already attended the meeting for your area, please click here for the schedule of remaining meetings.

If unable to attend a local meeting, you may still provide your input using an online survey between now and April 12.

Watch the video below for more information on getting involved, or visit dnr.wi.gov and search keywords “deer hunter forum.”

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2013 South Dakota Hunting Season Dates Set

PIERRE, S.D. – The Game, Fish and Parks Commission has finalized most big game hunting season dates for 2013 with no changes from 2012.

The Commission sets season dates in the early spring to give hunters a chance to plan their fall schedule. The season structure, including license numbers, will be set in coming months.

Dates of interest for 2013 include:

·         Pheasant Oct. 19-Jan. 5

·         Youth Pheasant Oct. 5-9

·         Resident Only Pheasant Oct. 12-14

·         Grouse/Partridge Sept. 21-Jan. 5

·         Mourning Dover Sept. 1-Nov. 9

·         Fall Turkey Oct. 1-Jan. 31

·         Archery Antelope Aug. 17-Sept. 27 and Oct. 14-31

·         Firearms Antelope Sept. 28-Oct. 13

·         Black Hills Archery Elk Sept. 1-30

·         Black Hills Firearms Elk Oct. 1-31 and December 1-15

·         Archery Deer Sept. 28-Jan. 15

·         Youth Deer Sept. 14-Jan. 15

·         Black Hills Deer Nov. 1-30

·         West River Deer Nov. 16-Dec. 1

·         East River Deer Nov. 23-Dec. 8

·         Muzzleloader Deer Dec. 1-Jan. 15

Deer and antelope tag allocations, waterfowl, sage grouse, and the mountain lion season, as well as new state laws will be addressed at up-coming Commission meetings.  To view the complete list of seasons and monthly meetings where the Commission will discuss and consider adjustments to administrative rules can be found at http://www.gfp.sd.gov/agency/commission/default.aspx.

For information on the GFP Commission, visit the GFP website at www.gfp.sd.gov/agency/commission/default.aspx.

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report

The Parnell Tower at the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest near Dundee, Wisconsin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spring has arrived on the calendar, but while winter arrived late, it does not appear ready to leave. This stands in contrast to last year when the sun was shining and the snow and ice were melting in unseasonable hot temperatures.

Much of the state has had more snow and blowing snow this week, along with cold. Snow depths range from a low of 2 to 4 inches in the far south, to more than 30 inches in the far north. This is good for skiers and snowmobilers, but not for outdoor enthusiasts looking to transition from cold, ice and snow to spring activities, including bird watching, turkey hunting and tree tapping.

Snowmobile trails are currently open in about the northern half of the state, with conditions ranging from fair to excellent on the Department of Tourism’s Snow Conditions Report (exit DNR). Skiers will find the same conditions in the north, and even fair to good in some central and southern locations like the Kettle Moraine State Forest and Peninsula, Potawatomi, Wildcat Mountain and Blue Mound state parks.

The game fish season is closed on most inland waters, and the cold weather has slowed panfishing activity, but snowmelt is starting to draw some steelhead up Lake Michigan tributaries, with some decent action on open stretches of the Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Milwaukee and Root rivers but many river sections remain unfishable due to ice flows.

Unseasonably cold weather conditions have delayed the start of Wisconsin’s maple syrup season. Large producers and backyard hobbyist are anxiously awaiting a break in the cold weather which may occur next week. Ideal conditions for large sap runs are daytime highs in the 40s and nighttime lows in the 20s.

In addition to the series of public meetings going on now to gather public input on the 2013 deer season structure wildlife officials have launched two new surveys to collect feedback from a diverse set of interests representing hunters and non-hunters. The Deer Management Unit Survey is a way for people to provide input for the 2013 hunting seasons. The second survey, called the Deer Trustee Implementation Survey, focuses on broader long-term deer management in Wisconsin and ways that it can be enhanced. State wildlife officials want to hear from anyone interested in deer, from farmers to landowners to wildlife watchers. Find the surveys by searching the DNR website for Deer Hunter Forum and deer trustee report.

Red fox pups are being born, fox and gray squirrel too. Lots of mink and otter tracks are visible in the fresh snow. Redpolls and goldfinches have been going crazy at Wood County bird feeders. Winter songbirds and woodpeckers are getting their bright breeding plumage. Trumpeter swans, Canada geese, and many diving ducks, including bufflehead, blue bills -- or scaup -- and mergansers can be seen in the open water of the Mississippi River in Grant County, but with the snow and cold weather, there has been some reverse migration of sandhill cranes.

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2012 North Dakota Deer Gun Season Summarized

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 34,500 deer during the 2012 deer gun hunting season.

The State Game and Fish Department made available 65,150 deer gun licenses in 2012, and more than 95 percent were issued. Overall hunter success was 63 percent, and each hunter spent an average of 4.4 days in the field.

Randy Kreil, wildlife chief, said this past season’s hunter success rate bounced back from an all-time low of 51 percent in 2011. “The 63 percent clip is fairly good, but still below the long-term average of around 70 percent,” he added. “In addition, the number of days spent hunting is still higher than usual, which is expected with lower deer populations.”

Hunter success for antlered white-tailed deer was 76 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 62 percent.

Mule deer buck success was 81 percent. No mule deer doe licenses were issued in 2012.

Hunters with any-antlered or any-antlerless licenses almost exclusively harvest white-tailed deer. These buck and doe hunters each had a success rate of 64 percent.

The department is in the process of determining recommendations for licenses in the 2013 deer proclamation. These recommendations will be discussed at the upcoming Game and Fish public advisory board meetings, scheduled for the week of April 15-18. The proclamation will be sent to the governor’s office for approval in late April.

In addition to harvest rates and winter aerial surveys, the department monitors a number of other population indices to determine license numbers, including deer-vehicle collision reports, depredation reports, hunter observations, input at advisory board meetings, and comments from the public, landowners and department field staff.

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Hunters Harvest Nearly 219,000 White-Tailed Deer in Ohio in 2012-2013

Deer-archery season ended Feb. 3, bringing the white-tailed deer season to a close. Hunters harvested 218,910 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s 2012-2013 hunting seasons for all implements, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Hunters checked 219,748 deer in 2011-2012, a difference of less than 1,000 deer this season.

“Ohio has become one of the nation’s top destinations for hunting white-tailed deer,” said ODNR Director James Zehringer. “We would like to thank the nearly 500,000 outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen that participated during this hunting season. It is their efforts in the field that help us provide some of the best outdoor recreational opportunities in the country.”

The Ohio counties that reported the most checked deer for all implements during the 2012-2013 season: Coshocton (7,413), Licking (6,928), Tuscarawas (6,813), Muskingum (6,457), Guernsey (6,151), Harrison (5,365), Knox (5,288), Ashtabula (4,974), Carroll (4,825) and Belmont (4,731). The top seven counties remained unchanged from last season.

Hunters continue to support alternate methods to report deer kills. Since the deer season began on Sept. 29, 2012, 44 percent of hunters phoned in their report, 40 percent reported online and 16 percent traveled to a license agent’s location.

Ohio's first modern day deer-gun season opened in 1943 in three counties, and hunters checked 168 deer. Deer hunting was allowed in all 88 counties in 1956, and hunters harvested 3,911 deer during the one-week season.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio and is frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks eighth nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more. For more information on deer and deer hunting, visit wildohio.com.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.com.

- 30 -

Editor’s Note: A list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during the 2012-2013 hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2013, and the 2012 numbers are in parentheses.

Adams: 4,111 (4,208); Allen: 1,110 (1,037); Ashland: 3,149 (2,894); Ashtabula: 4,974 (4,645); Athens: 4,387 (4,385); Auglaize: 986 (731); Belmont: 4,731 (4,785); Brown: 2,933 (3,086); Butler: 1,498 (1,583); Carroll: 4,825 (4,751); Champaign: 1,453 (1,614); Clark: 862 (930); Clermont: 3,141 (3,304); Clinton: 1,007 (1,015); Columbiana: 3,893 (3,843); Coshocton: 7,413 (7,972); Crawford: 1,236 (1,110); Cuyahoga: 713 (692); Darke: 1,004 (819); Defiance: 1,911 (1,757); Delaware: 1,901 (1,943); Erie: 719 (689); Fairfield: 2,608 (2,741); Fayette: 302 (282); Franklin: 879 (846); Fulton: 980 (846); Gallia: 3,370 (3,435); Geauga: 2,131 (2,422); Greene: 1,105 (1,073); Guernsey: 6,151 (6,432); Hamilton: 2,175 (2,256); Hancock: 1,338 (1,189); Hardin: 1,306 (1,145); Harrison: 5,365 (5,717); Henry: 750 (723); Highland: 3,250 (3,304); Hocking: 4,206 (4,348); Holmes: 4,565 (4,747); Huron: 2,298 (2,200); Jackson: 3,440 (3,233); Jefferson: 4,161 (4,119); Knox: 5,288 (5,374); Lake: 1,004 (836); Lawrence: 2,672 (2,959); Licking: 6,928 (7,276); Logan: 2,094 (2,284); Lorain: 2,460 (2,424); Lucas: 677 (707); Madison: 452 (550); Mahoning: 2,034 (1,890); Marion: 901 (830); Medina: 1,978 (2,031); Meigs: 3,832 (4,000); Mercer: 804 (625); Miami: 961 (827); Monroe: 3,478 (3,727); Montgomery: 804 (676); Morgan: 3,597 (3,513); Morrow: 1,936 (1,898); Muskingum: 6,457 (6,631); Noble: 3,513 (3,936); Ottawa: 379 (416); Paulding: 1,194 (1,127); Perry: 3,477 (3,553); Pickaway: 1,044 (1,049); Pike: 2,262 (2,367); Portage: 2,280 (2,702); Preble: 1,205 (999); Putnam: 786 (733); Richland: 3,878 (4,038); Ross: 3,559 (3,742); Sandusky: 794 (766); Scioto: 2,821 (2,887); Seneca: 1,923 (1,609); Shelby: 1,294 (1,009); Stark: 2,597 (2,181); Summit: 1,417 (1,494); Trumbull: 3,553 (3,310); Tuscarawas: 6,813 (6,953); Union: 961 (996); Van Wert: 638 (646); Vinton: 3,395 (3,177); Warren: 1,605 (1,634); Washington: 4,091 (4,223); Wayne: 2,108 (1,948); Williams: 2,096 (2,099); Wood: 863 (705) and Wyandot: 1,670 (1540). Total: 218,910 (219,748).

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for March 14, 2013

More snow – and rain -- has fallen in the last week, and, overall state temperatures are below seasonal averages. Winter is lingering a bit longer and so are many birds, who are biding their time waiting for warmed, sunnier days before heading here.

Conditions are mixed for skiing and snowmobile enthusiasts, but the rain that fell recently closed many snowmobile trails and left ski trails in poor condition in the south. Snowmobile and ski trails in the Northwoods remain fair to good in many areas in the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Snow Conditions Report.

The pheasant and turkey population seems to have made it through the winter in good condition. The birds have been very visible in picked cornfields and along the road sides. Turkeys have been displaying and have been seen in good numbers in Kewaunee, Oconto, Sauk, Shawano and Vernon counties. Leftover spring turkey permits go on sale next Monday, March 18, with each zone having a designated sale date.

Angling success from Ashland to Milwaukee, like the recent weather, has been challenging and inconsistent. The early trout season is moving a little slower than normal with snow and cold carrying on and on into March. Walleyes and saugers are just starting to bite on the Wisconsin River below the Prairie du Sac dam

In Brown County, anglers were open water fishing for perch and walleye at Voyageur Park with jigs tipped with minnows or floating stick baits. Perch fishermen were still numerous south of Long Tail, with many small fish being caught. In Door County’s Riley and Sand bays, fishing activity was higher over the weekend than during the week. Whitefish numbers were doing okay, but perch numbers were low. Ice anglers are reminded that fishing shelters must be removed from inland lakes north of Highway 64, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior, and Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters by midnight Sunday March 17.

Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties received an inch or more of rain over the weekend. This, coupled with rapid snowmelt, has led to all Lake Michigan tributaries in the area being quite high and muddy. Look for fresh steelhead in the rivers after the water levels recede. Fly fishing and floating spawn sacs under a bobber are both effective methods for catching steelhead in the rivers.

While the deer hunting season might be months away, planning for the 2013 season is underway. DNR wildlife biologists invite anyone interested in discussing the status of the deer herd to attend one of 34 meetings to be held across state between March 18 and March 29. This is the first formal opportunity of the year for hunters and other interested individuals to discuss the current status of the deer herd in their area and ask other deer management questions of DNR wildlife managers.

To find a meeting location and time, visit the DNR website and search keywords “Deer Hunter Forum.”

Those unable to attend a local meeting may still provide their personal input on their preferred deer management unit using an on-line herd status summary and survey, which will be active from March 18 to April 12.

Canada geese have reached Lake Superior. Red-winged blackbirds are starting to appear at High Cliff State Park on the northeast shore of Lake Winnebago, an abundance of bald eagles can been seen above the water of Sauk County and large flocks of scaup, mergansers and goldeneyes are present in the inner harbor of Lakeshore State Park.

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Hunters Plead Guilty to Illinois Deer Poaching Violations

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Seven men charged in Illinois deer poaching cases have entered guilty pleas, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement announced today.  The charges stemmed from investigations conducted by IDNR Conservation Police officers, along with law enforcement officers from Michigan, Indiana and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011. 

“Deer poaching is a serious offense, and I want to thank the investigators, along with the prosecutors in the state’s attorney’s offices in Cook and Kankakee counties, for seeing these important cases to their conclusions,” said IDNR Conservation Police Director Rafael Gutierrez.  “Those who hunt illegally and break the law need to be held accountable, and cases like these show we are serious about protecting outdoor recreation opportunities for the men, women and youth who obey the law.” 

The cases resolved during the last month, involving hunters from Illinois and Michigan, stemmed from violations of the Illinois Wildlife Code that occurred in 2011. 

The case dispositions in Cook County included: 

• Louis C. Bergsma (age 35 from Galena, IL) – Convictions on unlawful falsification of IDNR harvest records, two counts of hunting without permission of landowner, two counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer; fines of $4,800, plus civil penalties of $7,750; 

• Jonathan P. Bergsma (age 33 from Ada, MI) – Convictions on two counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer, one count each of unlawfully hunting without a hunting license, and unlawfully hunting without a habitat stamp; fines totaling $3,700; 

• Daniel E. Bergsma (age 27 from Ada, MI) – Convictions on unlawful falsification of IDNR harvest records, two counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer, and one count of hunting without permission of landowner; fines totaling $2,500, plus civil penalties of $250; 

• Douglas J. Bergsma (age 60 from Rockford, MI) – Convictions on unlawful falsification of IDNR harvest records, hunting without permission of landowner, and unlawful possession of the illegally taken deer; fines totaling $2,300; 

• Tom E. Hedke (age 33 from Caledonia, MI) – Convictions on two counts of unlawfully hunting without a valid non-resident hunting license; fines totaling $1,000. 
  
Each of the five men were also convicted in Michigan on counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer and unlawful importation of deer and each man was fined $245. Their cases included the illegal taking of 31 deer, including a buck taken in Cook County valued at $25,000. 

The case dispositions in Kankakee County included: 

• Weldon “Jesse” Bean (age 30 from Kankakee, IL) – Convictions on illegally hunting without permission, illegally taking deer with a rifle-accessory, illegally hunting within 300 yards of a dwelling, illegal possession of deer, failure to immediately tag a deer upon kill, illegal transportation of an uncased bow on an ATV, and use of an invalid archery deer permit; fines and penalties totaling $10,000; 

• Raymond Drazen (age 42 from St. Anne, IL) – Convictions on illegally taking deer with a rifle and illegal possession of deer; fines totaling $250. 

The Kankakee County case involved the illegal taking of a large buck in 2011. 

Hunters or other citizens with information on illegal hunting are encouraged to contact the Illinois Conservation Police or call the IDNR Target Illinois Poacher Hotline at 1-877-2DNRLAW (1-877-236-7529). 

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IOWA NEW HUNTING ATLAS AVAILABLE ONLINE

English: Iowa Department of Natural Resources logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hunters have a new tool that may improve their in the field experience even before opening day.

The Iowa hunting atlas is an interactive map that shows 600,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. The atlas is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting.

A click on an area will show basic information like zone and open season, and links to maps, if available.

The atlas view from above allows hunters to zoom in on an area, see how to get there, the lay of the land and where one parcel of public hunting land is in relation to others. Information will be updated as public hunting lands are acquired.

Monica Thelen, who spearheaded the project for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the atlas is currently usable on computers and tablets and they are working toward a version of the map for mobile phones.

“This is current information at their fingertips, available 24 hours a day that hunters can access to plan their hunts,” Thelen said. “The best way to use the atlas is to spend time getting familiar with it. Spring turkey hunting begins in April so there is an opportunity here for hunters to find a new place to hunt public land using the atlas.”

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North Dakota: Deer Samples Negative for CWD

 (Photo credit: pennstatenews)

Samples taken from North Dakota deer during the 2012 hunting season have all tested negative for chronic wasting disease, according to Dr. Dan Grove, wildlife veterinarian for the State Game and Fish Department.

Last fall, samples for CWD testing were taken from more than 1,300 deer harvested by hunters in the western third of the state.

“As always, the success of our surveillance program could not be accomplished without the cooperative efforts of hunters, meat processors and taxidermists,” Grove said.

Since the Game and Fish Department’s sampling efforts began in 2002, more than 23,000 deer, elk and moose have tested negative for CWD. Three mule deer, one each in 2009, 2010 and 2011, taken from unit 3F2 in southwestern North Dakota tested positive. All three were within 15 miles of each other.

The hunter-harvested surveillance program annually collects samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. The Game and Fish Department also has a targeted surveillance program that is an ongoing, year-round effort to test animals found dead or sick.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

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Spring is best time to take hunter education classes

Michigan residents considering hunting in 2013 and who need to complete a hunter education course should enroll in a class this spring, when offerings are plentiful. Classes are held year-round, but April, May, August and September are traditionally the months when classes are most available.

"We encourage anyone considering hunting this year who needs to complete a hunter education course to enroll now in a spring course,” said Sgt. Jon Wood, hunter education program supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources. “Waiting until the last minute before you go deer hunting this fall can often translate into difficulty finding a class or an instructor available for a field day, if you are planning to take the home-study or online course.”

Michigan has three types of hunter education courses – traditional classroom, home-study and online. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to complete the course before buying a Michigan hunting license or taking an out-of-state hunting trip. Exceptions are made for youths under the age of 10 who are hunting under a Mentored Youth Hunting license or hunters older than 10 who are hunting with an apprentice hunting license. Hunters can hunt under the apprentice program for two years before they are required to take hunter education.

The traditional classroom course is a minimum of 10 hours and includes both classroom and field work with an instructor. The fee for the class is $10 or less to cover field supplies. The home-study course features a workbook to complete classwork. A field day is required with the home-study course and must be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the course. Michigan also offers two approved online hunter education courses, www.hunter-ed.com/Michigan and www.huntercourse.com. Students who choose the online course will complete their classwork online, and then have a field/skills day with an instructor and take a written exam. The field day must be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the online course.

For more information about hunter education and locations of classes, go to www.michigan.gov/huntereducation.  

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report

Door County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Winter continued to hang on this week, with a mid-week storm dropping from 2 to six to 8 inches across a swath from northwestern to south eastern Wisconsin. Snow depths range from a low of 6 to 8 inches in the south to nearly 2 feet in some areas the north. That could change rapidly, though with warmer temperatures and rain in the forecast for this weekend across southern and central Wisconsin.

Snowmobile trails reopened in many counties in southern and central Wisconsin with conditions generally fair to good, while many trails in the north range from good to excellent. State recreational safety wardens are cautioning snowmobilers that while many trails have reopened, rain and warm temperatures this weekend could cause conditions to deteriorate rapidly, especially on waterways. Wisconsin has already recorded 18 snowmobile deaths this winter, and wardens are reminding sledders to slow down and avoid travelling on rivers and lakes.

Some very good cross-country skiing is being reported statewide, from trails in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine all the way to the Northern Highland-American Legion state forests in good to excellent condition. Again, that could change this weekend, so call ahead to check on current conditions.

Participation was quite heavy in some locations for the opening of the early catch-and-release trout season that enjoyed clear water and sunny warmer weather. Trout anglers reported success ranging from moderate to excellent. Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay is still locked in ice, though there is a lot of snow on top and the sunny days have been creating slush, and ice fishing has generally been slow. Along Lake Michigan, anglers were now open water fishing on the Fox River at Voyageur Park with some walleye and perch being reported. Northern pike action has been good through the ice on the bay in several locations. Some perch and whitefish were being caught along Door County. Trout and steelhead action has been spotty at Lake Michigan harbors.

Ice depths on inland Northwoods lakes continue to hold in the 18-20 inch range and travel remains tough with the deep snow and slushy conditions on many waters. Ice fishing pressure has been rather light in the past week with these difficult travel conditions and the closure of the game fish season March 3. In the south, northern pike are starting to stage for spawning at Theresa Marsh and other spawning sites.

Wisconsin fishing and hunting licenses for the 2013-14 seasons went on sale Wednesday. Licenses are available through the Online Licensing Center, from authorized license agents and DNR Service Centers or by calling toll-free 1-877-LICENSE (1-877-945-4236). Licenses for the 2012-13 seasons expire March 31.

Snow has temporarily grounded the early March bird migration. Warmer temperatures predicted for this weekend should bring significant thaw to open fields and will likely bring another large push of migrants. Expect to see eagles, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, red-winged blackbirds, robins, song sparrows and sandhill cranes. Trumpeter swans are beginning to claim their territory on iced over flowages and goldeneye drakes are starting to display some of their mating rituals and calls.

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• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Wisconsin (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for January 17, 2013 (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Iowa HUNTERS REPORTED 5,800 FEWER DEER HARVESTED IN 2012 (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Minnesota deer harvest declines 4 percent in 2012 (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Archery deer, turkey harvests up from last year (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Missouri Archery deer, turkey harvests up from last year (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)

INDIANA Hunters set record deer harvest in 2012 seasons

Hunters took advantage of new equipment regulations and extra hunting dates to harvest a record 136,248 deer during the 2012 season, according to data the DNR gathered from designated check stations and from a recently implemented online and phone reporting system. 

The total harvest represented a 6 percent increase over the 2011 season’s harvest and topped the previous record of 134,004 deer set in 2010. 

“We started down the path to strategically reduce the deer herd in order to balance the ecological, recreational, and economic needs of all Indiana citizens,” said Mitch Marcus, wildlife chief for the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. “To meet that strategy, we initiated several regulation changes to make it easier to take antlerless deer. It appears the regulations may be working.” 

Key regulation changes implemented in 2012 included making crossbows legal equipment for all licensed hunters during archery season; adding a special late antlerless season in designated counties from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6; extending the urban zone season to run continuously from Sept. 15 to the end of January; and allowing youth hunters in the two-day youth season to take whatever the bonus antlerless quota was in the county where they hunted. Archery season also increased by seven days with elimination of the traditional one-week break between early and late segments. 

Crossbow hunters took 8,452 deer, or 6 percent of the overall total. That was an increase from 1,091 deer, or 1 percent, reported in 2011 when crossbows could be used in early archery season only by persons with a disabilities permit or by any licensed hunter in late archery season. 

Hunters using archery equipment tagged more deer in 2012 (27,580) than they did in 2011 (26,715) or 2010 (27,186). 

Youth hunters bagged 3,587 deer, up 55 percent from 2011, and the new special late antlerless season accounted for 10,091 deer. 

It also was the first year of a license bundle, which allowed the buyer to hunt in all segments of deer season—except in urban zones—for a total of one antlered and two antlerless deer. More than 56,600 license bundles were purchased in 2012, second only to the resident firearm license. 

“In previous years, five or six at the most, resident license holders accounted for 42 percent of the harvest,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer management biologist. “This year, resident license holders accounted for 47 percent of the total harvest. That’s only a couple percentage points, but to move it even that much is pretty significant. That’s probably attributed to the bundle license. We don’t know that for sure, but that’s where we’re leaning because it’s the one thing in the rules that only affected resident hunters.” 

The total harvest was made up of 45,936 antlered deer and 90,312 antlerless deer. The proportion of reported antlered deer in the harvest (34 percent) is the lowest in Indiana’s history while the antlerless total was the highest. 

“Despite the record harvest, trends within the harvest data showed that deer numbers were down this year,” Marcus said. “The number of antlered deer in the harvest was at its lowest point since 2000, an indicator of a reduced deer herd.” 

Stewart said the antlered deer harvest tracks the total population about as well as anything because there are fewer variables to consider. 

“Year-to-year hunter efforts don’t change much, so people aren’t all of a sudden taking three bucks or eight bucks; they’re locked into one buck,” he said, noting the one-buck limit in Indiana. “If there are fewer bucks to kill with the same amount of hunter effort, not as many bucks get killed, which tells us the overall population is down.” 

Additionally, an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease affected deer in nearly 60 counties. EHD is a viral disease transmitted by biting flies that is often fatal to deer, though some deer will survive the illness. 

“Whether this (population) decline is due to this year’s outbreak of EHD, recent efforts to strategically reduce the deer herd, or a combination of both factors remains to be seen, but probably varies from county to county,” Marcus said. “As we continue on the path to strategically reduce the deer herd, we will monitor the herd and harvest each year and make adjustments to ensure that hunters will have the opportunity to be successful.” 

Switzerland County had the highest reported harvest at 3,506 deer, leading the state for the first time since 2004 and ending a seven-year run by Steuben as the top county. Steuben dropped to fifth with a reported harvest of 3,076 deer, the fewest for that county since 2003. 

Of the total harvest, 82,151 deer were recorded at check stations, 53,389 online, and 708 by phone. 

To read the complete report, go to wildlife.IN.gov and click on the Deer Harvest Summary link at the bottom of the page. 

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