Hunters and landowners are invited to attend a series of public informational meetings to discuss deer issues during the month of December.
Meetings are scheduled across the state, with at least one meeting in each Game and Parks district.
During each meeting, biologists from Nebraska Game and Parks will discuss and take questions on a number of topics, including deer management, deer damage and depredation permits, antlerless harvest, trophy management and diseases. Antelope and elk issues may also be discussed.
The meeting schedule is:
Monday, Dec. 3 in McCook
Red Willow County Fairgrounds, 4-H building, 1400 W. 5th St., 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 6 in Norfolk
Northeast Community College, Lifelong Learning Ctr, 801 E. Benjamin Ave., 7 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 10 in Kearney
Yanney Heritage Park, Environmental Resource Center Bldg., 2020 W. 11th, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 11 in O'Neill
Cubby's, 204 E. U.S. Hwy. 20, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Gretna
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, 21502 W. Neb. Hwy. 31, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 13 in York
Kilgore Memorial Library, 520 Nebraska Ave., 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 18 in Chadron
Chadron State College, Student Center, Scottsbluff Room, 1000 Main St., 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 20 in Bridgeport
Prairie Winds Community Center, 428 N. Main St., 7 p.m.
Deer Hunting Information for Midwest Deer Hunters - midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com [part of family-outdoors.com network]
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report
There are additional opportunities to hunt deer in Wisconsin after the close of the nine-day season. The muzzleloader season is currently open through Dec. 5. The late archery season is also underway and continues until Jan. 6, 2013. There is also a statewide antlerless hunt Dec. 6-9, and a holiday hunt in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) zones of south central Wisconsin, which starts Dec. 24 and runs until Jan. 6, 2013. As a reminder, all hunters, except waterfowl hunters, are required to wear blaze orange through Dec. 9, and waterfowl hunters are encouraged to wear blaze orange when travelling to and from blinds.
Due to the past week of cold weather, a large number of diving ducks – scaup, bufflehead, golden eye, red head and canvasback have moved into the lower areas of Mississippi River pool 11 and along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Many deer hunters also reported seeing lots of pheasants and turkeys, and with the relatively mild weather, hunting opportunities have been very good for both. The last of the pheasant releases will be taking place on state properties over the next week or two.
Skim ice has formed on many ponds and lakes in the north, with some areas reporting an inch or more of ice, but conservation wardens are reporting that there is no safe ice for ice fishing at this time, and with warm weather in the forecast for the weekend, what ice is there could get thinner or melt completely.
Some anglers continue to fish along Lake Michigan, with some success reported for brown trout and perch at Milwaukee, but action generally slow. Some walleyes were being caught on the Wisconsin River and Lake Wisconsin and a few anglers reported catching sauger near lock and dam 11 on the Mississippi River.
A Thanksgiving snowstorm dumped up to 12 inches of snow in areas of Ashland and Bayfield counties, but it was a light snow that compressed. Snow depths as of Thursday ranged from an inch or two to 6 to 8 inches across the northern portion of the state, with the heaviest amounts along the Lake Superior snowbelt. Snowmobilers are reminded that trails are not open until county snowmobile coordinators open them, and using trails before they are open is trespass and could result in the loss of important trail easements.
There continues to be an influx of winter finches from boreal Canada. Evening grosbeaks and Bohemian waxwings are visiting feeders and fruit trees, all the way south to the Illinois state line. Common redpolls as well as both white-winged and red crossbills also are being seeing statewide. Pine grosbeaks have invaded the Northwoods in large numbers and have trickled as far south as La Crosse and Milwaukee
Oklahoma Wildlife Department to open online public comment period for regulation changes Dec. 3
Most notable is a proposal to change the structure of the combined season deer harvest limit to include no more than two antlered deer, with only one antlered deer allowed during deer muzzleloader and gun seasons combined. Another proposal would prohibit transporting live bait from one body of water to another in the state.
"This public comment period is an important opportunity to comment on items that could lead to changes in our hunting and fishing regulations," said Nels Rodefeld, information and education chief for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "We feel strongly that our constituents should have every chance to provide their comments, which is why we are providing an online comment form for those wanting to be heard on these specific subjects. We encourage you to provide your comments through wildlifedepartment.com anytime during the open comment period."
To view a complete listing of proposed rule changes or to complete an online comment form, log on to wildlifedepartment.com beginning Dec. 3. The online comment period will remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2013.
If comments cannot be made online, written comments will be accepted by mail until Jan. 11, 2013, at the Wildlife Department's main office in Oklahoma City (P.O. Box 53465, OKC, OK 73152).
The Wildlife Department also will be hosting a public hearing on proposed rule changes at 7 p.m., Jan. 8 at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters auditorium in Oklahoma City (1801 N. Lincoln Blvd).
Friday, November 30, 2012
IOWA’S SHOTGUN DEER SEASON PREVIEW
Heading into Iowa’s busiest outdoor ‘opening day,’ shotgun deer season hunters should expect to see fewer deer. While that downturn is by design, they should still fill plenty of tags, during the December 1-5 first shotgun season or the December 8-16 second season.
“Deer numbers are projected to be down at least ten percent from last year,” forecasts Tom Litchfield, DNR deer research biologist. “We have been working to decrease deer numbers since 2003. On a statewide basis, the herd is very close to objective; which would be the levels seen in the mid to late 1990s.”
With a relatively short season (five or nine days), shotgun hunters often must adapt to the weather. Looking ahead to the next week, seasonal temperatures and a continued brown—not white—landscape lie ahead for hunters holding about 172,000 paid first season, paid second season and landowner tags.
One strategy that remains constant is hunting with the wind. Deer rely primarily on their noses, to warn of danger. Hunters should keep that in mind, especially as they set up drives.
“It is always good to set up drives so that as you move the deer, they don’t have a good opportunity to smell the blockers as they approach. Have them downwind from the deer,” emphasizes Litchfield. “A lot of hunters drive the same block of ground in the same way every year. Paying attention to the wind may produce better results.”
Hunters are Iowa’s primary deer management tool. It is a role they have carried out well in the last decade, with that emphasis to reduce deer numbers. That has been accomplished, primarily, through increased sale of county-specific antlerless tags.
The ‘all seasons’ harvest—including deer taken in the bow, muzzleloader, January, youth and handicapped seasons--reflects that downturn, with 121,407 deer reported by hunters in 2011-12. That compares to 211,451 in 2005-06; though harvest reporting techniques did change during that span.
Somewhat of a ‘wild card’ this fall and winter will be the impact of Epizootic Hemorrhaging Disease (EHD) across much of the state. Nearly 3,000 reports of suspected EHD have been received; with concentrations in central and southwest counties and several more western counties through the Loess Hills. In all, 63 counties have at least one suspected case. The hot weather, insect-carried disease has essentially run its course for this year; with heavy frost killing off the midge, which spreads it.
Still, hunters may find more dead deer, as they fan out across the landscape.
“We know this EHD outbreak had at least significant localized impact; and that impact won’t be assessed until we go through the hunting season,” says Litchfield.
With the emphasis on downsizing the herd, Litchfield sees about 60 of Iowa’s 99 counties ‘at objective.’ Another 20 should reach it after this season. The remainder likely would fall into place after 2013-14. He is concerned, however, that the EHD outbreak could change that dynamic—lowering hunter harvest and post-season counts—for some counties.
The 161st nine-day deer hunt closes, but heritage continues through stories
MADISON - Wisconsin’s deer hunting heritage lives and grows through the sharing of hunting stories. If each licensed hunter created one new story to share at camp this year, there are 633,460 new stories to pass along, with more than 243,000 of them ending with the harvest of a deer. This year’s preliminary tally indicates 243,739 deer were registered by gun deer hunters between Nov. 17 and Nov. 26.
“It’s great to see the level of hunter participation that we do in Wisconsin, and equally as great to see that more hunters had success than last year,” said Kevin Wallenfang, big game ecologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “I’ve talked to several hunters that saw more deer than in past years in much of the state but also to some who saw less. So there are areas where deer observations were low, as we knew there would be. This sort of feedback, along with the harvest numbers, is important as we continue to work with hunters to best manage deer populations in the state.”
The preliminary nine-day harvest numbers are collected through a call-around survey of 600-plus deer registration stations all across Wisconsin and likely will increase when all registration tags are officially counted. This year’s preliminary harvest totals are up 7.7 percent from 2011. The preliminary tally showed hunters harvested 114, 822 bucks and 128,917 antlerless deer. This compared to 2011 preliminary harvest figures of 102,837 bucks and 123,423 antlerless, for a 12 percent and 4 percent increase respectively.
A breakdown of the harvest by DNR region and county is available in portable document format (pdf) on the DNR website.
“Once again Wisconsin was the deer hunting destination for hundreds of thousands of hunters. Hunting is about family, friends, fun and tradition. More than 600,000 people were out connecting with the land, and in doing so renewed their commitment to sustaining our natural resources for generations to come,” said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp.
Of the total number of licenses purchased this year, nearly 29,000 were First Time Buyer licenses. New female hunters represented 33 percent of this total, and another 33 percent of first time buyers were youth, ages 17 and under. Additionally, 80 First Time Buyer licenses were sold to hunters 80 and older.
“Seeing so many new buyers, along with some returning or new hunters over the age of 80, illustrates how deep our deer hunting heritage runs,” said Sec. Stepp. “Getting women and youth involved in hunting is essential for continuing our state’s hunting heritage. When women and moms are involved, the family follows.”
Late Seasons Now Open
There are additional opportunities to hunt deer in Wisconsin after the close of the nine-day season. The muzzleloader season is currently open through Dec. 5. The late archery season is also underway and continues until Jan. 6, 2013. There is also a statewide antlerless hunt Dec. 6-9, and a holiday hunt in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) zones of south central Wisconsin, which starts Dec. 24 and runs until Jan. 6, 2013.
Please visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword “deer” for more information on season dates and regulations.
Shooting Incidents below average, but one fatality in 2012
This year seven shooting related incidents were reported, one was fatal.
“Our sincere condolences go to the family and friends of the fatally injured hunter. Any shooting-related fatality -- or injury for that matter -- is one too many,” said Conservation Warden Jon King, Hunter Education Administrator. However overall hunter safety has increased over the years, said King. Total reported incidents for 2012 is below the 10 year average, which is nine.
“Statistically we have continued our safe hunting tradition. But for me to truly consider a deer season a hundred percent successful, all hunters would have returned home unharmed,” said Sec. Stepp. “And that’s a goal we all should continue to strive for.”
More than 25,000 students complete the hunter’s safety program every year, thanks to the work of more than 3,800 volunteer hunter education instructors. Wisconsin marked its one-millionth graduate in 2012. Before the hunter education course started, hunter fatalities during the season commonly ran into double digits.
“As always, we want to remind hunters participating in the remaining seasons to remember and follow the four rules of firearm safety or TAB-K,” said King. “Treat any firearm as if it is loaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction, be certain of your target and what’s beyond, and keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.”
Hunters asked to participate in online Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey
The Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey is still active until the end of all deer seasons and wildlife managers are asking hunters to send in a report of what they saw during the just completed nine-day gun hunt and during any hunting trips they make through the end of all deer hunting seasons. This information provides valuable data biologists can use to help provide an additional human element to the completed deer season.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
IOWA DEER HUNTERS ENCOURAGED TO HUNT SAFELY
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| English: Iowa Department of Natural Resources logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Iowa’s first shotgun deer season opens Dec. 1, and while optimism for a successful hunt is the primary focus, hunters are encouraged to brush up on safe hunting practices.
An estimated 70,000 hunters are expected to take to the timber on Saturday, and Megan Wisecup with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Recreation Safety Program said the tradition is rooted in the experiences of friends and family.
“If you think about who we go hunting with – our friends and our family – it is important to practice safe hunting techniques to make sure we all get home at the end of the day,” Wisecup said.
Hunters’ shooting at running deer is the top cause of deer hunting incidents.
“Hunters are urged to not shoot at a running deer. Hunters tend to get fixated on their target and when a deer is running, they forget about their surroundings. Look beyond your target and clearly identify the target before taking the shot,” Wisecup said. “You must be certain you have a clear, safe shot. Never point your firearm at anything you do not want to shoot.”
That advice can help to prevent self inflicted wounds as well.
“Hunters need to remember the basic firearm handling rules in the field,” she said.
Basic firearm rules are always point the muzzle in a safe direction; treat every firearm as though it were loaded; unload the firearm and open the action, especially when crossing obstacles, until you are ready to shoot; keep the barrel clear and choose the proper ammunition.
Wisecup encouraged hunters to wear plenty of blaze orange and to discuss the hunting plan with everyone in the group.
“You want to be seen from all sides in the woods,” she said. “It is also important to discuss the hunting plan that will outline the role for each person and where they will be during the hunt. Plan your hunt and hunt your plan. It is critical to communicate with your hunting partners to ensure everyone knows where each other is at all times.”
In 2011, there were 19 deer hunting related incidents in Iowa: 13 personal injuries and six property damage. There were no deer hunting fatalities in 2011.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
IOWA DNR TO INCREASE NUMBER OF DEER TISSUE SAMPLES AS PART OF SURVEILLANCE FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE
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For a decade, DNR wildlife workers and other volunteers have combed the countryside during Iowa’s shotgun deer seasons; collecting samples to test for the deadly Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). That effort will expand this year, to concentrate on portions of Wapello, Davis, Pottawattamie and Cerro Gordo counties, following positive tests from deer in hunting preserves and breeding facilities there this summer and fall.
“We will do some added surveillance of free ranging deer here (Davis, Wapello counties), in Pottawattamie County and in eastern Iowa, too,” outlined Dr. Dale Garner, DNR wildlife bureau chief at a November meeting with landowners and hunters in Bloomfield.
Iowa’s first positive CWD test was confirmed this year; from a buck taken at a shooting preserve just north of Bloomfield.
Many of the samples will be collected during the first half of December, as more than 120,000 hunters take part in Iowa’s shotgun deer seasons.
“Our goal is to obtain 300 samples from a five mile radius around the facility. We will also obtain another 200 between Bloomfield and Ottumwa; as well as added samples from Jefferson, Van Buren and Monroe counties,” outlined district DNR wildlife supervisor Bill Ohde, noting they need to know the section from which the deer was harvested, also. “We want adult animals. We will not cut into a trophy buck that is to be mounted.”
Sampling—which involves removing and testing the brain stem and lymph nodes--has been done on free ranging deer across Iowa for years. That attention has been heaviest in northeast Iowa, after Wisconsin and Illinois yielded positive cases in recent years. Sampling there will continue at a slightly lower intensity, to accommodate the additional testing in Davis and Wapello Counties. Since 2002, samples have been taken from 42,557 wild deer in Iowa; with no positive CWD result and from 2,630 animals from hunting preserves, before the positives were returned this year.
Most samples are obtained by wildlife staff, checking with hunters in the field or at home processing points. Others are obtained at meat lockers. In a few instances, sampling is done at pre-announced stations. One will be at Lake Wapello State Park on Dec. 1 and 2, from noon to 6 p.m. Hunters may contact Jeff Glaw (641-799-0793) or Bill Ohde (319-591-1244) for information about the station or if they harvest an adult deer in Davis or Wapello counties.
“We are hopeful CWD has not spread. The only way to know this is to collect samples and do the testing. We will work through all hunting seasons; with the peak being the shotgun seasons in December,” said Garner.
Anyone observing a sick deer is asked to contact their local conservation officer or a wildlife biologist, so that a sample can be obtained.
There are links on the Iowa DNR website to explain CWD, the Iowa response plan, now that it has shown up in the state, and other information on infectious disease. The direct link is http://www.iowadnr.gov/
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