Changes to Indiana Urban Deer Zones

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The new deer rule changes that the Natural Resources Commission gave final adoption to this fall are now in effect. 

This means that the 2011 Urban Deer Zone season has been extended until January 31, 2012.

Here is a summary of additional changes to the Urban Deer Zone:

*  The urban deer zone season now lasts from Sept. 15 through Jan. 31. (Previously, the urban deer zone ended the first Sunday in January).

*   A new urban deer zone license is required and replaces the old requirements of needing an extra archery license, bonus antlerless, or regular archery license. The resident urban deer zone license is $24 and the nonresident urban deer zone license is $150. Resident youth hunt/trap, lifetime comprehensive hunting, or lifetime comprehensive hunting and fishing license or those exempt from needing a license, do not need to purchase urban deer zone licenses.

*   The urban deer zone in Lake and Porter counties now includes the entire county.

*   Hunters that are using an urban deer zone license must harvest at least one antlerless deer before harvesting an antlered deer with an urban deer zone license; a.k.a, “earn-a-buck.” The earn-a-buck program only applies to the urban deer zone season.

*   Crossbows can now be used during the urban deer zone season.

The bag limit for the urban deer zone remains the same at 4 antlerless deer (one per license), or with the new “earn-a-buck,” 3 antlerless deer and 1 antlered deer (one per license). Urban deer zones were established to provide hunters opportunities to harvest deer in specified areas in addition to regular bag limits. Urban deer zones are for archery and crossbow hunting only. This provision does not override any local ordinances restricting bow and arrow or crossbow use.

What does this mean for the remainder of the 2011 Urban Deer Zone Season?

Here are some scenarios that should help hunters determine license requirements and harvest regulations for the remainder of the 2011 Urban Deer Zone season, which ends January 31, 2012.

Scenario 1 - if a hunter has already harvested an antlered deer in an urban deer zone this season (Sept. 15, 2011 – Jan. 31, 2012), all the hunter can harvest thru Jan. 31 would be antlerless deer in an urban deer zone; assuming the hunter has not reached the bag limit for the urban deer zone.
 
Scenario 2 – if a hunter hasn’t harvested an urban zone antlered deer and has already harvested an urban zone antlerless deer during the 2011 urban zone deer season, the hunter has already met the “earn-a-buck” requirement.  The hunter can harvest one urban zone antlered deer thru Jan. 31 in an urban deer zone.

Scenario 3 – if a hunter hasn’t harvested any urban zone deer this season, the hunter must harvest an antlerless deer in an urban deer zone prior to harvesting an antlered deer in an urban deer zone.

Urban Deer Zones are:
• Lake County
• Porter County
• Vanderburgh County
• Fort Wayne – the portion of Allen County within the bounds of Interstate 69 and Indiana 469.
• Indianapolis – all of Marion County, Hendricks County east of Indiana 267; southeast portion of Boone County bounded by Indiana 267, Interstate 65, Indiana 32; and the portion of Hamilton County south of Indiana 32.
• Lafayette – the portion of Tippecanoe County north of Indiana 28.
• Michigan City – the portion of LaPorte County north of Interstate 94.
• Warsaw – the portion of Kosciusko County within the corporate limits of Warsaw.

All other deer rule changes that went into effect on January 1, 2012 can be found athttp://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2362.htm. This information will be summarized and included in the Hunting Guide that will come out later this summer (June/July).

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report Summary for January 12, 2012

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Snow was falling across Wisconsin Thursday, after most DNR offices and staff submitted reports this week. DNR properties and county snowmobile coordinators and snowmobile clubs will evaluate conditions after the snow falls and determine if and when trails will be groomed and opened. Check the Department of Tourism’s Snow Conditions Report (exit DNR) and state parks current conditions pages for updates.

If enough snow arrives, it will be timely for the four candlelight skis scheduled for this weekend. People interested in attending should contact the parks directly to confirm if the events will be held and if there is enough snow for skiing.

Prior to the snow and cooler temperatures that arrived Wednesday, Wisconsin had continued to experience very unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures in the low 50s even triggering reports of insects out in some locations. The warm temperatures continued to create hazardous conditions on southern Wisconsin lakes. There were three fatalities over a three day period in the last week from people falling through thin ice. Ice anglers reported that lakes that had 4 to 6 inches of ice a week ago had thinned to 2 to 4 inches this week. Recreational safety specialists are cautioning that this week’s snow may create even more hazardous conditions. The new snow will insulate lakes from colder temperatures, slowing ice formation, and will make it more difficult to see thin areas. While many northern lakes now have a foot or more of ice, there are still lakes in southern Wisconsin with open water.

The nice weather of the last week brought out good numbers of ice anglers where there is good ice and even increasing number of anglers open water fishing from boats or shore. In the north, anglers were reporting action for walleye and northern pike was picking up with some nice sized fish being caught on tip-ups, but action slowing some for panfish.

Along Lake Michigan anglers have been fishing from boats for the trout that would usually be caught through the ice this time of year. Browns and steelhead were being caught all up and down the Milwaukee county coast line. One day this week there were as many as 40 boats out on the water enjoying the weather and the fishing. Open water boat anglers have been also been fishing the Mississippi River below lock and Dam 11, catching sauger on the Iowa side near the locks.

A mid-winter waterfowl survey along the Fox River in the Fox Cities found a mixed bag of waterfowl, including more than 1,500 mallards, 8,000 Canada geese, 1,900 goldeneyes and 800 mergansers, along with several hundred bald eagles. An annual mid-winter eagle survey the first week of January recorded 186 bald eagles along the Wisconsin River from Petenwell to the Mississippi River, which is close to the 20-year average for the survey. That’s good news for this weekend’s 25th anniversary of the Eagle Watching Days at Sauk City and Prairie du Sac. The event includes a live birds of prey show featuring hawks, eagles, owls and falcons, the release of a rehabilitated eagle, children’s events, and tours to observe eagles throughout the day Saturday and Sunday. A complete schedule of activities is available on the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council website www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org/eagledays (exit DNR)

More information on bald eagles, additional eagle watching events and places to view eagles. is available on a new feature page on the DNR website celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Wisconsin Endangered Species Act.

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Michigan DNR Seeks Input to Improve Hunting and Fishing Digests

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking input from hunters and anglers on ways to improve its annual hunting digests and fishing guide. Feedback gathered from focus groups and surveys conducted over the next several months will aid the DNR's efforts to make these publications more useful to customers.

"We want our customers to clearly understand the information and regulations before they head out into Michigan's woods and waters," said DNR Director Rodney Stokes. "This project is about presenting the regulations so hunters and anglers can enjoy harvesting game and fish with less confusion and with confidence that they're following the law."

The DNR will conduct focus groups with avid and novice hunters and anglers in late February and March. "We'll be talking in-depth with our customers about what they find helpful and problematic about the current guides and their suggestions for potential improvements, with the end goal of generating some ideas for new publications that work best for hunters and anglers," Stokes added.

Once the focus groups are complete, the DNR will conduct a survey based on the groups' feedback. Stokes explained that input from the survey - which will be sent to thousands of people who have purchased a hunting or fishing license in the past and members of conservation organizations - will help inform decisions about revamping the guides.

Improved digests and guides will be distributed in 2013.

Anyone who has ever hunted, trapped or fished in Michigan is invited to complete a brief survey now through Feb. 3, 2012. The data received from this preliminary survey will help identify discussion topics for the focus groups.

To complete the Hunting and Trapping Digest survey, visit: www.surveymonkey.com/s/MichiganHuntTrapDigest

To complete the Fishing Guide survey, visit: www.surveymonkey.com/s/MichiganFishingGuide

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go towww.michigan.gov/dnr.

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Minnesota DNR workshop aims at helping farmers with deer depredation

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will present a workshop aimed at helping area farmers understand their options for dealing with deer depredation from
6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Southeast Technical College’s Tandeski Center, 1200 Storr’s Pond Road, Winona.

Valued by hunters and nature watchers, deer provide economic benefits to the region. But sometimes the animals can pose a nuisance for farmers, damaging both growing and stored crops. The workshop will provide an overview of state deer management approaches, techniques for abating deer depredation, and ways landowners can better manage local populations. DNR staff will be on hand to answer questions that landowners may have.

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Ohio: Hunters Take 19,251 White-tailed Deer During Statewide Muzzleloader Season

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COLUMBUS, OH - Hunters took 19,251 deer during Ohio's muzzleloader season, January 7-10, with Coshocton County again leading the state with 722 deer checked.   In 2011, a preliminary total of 16,934 deer were taken during muzzleloader season.

Counties reporting the highest number of deer checked during the muzzleloader season included: Coshocton-722, Licking-639, Muskingum-638, Guernsey-612, Tuscarawas-581, Belmont-577, Harrison-569, Knox-470, Meigs-466, and Jefferson-465.

Hunters can enjoy deer hunting through February 5 as the archery season continues.  Hunters who wish to share their success may submit a photo of themselves and the deer taken at wildohio.com.

Hunters can still donate extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need.  The division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison.  Hunters who give their deer to a participating food bank are not required to pay the processing cost while funding for the effort is available.  Counties being served by this program can be found online atwww.fhfh.org

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No additional CWD positive deer detected in southeastern Minnesota

That’s what the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has received following the testing of more than 2,300 deer this fall and winter for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD was discovered last fall in a hunter-harvested white-tailed deer near Pine Island. Since then the DNR has instituted several hunting regulation changes including mandatory submission of samples for disease testing of deer taken in the CWD zone.

“The 2011 deer hunting season is over and extensive sampling in southeastern Minnesota did not detect a single case of CWD,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR wildlife research manager. Cornicelli said test results lend confidence “that we caught the disease on the front end of the infection.” Since the discovery of CWD in a wild white-tailed deer in fall 2010, DNR has sampled 1,850 adult deer without finding another positive.

Cornicelli said 1,125 adult deer were tested in CWD zone (deer permit area 602) during the hunting season and an additional 1,265 samples were obtained from deer areas surrounding the CWD zone. .

Cornicelli said there are no plans to conduct winter sharpshooting. However, hunter-harvested surveillance will be conducted again during the 2012 deer season. While the evidence suggests there is not a widespread CWD infection, surveillance in future years is needed to make that final determination. Also, a deer feeding ban remains in effect in Dodge, Goodhue, Olmsted, and Wabasha counties for the foreseeable future.

“Overall, hunter cooperation and public support has been tremendous,” said Cornicelli. “While there are always challenges when you conduct this type of surveillance effort, it really couldn’t have been successful without the cooperation of hunters, taxidermists, landowners, and the businesses that allowed us to operate check stations.”

Cornicelli also thanked the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association for their support in the surveillance effort and for donating a muzzleloader as a raffle prize as an incentive for hunters to provide a CWD sample.

See maps of the surveillance area and where samples were taken on DNR CWD page.

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IOWA REMAINING HUNTING SEASONS STARTING TO CLOSE

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Iowa’s pheasant, late muzzleloader and archery deer, and fall turkey seasons close on Jan. 10.  The January antlerless deer season is Jan. 11 to 29. Furbearer seasons, squirrel, quail, partridge and grouse remain open until Jan. 31.

Rabbit season is open until Feb. 28. Crow season is Jan. 14 to March 31. Pigeon season closes on March 31. Beaver trapping season closes on April 15.

For waterfowl, the south zone for Canada goose hunting closes Jan. 11 and the light goose season, south zone closes Jan. 13. The light goose conservation order season is open Jan. 14 to April 15 statewide additional licenses and fees apply.

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