UNDATED (WSAU) — The first step towards making recent changes in Wisconsin’s deer hunting season permanent are underway.
The 2014 hunt was done under temporary emergency rules, and under the guidance of the Deer Management Assistance Program, or DMAP. DNR officials have indicated the changed season was successful, but are now asking the public for feedback.
Regulations Specialist Scott Loomans says comments are being accepted this week and next before the next Natural Resources Board meeting. “We’re doing a quick series of hearings. We’re trying to sandwich them in between the completion of our first deer season, basically, with these rules and the 2015 season, so it’s not a lot of time to work with. The February board meeting is when we hope to adopt these rules, and then legislative review can happen over the course of the spring, and then have things in place for the ‘15 season.”
Hearings are being held from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in Dodgeville Wednesday, Chippewa Falls, Green Bay, and Schofield Thursday, Waukesha and Spooner Monday, and Rhinelander Tuesday. Loomans says online surveys are also available at the DNR’s website. “We do have a survey that people can take, and you can find that on the department’s website, so that’s another way that people can give us input.”
When asked if the DNR would have a second season using emergency rules if the process gets hung up at the February Natural Resources Board meeting or in legislative review, Loomans thinks yes, but hopes that isn’t necessary. “Yea, I think we would. There’s just a lot of incentive to work out a rule this year. We really do need something new in place for 2015.”
The first deer season under the new DMAP guidelines implemented major changes designed to help better manage the herd and also simplify the boundaries for many hunting zones. There was a major reduction in the number of doe tags issued due to low populations in many areas.
(Listen to our interview with Scott Loomans on our website, here.)
HEARING SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Dodgeville – DNR Service Center, Conference Room, 1500 N. Johns St.
Thursday, Jan. 22
Chippewa Falls – Chippewa Valley Technical College Business Education Center, Room 103A, 620 West Clairemont Ave.;
Green Bay – Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Lecture Hall Room SC132, 2740 W. Mason St.
Schofield – DC Everest Middle School, Auditorium, 9302 Schofield Ave.
Monday, Jan. 26
Waukesha – DNR Service Center, Room 151 (West entrance), 141 NW Barstow St.
Spooner – Spooner DNR Service Center, Community Room, 810 West Maple St.
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Rhinelander – James Williams Middle School auditorium, 915 Acacia Lane.
For more information regarding the Deer Trustee Report, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keywords “hearings” and “deer trustee report” respectively.
