Additional deer hunting opportunities remain; CWD Response Plan review public comment period now open

Holiday Hunt and remainder of archery and crossbow season provide great opportunities to spend time in the outdoors with friends and family; January CDAC meetings and CWD Response Plan review public comment period gives hunters a chance to let their voice be heard

While nearly 600,000 deer hunters headed out into the woods during the nine-day gun deer season in Wisconsin, many hunters continue to enjoy late season hunting, and the Holiday Hunt and archery season provide a great opportunity for a late-December hunt in select Deer Management Units.

The holiday hunt will be offered in a number of counties statewide Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, 2017. Any legal firearm, crossbow or archery equipment may be used during these hunts. In addition, the archery and crossbow season remains open statewide through Jan. 8, 2017, while archery and crossbow hunting in metro sub-units is open through Jan. 31, 2017.

For more information regarding which hunts may be offered in each county, check out the interactive deer map at keyword “DMU.”

Hunters are required to register harvested deer before 5 p.m. the day after harvest. Any hunter who failed to follow mandatory registration rules should do so now, despite having missed the deadline. To learn more, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword “gamereg.”

County Deer Advisory Councils will hold special meeting in January

County Deer Advisory Councils will hold special meetings in January for the specific purpose of discussing recommendations for responding to chronic wasting disease statewide and on a local level.

Each council will review information regarding CWD and discuss the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' 15-year Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan.

This plan guides the department's approach to addressing CWD in Wisconsin, and is currently under review by DNR, DATCP and the Conservation Congress along with a stakeholder-based CWD Response Plan review committee.

Each council will use current CWD data, preliminary recommendations from the review committee, and online public feedback to submit recommendations on action items in the plan. The response plan covers topics including CWD surveillance and monitoring, hunting season tools, captive cervid regulations, biosecurity and safety, research, and public involvement.

To help council members gather public feedback prior to the meetings, an on-line public input form survey is available on the CWD Response Plan review and is open for public comment through Jan. 3, 2017. Additional public comments will be accepted at each January CDAC meeting. Final CWD response plan recommendations will be presented to the Natural Resources Board in March 2017.

To provide comment on the current CWD Response Plan review, visitdnr.wi.gov and search keywords “CWD Response Plan.”

For CDAC meeting information, search keyword "CDAC" and select the link labeled "Find your county's January meeting location, date and start time." Meeting dates can also be found through the public meetings calendar - search keywords "County Deer Advisory Council."

DNR staff thanks all hunters who submitted a sample for CWD testing this year!

So far, over 5,300 deer have been sampled for Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin. DNR staff would like to thank Wisconsin’s hunters (you!) for your continued commitment to Wisconsin’s natural resources. For more information regarding chronic wasting disease in Wisconsin, search keyword "CWD."

If you’re not sure – ask!

DNR Call center staff is available seven days a week (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) to answer any questions. Call toll free 1-888-WDNRINFo (1-888-936-7463). Bilingual operators and publications are also available.