Natural Resources Board approves Deer Trustee Report final rule package; legislative review and approval to follow
MADISON - The Natural Resources Board today approved a Deer Trustee Report
final rule package that will implement a new deer management program and
establish regulations for future deer hunting seasons.
Released in 2012, the White-tailed Deer Trustee Report
<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifeHabitat/trustee.html> proposed over 60
recommendations for improving deer management in Wisconsin. While deer
regulations and season structure in 2014 were part of an emergency rule to
implement recommendations found in the report, this final rule package will
become permanent following legislative review and approval later this year.
The final rule package reflects numerous public input sessions and a great
deal of feedback received from hunters and conservation-minded individuals
throughout Wisconsin. Many of the programs and season structures found in
the permanent rule are similar to those hunters experienced during the 2014
deer hunting season.
In summary, the final DTR Rule package:
* establishes deer hunting season dates for gun, archery, muzzleloader,
and youth hunting;
* establishes a new system of deer management units aligned along county
boundaries;
* revises population goals so that they are expressed as management
objectives to increase, maintain or decrease deer population density in a
management unit;
* creates County Deer Advisory Councils
<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/cdac.html> - these councils will act in an
advisory role to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regarding
population and antlerless deer permit levels and may recommend a number of
deer hunting season frameworks for implementation by the department;
* establishes the Deer Management Assistance
Program<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/DMAP.html> to assist with
specialized management of deer in localized areas and for specific purposes;
and
* updates administrative code related to deer hunting with crossbows so
that it is consistent with 2013 ACT 61.
To receive email updates and other information regarding deer hunting and
season structure in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov<http://dnr.wi.gov/> and
click on the email icon near the bottom of the page for "subscribe for
updates for DNR
topics<https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIDNR/subscriber/new>."
Follow the prompts and select from various options found within the
"wildlife management" and "hunting" lists.
For more information regarding the final rule package and what it means for
your hunt, visit dnr.wi.gov<http://dnr.wi.gov/> and search keyword
"deer<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/deer.html>." To learn more about the Deer
Management Assistance Program and County Deer Advisory Councils, search
keywords "DMAP<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/DMAP.html>" and
"CDAC<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/cdac.html>" respectively.