FAQs: Showering outside, deer antlers, boating, guns, bait sales, public deer trustee event with Dr. Kroll on June 8
May 31, 2013
By: Bureau of Law Enforcement
Frequently Asked Questions - May 31, 2013
The Frequently Asked Questions features recent warden-related questions taken by the DNR Call Center. The Call Center is staffed daily, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., and offers bilingual service in Spanish and Hmong. The number is 1-888-936-7463.
Question 1: If a lake is posted no gas-driven motors, can a person launch a boat with the gas motor on the boat -- but not engaged? The boater will be using an electric motor for power but also has the gas one on the boat.
Answer: It is generally legal on a lake posted no-gas-motors-allowed for a person to use an electric motor for power with a gas motor attached to the boat but not in operation. Such restrictions usually are local ordinances. It is important to be sure what the rule says. If the rule simply prohibits use or operation of a gas motor, then simply having one attached to your boat but not used/operated on the water would be allowed. But if the ordinance states it is illegal to operate a boat with a gas motor attached, it would not be legal to do so.
Question 2: Would it be legal for my husband, who has muscular dystrophy, to use a small remote-controlled boat, approximately 34 inches long, to assist in casting a fishing line? This boat has an attachment that is used specifically for fishing. He would just use the boat to place the line, then release the line and bring the remote-controlled boat back to him. He wouldn’t be using any remote-controlled device to set the hook, just to aid in placing the line instead of casting.
Answer: The way your husband intends to use the remote-controlled boat, as described, would be legal. Because the boat would have his fishing line attached and extends back to his location on shore, it meets the requirement to be legal to fish in this manner. Once the line is released from the boat, the remote-controlled boat without any hook and line attached is then no longer an issue or concern, and the person still has control of the hook at the end of his line which he has physical control over from his location.
Question 3: Can I shower outdoors on private property and near a lake. Is this legal?
Answer: Law Enforcement advises a person who is showering outdoors should not allow the soap to run into the lake. There is no specific rule that prohibits showering outdoors on private lands or near a lake. This would be no different than washing your car outside and the soapy water running onto the ground. This water is not the same as sewage water as it has not entered a septic system or sanitary sewer line. It is very common to wash dishes and take showers outdoors while camping, and simply dumping or draining the dirty water out on the ground. This is not illegal.
Question 4: I found a dead buck in their woods. Can I claim the antlers from the buck? How do I do this?
Answer: Vehicle-killed deer can be obtained with a free vehicle-killed deer tag. This tag must be obtained before the deer carcass can be moved or the antlers can be removed. This is not the case for deer that are not killed by vehicles and not found along the roadway. The department has a policy on how to handle the disposition of other types of dead deer. For shed antlers and clean skeletal remains, a person does not need a tag or permit from the department to collect and possess these parts of deer when found in the field in a “clean” (bones only) condition. For whole or partially decomposed carcasses of deer or other wild animals, the customer will need to contact the local warden. The warden can first determine if the animal was killed illegally, and what the appropriate disposition should be to comply with rules of evidence collection and state law.
Question 5: If you add a compensator to a handgun, does that add to the barrel length? I have a .45 that has a barrel length of 5 inches. In order to legally hunt deer, it needs to be 5 ½ -inches long. With the compensator, it makes the barrel 5 ½ inches.
Answer: For the purpose of the DNR rule on minimum barrel length to use a handgun for hunting, the DNR does not consider a suppressor to be part of the barrel. Therefore, it is not counted toward determining the overall length of the barrel.
Question 6: My daughters, ages 6 & 8, want to sell worms as bait from home and also at a local store. Do they need a bait dealer’s license?
Answer: The DNR does not regulate the sale of, or require a license, to sell worms or other critters like leaches, hellgrammites, wax worms, etc., for fishing bait -- provided they are not minnows, frogs or crayfish (dead or live) which generally do require a bait dealers license. According to statutes, the definition of “bait” does not include worms.
Question 7: Are any special licenses or permits needed to raise ranch fox?
Answer: Farm-raised fox are considered domestic animals by law and are therefore not regulated by the DNR and no DNR license is required to possess or raise them. A person would need to comply with any local regulations that might restrict possession and raising of such animals in that jurisdiction and any state agriculture department rules that may require import permits to import them from another state.
Question 8: I am interested in the deer trustee report. Is there another public meeting scheduled and will Dr. Kroll be there?
Answer: Yes, there is a public meeting on June 8. And yes, Dr. Kroll, who wrote the report, will be there. The public is invited to attend in person or online. The meeting will be held at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at UW-Stevens Point Dreyfus University Center, 1015 Reserve Street. The morning portion of the meeting will be webcasted live online at:
http://dnrmedia.wi.gov/main/Play/238fcd3964734812a3ced46eb471ff4e1d
Online participants will have the option to submit questions via their computers for panel response throughout the presentations.
If you have information regarding natural resource violations, please call: VIOLATION HOTLINE: 1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367. The hotline is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trained staff relay reported information to conservation wardens. Anyone who calls the Violation Hotline or provides information can remain anonymous.