Safe Hunting is No Accident

The DNR tells us that more than 9,000 citizens participated in the annual Spring Hearings either in person on April 14th or in the online form from April 14th – 16th. Data tells us that around 790,000 people deer hunt in Wisconsin, just over 26,000 non-residents hunted deer. That means 760,000 residents hunt deer or about 12% of our population.

More than a million of the state’s residents fish - about 17% of the population. Some overlap exists but I’m sure we all know people that fish and don’t hunt and those that hunt and don’t fish.

At best, our total population of hunters and anglers sits below 20% of the state’s population, no matter how we slice the pie. Of the 9,000 plus citizens that participated in the annual Spring Hearings, not all support fishing and many adamantly oppose hunting.

Eyeballing the numbers, this means that even if all of the 9,000 citizens actually represented hunters, barely one percent of the state’s hunters voted. And it means less than one percent of the state’s anglers voted. Things get worse for hunters and anglers politically each year and not participating in the process provides the means for the politics to rob us.

Take last week’s writings; maybe you support the selling off of those 500,000 acres of federal lands in Utah and Nevada. I’m sure plenty of hunters do, for plenty of different reasons. But if we participate, some of the politics that simply defy common sense never sees the light of day simply because politicians know hunters’ vote.

Most of the items up for a vote passed. Many of the advisory questions will appear with similar wording at next year’s rule voting. One thing that was rejected from the Wisconsin Conservation Congresses advisory questions, was the question asking to eliminate lead shot for hunting and lead tackle for fishing.

All the Natural Resources Board’s questions advanced. In short that means if you hunt bear, either yearly or when you draw a tag, expect a bait site identification label requirement on public lands.

The DNR rule making questions saw one rejection. Voters rejected the use of “technology” for checking traps. Essentially using cellular trail cameras to monitor a trap, eliminating the need for the trapper to tend the trap line each day. Instead, waiting until the camera sends a photo or video of the quarry caught in the trap.

Allowing hunters to leave the nonedible parts of a deer at the kill site in the field advanced. A note to that question that I have is why did this question need to be asked and why haven’t hunters who need to pack a deer out been able to do this for many years? Seems like common sense to me. This happens on every elk, mule deer, bear, etc. harvested in the western states where the hunters use the gutless method of field dressing. Voters supported advancing extending the fall turkey season in the northern zones six and seven. Those zones closures will match the rest of the state once approved. Voters strongly supported allowing handicapped hunters to hunt statewide for two days in October coinciding with the statewide youth deer hunt. I consider this a good thing that provides a little more independence and opportunity for handicapped hunters. A few more than 2,500 of the participants disagreed and voted against that proposal. I don’t know their reasons, but no protest broke out after the vote. No one destroyed property or assaulted another individual. Everyone just moved on to the next question and went home to bed after the hearing.

Fishing questions get muddy and often so specific that they apply just to a certain lake. But one statewide question on changing the season opener for trout and salmon on inland streams advanced. The question asked to open that fishing season on the first Saturday in April versus May. If you like that type of fishing it looks like you get an extra month.

The results can be viewed on the DNR website in total. Just search “Annual Spring Hearings.” Another observation, it took a month for the results to be released – why? All votes are tabulated by computer. If engagement is sought, maybe quicker feedback should be part of the process.

Tight lines this Memorial Day weekend and for those hunting this last time period of spring yurkey, good luck. I’m still seeing some nice toms strutting around. But please remember, Safe Hunting is No Accident!

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K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN