After a dramatic drop in the gun deer harvest up north, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would bar hunting does or antlerless deer in northern Wisconsin for the next four years. Granted, last years northern Wisconsin winter was harsh but does one year make a trend?, we're off to an extremely mild winter so far entering 2024- is that taken into consideration? Until we address the wolf and predator issues the severity index alone doesn't support the bill- I reject the null hypothesis.

Until something is done about the wolf population nothing else matters.

The beginning of the end, going as planned.

Osky

Didn’t they pound the deer population over CWD years back pretty hard also? Maybe they did not go that far North so I’m just asking.

Our population has dropped dramatically in the last 10 years and in some areas it’s a fraction of what we had 20 years ago.

Without wolf management, all this bill would do is provide more food for wolves.

x2

The loggers in big woods are seeing less wolf tracks and no deer tracks- more food coming soon.

I cant believe they have doe seasons where they have predator problems. Now you have two problems.

In my opinion this is very short-sighted. There are a lot more factors like habitat, wolves, and other predators involved in the deer population or lack of than the annual kill. I am afraid this is pointing the finger at hunting as being the cause of the population decrease.

Moosetrot

How many of those does not harvested will become pregnent if bucks are still harvested while populations are low? High predator numbers are an issue when the prey numbers are at or below critical mass, but improving habitat is critical to rebuilding a population. Habitat is a critical aspect. The central and southern farm zones have had extremely liberal anterless harvest opportunities and still have numbers that exced desired levels.
Many hunters have not gone north for some years now and if we impose further limitations on harvest there will be more likely to not come back to the north. It is easy to pick on wolves as they are easy targets. We seem to forget that we have essentially let our bear population grow about 50% higher than pre 2000 goals and numbers. We are also wanting to increase bobcat numbers so we can harvest more and coyotes are learning to live with wolves. We detest wolves but bear and bobcats are desired species, especially bear and the economic value they bring to the norhthwoods. We also make the remaining deer easier targets by letting vast wooded areas mature and not have browse and cover and put in small food plots which bring in the remaining deer but also the predators know where they are living as well.

Bryce

I'll make it simple. If you want to grow a population, you don't shoot does. If you want to slow the decline in a population, you don't shoot does. Killing a doe, kills all the future deer she would have produced, not just her.

I bet you are right - it is probably cumulative. In my home state of Arkansas, warm mild winters, our does average 1.7 fetuses, yet the fawn recruitment numbers come September, are normally just below 1 fawn per TWO does. Twin fawns are very rare. All we have in my area is coyotes and bobcats that largely only prey on fawns. Snow is not a factor here. If we had bears, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, snow, and harsh winters - we would have zero deer.

Truth

Minnesota DNR has been under counting wolf populations for years, now with the low numbers of deer they are getting close to their utopia. As deer are at an unhuntable level people quit as my relatives have done and we own 80 acres including a 5 acre hay field. Their are no deer there, no trails, no sign at all. Last time the 3 of them hunted they saw no deer in three days. I hunted there in years past and have seen up to 21 deer the first day. Sorry Brice but I blame the wolves and can throw out some beaver carcasses in the field and the wolves will come to get them during the day, have seen that 2 different times.

We need two things, stop shooting does, and start shooting wolves.

No wolves = more deer.

I read that the peta and greenies claimed, when they started wolf introduction in the pacific northwest, that they would not need hunters there if successful. Looks like MN and WI are proving their claim

Where you see deer tracks there are plenty of wolf tracks.

The bear are the major predators IMHO. I know of two farms up north (Sawyer Co) that have had 30+ bears taken per year the last few years. These bears were captured using culvert traps and moved somewhere. They were doing enough damage to the corn to pose a major problem yet some seem to think they don't have a major impact on fawn mortality rates. I know a few hound guys who don't want the bear numbers reduced but something has to give and without the ability to limit wolves and bobcat the only predator we can manage is bear.

Do state elected officials have input on game laws in WI and MN?