How is it that a guy with a civil service job can get away with dictating the future of Wisconsin’s deer herd?<p>Bill Mytton, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) leading deer biologist, seems intent on hacking away at the state’s remaining deer population with more Zone T hunts next fall in spite of protestations from thousands of Wisconsin outdoorsmen.<p>Mytton flippantly dismisses hunters’ contentions that there are many fewer deer around than the DNR estimates there are. According to Mytton, if a hunter sits on a good stump, he/she will see lots of deer. If he/she sits on a bad stump, not many deer will be seen.<p>Mytton contends that the reasons behind the 25 to 30 percent drop off in the antlerless deer and antlered buck harvests during 2001 were that the weather was mild and there wasn’t any snow, that hunters are holding out for a shot at a trophy buck, and many hunters didn’t want to use their antlerless deer tags. <p>Mytton was right on one account.<p>There were many hunters who refused to use their antlerless deer tag in 2001. They may have seen so few deer during the course of the season that they didn’t want to risk hurting the resource further. Maybe they believed what they saw, rather than what Mytton imagined.<p>Regarding the “brown” gun deer season – in most years, much of Wisconsin is snowless during the gun deer season. So what’s the big deal? Also, it’s interesting to note that Minnesota had a record deer harvest in 2001 with the same weather Wisconsin had.<p>Historically, year-and-a-half-old bucks made up 85 percent of the antlered buck harvest. In 2001, that percentage dropped to 60 percent. Perhaps the harvest of more than 100,000 buck fawns (DNR estimate) in the 2000 Zone T and antlerless deer hunts significantly reduced the numbers of deer that could become year-and-a-half-old bucks. A dead nubbin buck can’t ever become an adult buck.<p>The DNR’s deer population estimates are based on sex/age/kill (SAK) ratios gleaned from hunting season harvest data. <p>After the 2001 deer season, the SAK showed a trend toward a significantly declining Northwoods deer population. That wasn’t good enough for Mytton, however.<p>He wants to tweak the SAK so that it indicates a higher deer population again. That increase in population estimates could cause some deer management units to be placed in Zone T areas in 2002.<p>Mytton’s overall goal seems to be to prove that he is right about the Wisconsin deer numbers even if he has to rely on creative accounting to do so. Maybe he’s related to the ENRON executives.<p>Sportsmen/women will have a chance to discuss the DNR’s deer quota proposals at public meetings held in each of the state’s counties in the weeks to come.<p>We urge all concerned citizens to attend one of the DNR deer quota meetings in the area. The Lincoln County meeting is at the Lincoln County Sports Club (on Schultz Spur Road, off County Road K) Wednesday at 6 p.m. Other area meetings this week include: Oneida County, at the Rhinelander Airport lower meeting room tonight (Tuesday) at 7 p.m.; and Price County, in the Park Falls High School auditorium Wednesday at 7 p.m. The people must be heard.

I would like to give you another side to the Zone T hunts. My two friends and myself have been coming to the beautiful Tomahawk area for several years to grouse hunt. We have to make plans a year in advance. We always stay at FISH-A-WHILE RESORT on N. Horseshoe Rd. We try to stay for 2-3 weeks. For the last two years we have had to cut our vist to your lovely town short by 3-4 days because of the Zone T hunts. We aren't crazy enough yet to take our English Setters into small areas where all the rest of our fellow grouse hunters converge upon.
I contacted the Wisconsin DNR about when the dates and areas would be set for the 2002 Zone T hunt. I was told it would be in April 2002 or later. I truly love your town and Lincoln county but, this will only give my friends and myself 5-6 months to get everything in order for our hunting trip. Since we don't have the option of knowing when this Zone T hunt will be, and because we have to schedule our vacations in December of the year before, we will have to guess when to take our time off. This past fall we did not book reservations a year in advance like we have for the last several years. When this "Special Hunt" is determined, we will look at its dates. If it falls outside of our vacation, we will try to reserve our regular cabin. If it falls within our vacation then I am afraid we will have to find a state that does not have this "Special" hunt.
I have talked to several out of state hunters like myself. They fill the same as we do. I am afraid The Zone T is the beginning of the end for a large number of out of state hunters.
I hope everything works out, but if it doesn't would you tell the ladies at the antique store in downtown Tomahawk the Tennessee Boy's said hello? <p>David Christopher
4527 Rocky Branch Road
Walland, TN 37886

i dont know if its just from what i noticed or if its really true but it seems as though there are alot more doe than bucksand think the focus should be a little more on cutting down the population of does and bringing up the population of bucks so you have a better ratio of does per buck also i have been in southern wisconsin and although there is less coverage there the population is also alot less than in the tomahawk area there arent near as many deer grazing in the fields and crossing the roads and getting hit by tourists

Wolves used to naturally do a good job of relating to the deer herd in the manner that humans now call "quality deer management" but humans are not as good at it. Humans tend to prefer to shoot the biggest, strongest, biggest antlered, etc. This leaves us with the herd we have today, genetically tending toward smaller, more does, smaller antlers, etc. <p> In my area the problem is too many deer. They are actually deterring forest growth with their grazing habits in a manner similar to grazing cattle in a woods. I would prefer a season modeled on the small game season where you buy a license for one or two deer with season opening in September or October and running to into December. This would provide a less congested more leisurely quality hunt than the current method of pushing 700,000 hunters into the wood in a 1-2 week period.<p>[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: Abraham ]</p>

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"Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other." -Baha'u'llah

I SORT OF FEAR TO SAY THIS BUT HERE NEAR MENDOTA STATE MENTAL HOSPITAL IN MADISON THE AUTHORITYS ARE SHOOTING EXCESS DEER SINCE THE LADIES HERE ARE COMPLAINING THAT THE DEER ARE COMING INTO THEIR YARDS TO EAT THE GARDEN PLANTS. ADDIDTIOALLY THEY ARE SHOOTING QUITE A NUMBER IN CHEROKEE MARSH. ADITIONALLY 500 ARE BEING CULLED IN THE MOUNT HORUB AREA TO CHECK FOR POTENTIAL DISEASE.
STRANGE DAYS ARE THESE.--RRG.

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Happened to go to Portage the other day and saw easily several hundred deer in the evening while coming back north. Way too many.