DNR suspends Earn-A-Buck program indefinitely

[greenjeans]

Most Wisconsin deer hunters will no longer have to shoot does before they can take those trophy-bucks home.


The Natural Resources Board voted Wednesday to suspend the controversial Earn-A-Buck program indefinitely, outside the chronic wasting disease zones.



The Department of Natural-Resources had recommended a one-year suspension of the program that’s designed to reduce the state’s deer population.


But hunters were outraged last fall at the relative scarcity of deer and officials later said they overestimated the size of the herd.


Board member Jane Wiley suggested that the panel go beyond the one-year suspension, and halt the Earn-A-Buck indefinitely.


She said hunters are so upset about the program it was only a matter of time before legislators stepped in to manage deer through lawmaking.


Wiley said the DNR Board needed to send a strong message that it’s serious about halting the program. It covered about one-third of the state in last fall’s hunting seasons.

[SeniorCoot]

I don't care whether folks liked it or not-EAB was a DNR program brought to you by the DNR-the folks who are supposed to make the rules-so some guys didn't like it and they went to some comm of SCI and hired a lawyer to lobby the legislature to pass a law outlawing EAB-- That sucks SCI sholud keep their big mouthes & pocketbooks out of it--For years hunters in Wisconsin have said with a loud voice that the game rules should be made by the experts(?) in DNR and not by the legislature- so as soon as they don't like something some turn to the politicians-and we have a great big, ugly, can of worms opened again.

[Altjaeger]

-For years hunters in Wisconsin have said with a loud voice that the game rules should be made by the experts(?) in DNR and not by the legislature- so as soon as they don't like something some turn to the politicians-and we have a great big, ugly, can of worms opened again.

Sounds like Pennsylvania, though possibly not a well organized.

[SeniorCoot]

I dunno abot Penn. but I do know they Hired a big bad bunch of lawyers--to speak for me and other deerr hunters- well they can shove it as far as I am concerned cause I do not want any low life lawyer repping me on any fish and game regulation issue.

[venado]

Senior Coot, who is the "SCI" that you refer to?

[SeniorCoot]

Morning Venado-- it's been a while-- sorry BUT SCI stands for Safari Club International--they may do a lot of thngs to help/promote hunting but in this case they never should have put their 2 cents in--IMHO and those of others I know here in Wisc.

[Bushman]

I went to the DNR hearing for my county a few weeks back and there really was not that much discussion about earn-a-buck which was a surprise. Just that week they put the one year moratorium on EAB and I think that took a lot of the fight out of the guys. One of the DNR guys got up and said EAB works and another guy from the audience said that it has worked so well that it has decimated the deer herd. Where I hunt we can shoot either a buck or doe or two does or one of each. That works well because I can hunt hard for a good buck the first part of the season and then take a meat deer if I can't find a buck that I want as all I want is one deer a year anyway.

[Whelen Nut]

I've been a strong supporter of the WDNR my entire life however, on this issue, it got exactly what it deserved--a much needed slap upside the head.

If those arrogant "expert" deer managers would have gotten out from behind their computers, spent some time in the field, or just listened to what hunters and wardens were telling them, they could have avoided getting the legislature involved.

Heads should roll but I doubt the Governor's own Mr. Franks will do anything except pass out raises

WN.

[GF.]

If the DNR honestly thought they had overestimated the need for herd reduction, they would've made the change without any 'help'.

When politics trumps the best available science, the organic matter's on a sho-nuf collision course with the ventilation system.

So now that our friends from SCI have managed to limit the deer harvest for reasons having nothing to do with science, I suppose it's only a matter of time 'til the PETAns manage to eliminate it entirely.....

[venado]

SeniorCoot, I was afraid you were going to say that was who the "SCI" was. I've belonged to SCI for many years and have never heard of them getting on that side of a discussion. Out of curiosity, do you happen to know how they were justifying their position??