November 20, 2015 at 2:22 p.m.
Electronic registration for the 2015 deer hunt
Electronic registration for the 2015 deer hunt
By Beckie Joki-
This program was tested last year with approximately 14,000 hunters, or 200 per county, given the opportunity to e-register their deer. Approximately 10,000 deer were registered electronically in that pilot program. From there the system was fine-tuned and rolled out to the entire state this year. Part of the impetus behind this change was to collect data more efficiently and to have a faster turnaround to provide those numbers to the public and to use for future deer management strategies.
The DNR also stated that it will take a random sampling and do in-person visits to gauge the accuracy of the data. The Minnesota DNR, which has been using an electronic registration system, since 2010, stated that no noticeable differences in accuracy or reporting have been identified. They stated that last year 41 percent of their hunters used the Internet to register deer, 30 percent called in via phone, and 29 percent still went to their walk-in locations to register their deer. It remains to be seen how those percentages will translate over to Wisconsin.
Gone are the metal tags signaling that a deer has been registered. Instead, the hunter will receive a confirmation number that must be written on the carcass tag. The deer will not be considered registered until the number is written on the tag. This will take the place of the old metal tags.
A deer must be registered by 5 p.m. the day after it was harvested. This rule applies to all deer hunting seasons in 2015, including the gun-deer season. Hunters can call 1-888-GAME-REG to register their deer, or can go online to gamereg.wi.gov to register via computer or smart phone. Hunters who have the Wisconsin Pocket Ranger app on their smartphone or mobile device can also register through the app. The app will also give hunters a searchable list of registration stations in their area.
The questions asked at registration are fairly simple and straightforward. First the hunter will be asked for their DNR customer ID, so hunters should be sure to have that handy, even if they are not with their deer at the time they are registering it. Other questions will include the deer's sex, the county and deer management unit in which the deer was harvested, and the date of harvest. Hunters can leave their deer at deer camp and drive to town for Internet access or better cellphone reception, for instance, and register their deer. The DNR stated that the confirmation number should be written on the carcass tag as soon as the hunter gets back to deer camp, however, and reminded that the deer is not considered registered until that number is on the tag. A ballpoint pen or permanent marker will work best and should not rub off of the carcass tag during transport.
One big difference, according to the DNR, is that any business can be an "in-person" registration station under this new system. The business can simply call the DNR to let them know they will be offering either a computer with Internet access or a phone to hunters who wish to register a deer. According to the DNR website, "Local businesses have always been a cornerstone of the hunting experience and are encouraged to continue offering registration service." The DNR will post on its website every business that decides to offer this service to hunters. While, in theory, it would seem to open up many businesses such as bars and restaurants to having buck contests and things of that nature and generating traffic for their business by having hunters stop in to register, so far that idea has not caught on in Oneida County.
The registration stations in this area, as listed on the DNR website, are County Line Station in Minocqua, Morgan's Landing on Swamp Lake Road in Tomahawk, and J & J Sports in Lake Tomahawk. If more businesses choose to participate, and inform the DNR of their participation, those businesses will be listed on the DNR website as well.
Beckie Joki may be reached at [email protected].
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