March 15, 2019 at 4:33 p.m.
Vilas County CDAC proposes fewer doe tags in 2019
Public input is sought for a final vote on April 15Public input is sought for a final vote on April 15 Jacob Friede of the lakeland times The Vilas County Deer Advisory Committee held a meeting Tuesda
Vilas County CDAC proposes fewer doe tags in 2019
By Jacob Friede-
According to Department of Natural Resources statistics presented at the meeting, in 2018, 389 bucks and 212 does were harvested in Vilas County with a bow and arrow or crossbow; 1,037 bucks and 610 does were harvested with a gun.
Of those harvested deer, 956 were taken on public land, while 1,404 were taken on private land.
Vilas County is on a three-year plan to maintain the deer herd. The post hunt deer population in 2017 was estimated at 18,400. In 2018, the deer population after the year's hunt was estimated to be 17,500, so, according to CDAC chair Kurt Justice, the council is close to it's objective.
"We maintained the herd," Justice said. "Now I think the big question is now with all the snow we've had in February, how it's going to affect what is left of the herd and into next year. We look at this terrible big snow and a high severity index, we're expecting more deer to not survive the winter or the does to not have as many fawns."
Last year Vilas County offered 1,400 anterless tags - 400 on public land, where there was a 32.7 percent success rate, and a 1,000 on private land, where there was a 39.6 percent success rate.
According to DNR models. a severity index of 92 is expected this year, which is severe. Because of the severe winter, a 14-percent population decrease in the deer herd is expected. Therefore, last night the council voted to offer only 500 anterless tags in 2019, which at a 40-percent success rate would mean 200 anterless deer harvested.
This preliminary recommendation is now open for public input and feedback before a final recommendation is voted upon April 15.
Though the Vilas County CDAC is on a goal to maintain the deer population, they voted to offer these anterless tags last year to take pressure off the county's bucks.
"They wanted to see some sort of opportunity to harvest does and part of the reason is to take some of the pressure off the bucks," Justice said. "What I hear from the public is there is a lot of small little bucks. We're not seeing the quality of deer, and that takes years for those bucks to get there."
John Krause, a hunter and member of the public in attendance, said he would definitely like to see higher quality of deer than quantity.
"Fewer deer means bigger deer," Krause said. "I sit in my deer stand and I see packs of wood rats. I see 90-100 pound deer. That's the dominant size deer that I see around where I hunt. If I'm going to pay to get this deer butchered, if I'm going to take a day to butcher this deer, I want it to be worth my time and my money. A 90-pound deer is not worth my time."
Of the 500 tags the council voted to offer, 70 percent would go to private land hunters and 30 percent would go to public lander hunters.
The council also voted to continue the youth deer hunt and allow the youth to harvest anterless deer as a way to promote youth hunting, which Justice says is dropping.
"From running our youth banquet down in Minocqua, we're seeing a huge drop off in kids hunting and kids harvesting deer right now," he said. "We were seeing 230-240 kids come to our banquet. We went down to about 160, so we're not seeing the kids out there."
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was also discussed at the meeting and according to the DNR stats, in 2018, 1,646 deer were sampled in Vilas County, with no positive results.
Three wild deer were tested positive for CWD on the Oneida County-Lincoln County border.
The public is invited to analyze the deer metrics and offer feedback on the proposed deer quotas and the 500 anterless tags that the council has so far recommended.
For information, visit the DNR website at dnr.wi.gov. and keyword search CDAC.
A final vote on the deer quota and the amount of doe tags to be offered in 2019 will be on April 15 at the Conover Community Center in Conover.
Jacob Friede may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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