November 18, 2021 at 2:18 p.m.
Deer season 2021 looks promising for hunters
Deer season 2021 looks promising for hunters
The milder winter means deer came through the winter healthier and fawn production is expected to be strong. This should mean, comparatively, more deer in the woods.
Acorn production this year is expected to be spotty, and those who did more early season scouting may have a better chance of finding deer who move from less productive locations.
According to the DNR outlook, there are still many areas that were affected by severe storms in 2019 that will have trees down or that can still be dangerous. Hunters should take caution in the woods in those areas, but deer movement, too, may be affected by those tree falls.
Travis Strasburg from Strasburg's North Country Taxidermy said the bow season has started off very strong so far this year. Since crossbow season, he said, things have changed a lot.
"Crossbow season is more like gun season," he said. His shop has been very busy taking in deer for mounting during the first weeks of November. He expects the gun season to be a good one and said deer have been running more with more people in the woods this year. Strasburg will also help hunters with chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing.
CWD testing
Chronic wasting disease is an always fatal brain disease affecting cervids such as elk, white-tailed deer and mule deer. The disease is caused by a prion, which is a misshaped protein. The disease effects the lymph system, including the brain. It "wastes" away the brain, leaving sponge-like holes in brain material.
Deer who are sick will display reduced fear of humans, may look skinny or emaciated, and have an increased thirst. In general they will appear sick and weak. They may exhibit excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, walking in set patterns or even an inability to stand. Not all deer with CWD will exhibit symptoms, however.
Deer can carry the disease for up to 18 months without showing clinical signs of sickness. For this reason it is important that hunters have their deer tested. While there is no current evidence pointing to the disease's ability to move from species to species, or for infected deer to infect humans, the Department of Natural Resources, The Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health Services recommend not eating meat from an infected animal. It should also be pointed out that, for prion diseases that do affect humans, there is no treatment. It is unclear whether there would be a treatment for CWD if it should ever be found in humans.
Hunters across the state are urged to have their deer tested, with special emphasis on deer in certain geographic locations. Each year there is a rotating district that is of special interest in the way of CWD testing. This year that is the northeastern part of the state, which includes 13 counties. While that does not affect Northwoods counties, there is still ongoing surveillance in an area in southern Oneida, northern Lincoln and the northwestern corner of Langlade County. A deer was harvested from the wild herd near the Wisconsin River that ultimately tested positive for the disease. There is another area in northwester Oneida County, which also involved a small piece of southwestern Vilas County and a small portion of easter Forest County. This is due to multiple findings of CWD in captive deer near Three Lakes.
The more deer that are able to be tested, according to the DNR, the better handle the department will be able to get on how and where the disease is spreading. For that reason, hunters are asked to continue to have their deer sampled.
Sampling locations in the Northwoods include:
• The DNR Service Station in Rhinelander
• Lake Tomahawk Meat Market
• Strasburg's North Country Taxidermy
• TJ's Butcher Block
• The DNR Service Station in Woodruff
• Prime Choice Meat Market
• The Eagle River Ranger's Station
• The Three Lakes Shell Station
Full instructions on how a hunter can prepare their own deer for sampling can be found on the DNR website. dnr.wi.gov
Carcass disposal
Movement of deer, whether dead or alive, is known to be a key pathway in the spread of CWD. Moving a carcass the hunter has the potential to move the disease great distances as hunters head home from deer camp or another hunting location. Deer should be brought to a licensed taxidermist or permitted meat processor within 72 hours. If this is not the case, there are only certain parts of the deer that may be moved beyond that county or the adjacent county. These are the same parts that are allowed into Wisconsin from other states known to have CWD.
Those parts include:
• Meat that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately)
• Quarters or other portions of meat to which no part of the spinal column is attached
• Meat that has been deboned
• Hides with no heads attached
• Finished taxidermy heads
• Antlers with no tissue attached
• Clean skill plates with no lymphoid or brain tissue attached
• Clean skull with no lymphoid or brain tissue attached
• Upper canine teeth
When possible, carcasses should be buried, disposed of in a landfill accepting deer carcasses or, if harvested on private land, returned to the location of the harvest. The Eagle River Highway G Sanitary Landfill is the only landfill in the Northwoods listed as accepting deer carcasses on the DNR website.
Baiting and feeding
There are no baiting and feeding bans set to expire this year on the Northwoods. By state statute, when a deer tests positive for chronic wasting disease, the county in which the deer was harvested or found dead will be under a feeding and baiting ban for three years. Any county within a 10-mile radius of where the deer was killed is will be under a feeding and baiting ban for two years. The "clock" effectively resets with each subsequent positive finding. Currently the feeding and baiting of deer is banned in 57 of the state's 72 counties.
Recent studies have indicated that chronic wasting disease can be transmitted by the saliva, urine and feces of infected deer. The legislature enacted this feeding and baiting ban to help to limit unnatural concentrations of deer in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease.
A social media post from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently resurfaced from 2017, giving many the idea that the feeding and baiting ban had been lifted in 15 counties. This was old information, however, and from that list only three counties were not under a feeding and baiting ban. Hunters should be aware of the regulation in the county in which they plan to hunt.
Tree stand safety
Hunters using elevated deer stands should keep safety in mind when placing the stand as well as when getting into and out of the stand. A recent DNR press release cautioned hunters against putting a stand on ash trees. With emerald ash borer finding its way to many locations in the state, trees may be weakened and may unexpectedly snap or drop large branches.
"Dead and dying ash trees are structurally weaker than healthy trees, so they are not safe places to put deer stands," said Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist. "At this time of year, it can be hard to tell if a tree has been infested by emerald ash borer, so hunters should place deer stands in other types of trees instead."
The DNR also reminded hunters of the safety rules in another press release.
No matter what type of stand you use, the basic rules apply to all of them.
• Always wear a full-body harness also known as a fall-arrest system. Connect to your tether line and keep your tether line short. The tether is designed to keep you in the seat, not to catch you after you fall.
• Always have three points of contact while climbing into and out of the treestand: This means two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand at all times.
• Always use a haul line to raise and lower your unloaded firearm or bow into and out of the stand. You can also use the haul for other things like a heavy backpack.
• Use a lifeline when climbing up and down, this keeps you connected from the time you leave the ground to the time you get back down.
• Be sure to let a loved one know where you are hunting and when you intend to return
• Carry a cell phone so you can all for help if you are injured a fall.
Registration
Hunters should remember to register their deer by 5 p.m. the day following the day of harvest. Registration can be done through GameReg online or through the GoWild system. Hunters should have their harvest authorization number available before attempting to register a deer.
Hunters may also opt to phone-in their registration. The number at which to do so it 1-844-426-3734.
Alternatively, electronic registration may also be completed at several in-person registration sites. In Oneida County those include: Lake Tomahawk Meat Market, Strasburg's North Country Taxidermy, the Woodruff DNR Service Center, the Rhinelander DNR Service Center, Three Lakes Shell Station, Three Lakes Convenience Store, J&J Sports, Moran's Landing on Swamp Lake and the Lake Tomahawk BP gas station. Several of these sites will also help with CWD testing. Hunters should call ahead to determine which services are available at which locations.
Finding ammo
Hunters are likely well aware that finding ammunition is still an ongoing issue. Many hunters have gone to changing calibers of guns and some have even moved to muzzleloaders as they have been unable to locate the proper caliber ammunition for their weapons.
Chuck Dicka of Hunter's Headquarters said supply chains have still not healed from the pandemic, when many of them were severed completely. While ammunition manufacturers are making ammo, they have still been unable to keep up with demand. The reason for this is three-fold, at least.
First, there has been a large uptick in gun ownership. New gun owners have come on the scene in large numbers. Current gun owners, in light of recent civil unrest and an overall feeling of angst about the country in general by some, have driven up weapon sales as well. With the increase in weapon sales comes and increase in ammunition sales.
Next, the pandemic forced many businesses to close. Even while ammunition manufacturers were open, without supply chains flowing as normal, making ammunition was difficult at best.
Third, the industry as a whole is not stranger to the talent search. As many other industries struggle with finding employees, so does the ammunition industry.
Dicka said he has been told by suppliers the situation may not look any better until the middle of next year. He recommends hunters call around to see who may have their ammo. For those traveling from down south, it may be worth a stop or two on the way to the Northwoods to see if other suppliers have the caliber or gauge a hunter needs.
"I tell people to call around," Dicka said this week. "Just call around and see who might have what you need. Stores like Fleet Farm and even Walmart, that are bigger might have something a smaller store won't."
Planning ahead seems to have helped some hunters. Picking up ammunition when and where it has been available has been key to ensuring enough fire power to not only sight in a deer rifle, but to make it through the upcoming nine day gun deer season.
Reporting sick deer
If a hunter sees a sick deer or come across multiple dead deer, it should be reported to the DNR as soon as possible. This can be done by calling 1-888-WDNRINFO (1-888-936-7463) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily or by contacting the county DNR biologist.
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