November 24, 2021 at 11:22 a.m.
Deer season opener feast or famine in the Northwoods
Hunters report good deer movement
Deer season opener feast or famine in the Northwoods
Ron Drake of Rhinelander said he heard very few shots on opening day, leading him to believe there might only be a few bucks in the area. Understanding he had limited time to dedicate to the hunt, he said he decided to take a shot on a four-pointer.
"It was really slow today," Drake said. "Around 1 p.m. today I grunted a few times over a few minutes and later this deer popped out of the swamp. We haven't had a lot of movement on the camera and most of the buck have been small." With that in mind, he knew this may be his only shot at putting venison in the freezer this year. He brought his 243 to his shoulder with the buck at 20 yards and squeezed the trigger, dropping it quickly. He reported a good number of deer in the area, but with only a buck tag to fill, and hearing only four shots all day, he knew it may be a "now or never" hunting situation.
Whether hunters were on public land or private land, such as where Drake hunted, it seemed to be hit and miss for the opener, but hunters were still happy to get back to normal and take up old traditions that may have been put on hold during the pandemic.
Hunter numbers in the area were strong.
"Lake Tomahawk is crazy this morning," said Laurie Paugel, one of the Town of Lake Tomahawk committee members charged with decorating the town Christmas tree. She said hunters were out in full force, excited to bag that big buck. Eateries in Lake Tomahawk were crowded with blaze orange by noon, with many hunters saying they saw only squirrels and rabbits. Others said they passed on smaller bucks, knowing there were bigger ones in the area.
Carcass disposal options
In Rhinelander at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) service center, the carcass dumpster there indicated many hunters not only had good luck in bagging their deer, but had also opted for the disposal method set up by the DNR.
According to research, movement of deer, whether dead or alive, is known to be one way in which Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) can spread. With that in mind the DNR, and several hunting and conservation organizations have come together to create the "Adopt-a-Dumpster" program. With this program, specially lined dumpsters have been placed throughout the state, giving hunters an option for disposing their deer carcasses. Proper disposal of carcasses is said to be one way to help limit the spread of CWD.
In counties such as Oneida and Vilas, which have had reports of CWD in the wild as well as captive deer, the law limits movement of deer carcasses. If harvested deer are not brought to a licensed taxidermist or meat processor within 72 hours of being harvested, certain parts of the deer cannot be moved.
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 skull plates with no lymphoid or brain tissue attached
• Clean skull with no lymphoid or brain tissue attached
• Upper canine teeth
CWD testing
The DNR service center in Rhinelander also houses a CWD testing kiosk. This kiosk showed use on opening day as well. CWD, or chronic wasting disease, is an always-fatal brain disease affecting cervids such as white-tailed deer, elk and mule deer. With the disease spreading across the state, and deer in both the wild and captive populations testing positive in Oneida and Vilas Counties, Northwoods hunters are urged to have their deer tested.
While it has not been proven that eating a deer with CWD can pass that disease on to humans, or that there is a pathway for transmission in any way from deer to humans, the DNR and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have both warned against eating meat from a CWD-positive animal. Hunters who harvest a deer that tests positive for CWD will be issued another harvest tag, although wait times may be up to several days.
Hunters who are looking to have their deer tested for CWD have several options. There are self-service kiosks, such as the one at the Rhinelander DNR service center, and several Northwoods businesses also provide assistance with testing.
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.
Hunters who see a deer they believe to be sick, or who happen upon several dead deer, should contact the DNR. 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.
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 is 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.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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