Outdoors with Bob 12-18-09

gengberg December 22nd, 2009

Outdoors with Bob: Deer debate continues
Friday, 18 December 2009 15:00Whitetail hunting continues to make headlines around the state. After major concerns were expressed by hunters and legislators, the DNR withdrew, at least for the short-term, any thoughts of a 16-day season in 2010.
Muzzleloaders had some success, but the snow came a little late for the harvest to contribute any big numbers to the regular nine-day totals. The 16-inches of snow probably made those few hunters who were planning to get out during the December four-day antlerless season to think twice. According to Keith Warne of the DNR who has been under constant criticism because of low deer totals, “The December hunt adds a significant number of antlerless deer to the harvest after the regular season has been closed.”

I seriously doubt that “significant” will be in his late December update. Using the “Looking Back” column in the Times-Journal, it was interesting to see 9-day total from years back. In 1959, the estimated kill in Calumet County count was roughly 300. In 1984, the county saw a harvest of 1,312, while ten years ago in 1999 it was 1,565.

Even if there are no rules changes for 2010 to increase the harvest of antlerless deer, it will probably take two or three years to get back to 1980s numbers.

The Fond du Lac County guy who arrowed a monster buck back on Sept. 20th got some good news recently. Wayne Schumacher was informed by two teams of scorers that his 30-pointer was the largest non-typical shot with a bow in Wisconsin. It earned a record-breaking 243.75 inches. Schumacher plans to have replicas made of the antlers and sell them.

The fish kill on Lake Puckaway has been traced to a commercial fisherman from Ohio who the state had contracted to remove carp from the lake. Evidently, the contractor left the game fish, including walleyes in the ten pound range, too long in holding pens.

The DNR said it did not have any problems prior to this incident, and the contract called for removing 200,000 pounds of carp from the lake this year. The contract has been ended and the agency is exploring the possibility of charges being filed against the commercial fisherman.
Related concerns were expressed by many unhappy local anglers. One was whether or not the commercial fisherman should have loaded rough fish, including live carp, into tankers, to transport live fish out of VHS-positive waters?

Meanwhile, the threat of more invasives getting into Lake Michigan , specifically Asian carp, heated up. Even though fishery workers began to poison the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to stop the carp, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm asked her Atty. General to file a suit to close the canal.

The barge industry has acknowledged the problem, but operators were against even short term disruptions. If the canal were closed, millions of tons of freight would have to be shipped by rail and roads into the Chicago metro area.
Wisconsin DNR secretary Matt Frank said the state is considering “all options” to keep the fish out of the big pond. The various species can grow to a length of four-feet and they have voracious appetites.

There is some speculation that the invasives would not adapt well to Lake Michigan, but Frank doesn’t want to take a chance. With what they have done to other eco-systems, it would be wise to use any use any means possible to prevent their spread.
Unfortunately, unless an injunction is granted, this dispute could drag out and the fish could slip through the poison and electric barriers and raise havoc with the areas sport and commercial fisheries.

While the DNR is not very popular right now, things could get worse with the decline in department employee numbers. Since 1995, the number has declined from 3,114 to 2,746. An additional drop to 2,674 full-time equivalents is budgeted for 2010.

The agency currently has 300 vacant full-time positions, 77 of which are funded directly by license fees and federal tax programs.62 of these vacancies include 17 in fisheries management, 16 in law enforcement and five in wildlife management.

At a recent Conservation Congress Warm Water study committee meeting, Regional Warden Supervisor Byron Goetsch stated that there a presently 26 vacancies in the warden force. A recruit class is budgeted for 2010 but an actual number has not been determined. He added that anyone interested in applying for a warden position needs to have their application in by December 28th of this year.

PETA’s idea of getting into the Christmas spirit is having a former Playboy model strike a provocative pose for an ad that included a halo over her head and a strategically placed crucifix over her naked body. How people can contribute to PETA is beyond me!

Until next time, keep you hooks sharp, your feet warm and your powder dry!

Written By Bob Wilberscheid

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