Sen. Leibham wants to improve the deer hunt in Wisconsin
By Senator Joe Leibham December 2, 2009
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently released preliminary results for the 2009 firearm deer-hunting season. According to the DNR, 195,647 deer were harvested during the nine-day gun season. During the 2008 season, hunters harvested 276,895 deer. This represents an almost 30-percent reduction in the number of deer kills reported by hunters. An analysis of the deer hunt broken down by county can be accessed on the following Web page: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/news/pdf/2009_9 _day_table.pdf.
Over the past number of months, I have been contacted by many area fellow hunters and residents who are very concerned with the DNR’s current management of the deer herd in Wisconsin. Concerns range from over-estimation of the statewide herd population to questions about the effectiveness of the Earn-ABuck program.
Based on these concerns, I have been working with a number of my legislative colleagues to force the DNR to revise their deer herd management practices. While we are making progress, we must stay vigilant in our effort.
Later this month, the Natural Resources Board (NRB) will be taking final action on their proposed changes for the structure of the 2010 hunting season. Following action by the DNR Board, the Legislature will have the chance to review the plan and possibly advocate for changes. As a member of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, I look forward to having a specific role in this review process.
The Senate Committee on Natural Resources will also be holding a joint hearing with the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources on Dec. 17 to review the results of the 2009 deer season and discuss deer population estimates for 2010.
If you are or have been a deer hunter in Wisconsin, I would like to hear from you. While I am a hunter, my experiences are limited. You can provide valuable insight to me as I review the proposed changes and make recommendations to improve deer hunting in Wisconsin. This is an important task and we must make some productive and positive changes for the health of our deer herd and for the good of the sport.
As always, it has been a pleasure communicating with you. Please remember to communicate with me and share your input by calling (888) 295-8750, writing to me at P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882, or by e-mailing me at Sen.Leibham@legis.wi.gov. You can also log on to the 9th Senate District on-line office at www.leibhamsenate.com.
It is an honor representing the residents of the 9th District in the State Senate.
