'Herd Control Unit' designation replaces 'Zone T'
in 2006 and future regulations
MADISON – Hunters reading the deer hunting regulations for the upcoming 2006 season will find at least one new term in use. Department of Natural Resources wildlife managers are now using "Herd Control Units" in place of Zone T to describe deer management units (DMUs) with special hunting regulations intended to reduce deer populations.

"'Herd control' more accurately describes the management objective in these deer management units," said Keith Warnke, chief DNR deer ecologist. "I think it's a positive move toward consistency and clearer communications."

In the past, Zone T was used to identify DMUs where biologists determined that a traditional hunting season would not bring the unit to within 20 percent of its population goal. From this season on, these will be designated as Herd Control units.

To give hunters the tools to help bring overpopulated units toward goal, each archery and gun deer hunting license purchased in 2006 will come with one free antlerless carcass tag good in Herd Control and Earn-a-Buck (EAB) units. Additional antlerless tags will be available for Herd Control and EAB units over-the-counter for $2 each.

Those DMUs that are neither Herd Control nor EAB will have limited numbers of unit-specific antlerless carcass tags available for $12 each that can be used during the regular nine-day hunting season. With creation of the Herd Control designation and the reduced cost antlerless tags, there is no more Hunter's Choice program.

"Inexpensive antlerless tags were something hunters told us they needed to help increase harvest in overpopulated Deer Management Units," says Warnke. "We've made the change and now it's up to hunters to make use of them."

Outside of the CWD management zones, 54 of Wisconsin's 130 DMUs are designated as Herd Control and 21 DMUs are in Earn-a-Buck in 2006.

This will also be the first year that hunters will be able to use their Earn-a-Buck prequalification, Warnke says. Hunters who registered an antlerless deer last fall in a unit designated as Earn-a-Buck this year will be receiving their buck harvest authorization in the mail later in the summer. The prequalification program is in place again this season.

"The 70,000 hunters who took advantage of prequalification last year will hit the woods with a buck authorization in their pocket," says Warnke. "If you have pre-qualified for Earn-a-Buck, you won't have to pass up a buck this fall.

Warnke says wildlife managers also want hunters to keep in mind the numbers 2 and 1, as in harvesting two antlerless deer for every buck.

"That's what it will take to bring deer herds into line with populations goals," Warnke said.
"It's highly likely that we'll recommend some units for EAB in 2007 and later this summer we expect to have a 'EAB watch list' ready which we'll share with hunters. These are units that could be in EAB in 2007. The number of units on future lists can be reduced by keeping in mind the need for the 2 to 1 harvest ratio and anytime there's an opportunity to harvest an antlerless deer in a herd control or EAB unit, take it."

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke - (608) 264-6023

Archery deer hunters to begin receiving third deer harvest tag in mail
MADISON – Archery deer hunters who purchased a 2006 Wisconsin archery deer hunting or conservation patron license earlier this year will be receiving an extra antlerless deer carcass tag in the mail in the coming weeks.

"Archery deer hunting licenses purchased prior to final approval of the 2006 deer season hunting rules came with two carcass tags," said Diane Brookbank, director of the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Customer Service and Licensing. "The final rules authorized three carcass tags so we're sending out a special mailing with a third tag to those early license buyers."

2006 licenses went on sale March 10, before season rules were finalized, and originally contained two tags: one either sex tag (good statewide except in Earn-a-Buck units, where an antlerless deer must first be tagged by the same person to make the either sex tag valid for a buck) and one additional antlerless tag that could be used in herd control and Earn-a-Buck deer management units. The final rules added the third extra antlerless archery deer tag to the archery license that is valid for tagging an antlerless deer harvested in any deer management unit in the state outside of the chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zones during an open archery season. It also can be used as an either sex carcass tag in any CWD zone.

The license issuance system has since been updated, so hunters who purchase archery deer hunting license will automatically be issued three tags at the time of the purchase.

"Tags will be mailed in batches over the next few weeks," said Brookbank. "They'll come directly from the DNR. Sales agents will not have access to the tags. Everyone who is due a tag should have it by July 10."

The tags will be mailed to the address provided by the hunter that is on file in his or her DNR customer record. If hunters do not receive their tag by July 10, they should contact the DNR call center at 1-800-282-0367.

"This fall's hunting framework is what hunters have told us they wanted," says Keith Warnke, DNR deer and bear ecologist. "There is no October gun deer hunting outside of CWD units with the exception of the youth hunt on Oct. 7 and 8. Hunters have told us that they can shoot enough antlerless deer during the regular gun season, muzzleloader season and a four-day statewide December antlerless-only gun hunt to manage deer populations. To do that, they'll have to harvest two antlerless deer for every buck."

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke (608) 264-6023 and Brad Koele (608) 261-7589
Back to Top

Hunters should check Earn-a-Buck authorization online
MADISON – Deer hunters who believe they have pre-qualified for a buck harvest sticker in 2006 Earn-a-Buck deer management units by registering an antlerless deer from that unit last fall are now able to double check their status over the Internet.

Hunters will need to have their Department of Natural Resources customer identification number handy when they go online to the deer hunting page of the DNR Web site and click on the link for "EAB Pre-qualification Status" to follow the instructions to check on their authorization.

"This fall there will be 21 units with Earn-a-Buck (EAB) requirements in place," says Keith Warnke, DNR deer and bear ecologist. "Hunters were advised last fall that if they shot an antlerless deer in a unit that became EAB in 2006, they would receive a pre-authorization for a buck in 2006. Roughly 75,000 hunters took advantage of that opportunity and will hit the woods this fall with a buck authorization in their pocket."

Buck authorizations for those who pre-qualified will be mailed in early September – close to the start of bow hunting. Hunters are cautioned not to lose the buck authorization sticker once they receive it.

"There is no way we can replace that sticker if its lost," Warnke said.
By the same token, hunters are encouraged to make sure the address DNR has associated with their customer identification number is correct. This address is where the buck authorizations will be mailed.

"It's especially important to make sure the address we have on record is correct," says Warnke. "This is how we will get the buck authorization to you.

"Hunters who believe they have pre-qualified but do not find a buck authorization associated with their customer identification number should contact us via email directly from the Web page.

"If you believe you are pre-qualified and you don't show up in the database, please use the Web site to contact us. Press the 'enter my info' button and enter everything you can remember about the deer you killed. This is the only method we have to correct errors."

People who don't have access to the Internet either at home or at a local library or through a friend, can contact a customer service representative at a DNR service center who will look up the information.

Hunters registered more than 460,000 deer last year, including more than 85,000 antlerless deer from DMUs that are under EAB requirements in 2006.

"We are aware that there may be errors in the pre-qualification database," Warnke said. "When you are dealing with more than 460,000 deer registration stubs, errors crop up. We wanted to start this process early, well before the hunting seasons begin, so that if there are problems we have time to correct them."

Wildlife officials stress that one of the simplest and easiest safeguards for avoiding data entry errors is for hunters to be very careful in filling out their registration stubs.

EAB pre-qualification will be in place again for 2006 in all DMUs that are EAB this year and in some DMUs that will be identified later this summer as EAB watch units.

"EAB pre-qualification is just one piece of the herd control tool that hunters asked for in 2006," said Warnke. "Other changes for this season intended to help reduce the deer population include an unlimited supply of $2 antlerless deer tags for herd control units and a statewide four-day antlerless deer hunt Dec. 7 to 10.

"Every hunter and every hunting group should set a goal of harvesting two antlerless deer for every buck harvested throughout the season…that's what it will take to put the brakes on herd growth."

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke (608) 264-6023 and Brad Koele (608) 261-7589

June 21, 2006 Update!

Hunter's Choice permits discontinued
MADISON – The Hunters' Choice permit, which allowed deer hunters to harvest a deer of either sex with their regular buck deer tag, has been discontinued as deer managers move toward more simplified deer tagging options designed to reduce confusion and increase the harvest of antlerless deer. Applications for hunting deer in state parks will go on sale at noon Aug 26.

The Hunter's Choice program had been part of Wisconsin deer hunting seasons since 1980 when it replaced the party permit. Applicants could enter a drawing for a Hunters' Choice permit for a specific deer management unit. If successful, the hunter could shoot an antlerless deer with a regular gun deer license. The regular license is normally good for a buck deer only in regular deer management units (DMUs).

Deer populations are estimated to be above population goals in much of the state and wildlife managers and hunting groups recognized the need to increase the harvest of antlerless deer. Ideally, wildlife managers would like to see two antlerless deer harvested for every buck in most DMUs.

"Hunters' Choice was not a permit for taking additional deer," said Brad Koele, assistant big game biologist with the Department of Natural Resources. "A Hunter's Choice permit gave hunters the option of using their regular gun deer carcass tag to tag a buck or doe."

Instead of applying for a Hunter's Choice permit, hunters will be able to buy additional antlerless deer carcass tags over-the-counter for $12 in regular deer management units. Regular units are those that are not designated as either herd control or earn-a-buck in 2006. Maps identifying unit designations are available over the Internet and at DNR Service Centers and at most license vendor locations. Regular units will have a set number of the antlerless tags available.

Herd control and earn-a-buck units will have an unlimited number of $2 over-the-counter tags available to encourage harvest of antlerless deer. Herd control units are those where biologists have determined that a normal hunting season will not bring deer populations to within 20 percent of the unit's population goal. Earn-a-buck (EAB) units are those that remain more than 20 percent over goal following two consecutive herd control hunting seasons. In EAB units, hunters must first harvest an antlerless deer before they can harvest a buck.

"Hunting groups we talked to indicated that access to inexpensive and plentiful antlerless deer tags would be a better way of encouraging hunters to harvest more antlerless deer. Now it's up to hunters to take on the responsibility of putting hunting pressure on the antlerless component of the deer herd," Koele said.

State Park Hunting permit sales start Aug. 26 at noon
State Park DMUs 23A, 52A, 57D, 61A, 69C, 72A, 73A, 77D, 77E, and 80C allow deer hunting during one or more deer hunting seasons including the archery, gun and muzzleloader seasons. The number of hunters allowed in these state parks is limited.

In the past, hunters applied for access to hunt in one of these state parks through the Hunters' Choice program. Now, hunters must purchase a $3 access permit online or at any DNR license sales location (same cost as the old hunters' choice permit) for the park of their choice. Permits will go on sale Aug. 26 at noon first-come, first-served, until they are all sold.

Hunters are eligible for one access permit per park but may apply for multiple parks and will also need the proper hunting license for whatever season(s) the park allows hunting. Hunters who purchase a park access permit should contact the park in advance of the hunting season for additional information, maps and instructions on hunting in the park.

"This is a very important year for deer hunters," said Koele. "There are a number of new things going on that are different than in the past – things hunters asked for. This will be the first year of a trial moratorium on October gun deer hunting. We also have a trial four-day statewide antlerless deer hunt in December that will be very important in reducing herd size. If season-long antlerless harvest numbers are weak, the October gun hunt will come back.

"And, this will be the second season where hunters can prequalify for Earn-a-Buck by registering an antlerless deer this year in units that are expected to be in earn-a-buck next year. We had 75,000 hunters take advantage of this program last year – they'll be able to harvest the first deer they see this fall either buck or doe."

Keith Warnke