Can we talk about the rediculous WDNR?

4

440_chazz

Member
This really is frustrating and I don't understand it. For the past three years now it has snowed in early December to the point where trails could have been open. But the rediculous WDNR has these special hunts that run into December. Meanwhile the UP can open their trails on December 1st every year. I have known that for the 6 years I have been snowmobiling. The UP seems to have the right idea, November = hunt, December = snowmobile! I agree with Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker and wanting to fire WDNR deer experts. Decker says that hunters have been screwed over too many years in a row now. Snowmobilers have been screwed over too because we can't ride until December 15th. And I have witnessed it too many times, the snow is there in early December but goes away because of a warm up usually between Christmas and New Years when everyone is off of work. It never fails. As Skylar mentioned in a different thread, think about how many hunters will be in the woods this weekend with the cold temps to the amount of snowmobilers that would be in the woods if trails were open.

White-tailed Deer (non-CWD units and non-metro units)

•Bow - Sept. 12 - Nov. 19 and Nov. 30 - Jan. 3, 2010
•Gun - Nov. 21 - Nov. 29
•Muzzleloader - Nov. 30 - Dec. 9
•Youth Deer Hunt - Oct. 10 - 11
•Statewide Antlerless Hunt - Dec. 10 - Dec. 13
•Antlerless-only season in Herd Control units - October 15-18
 
B

bryan t

Banned
Your preachin to the choir...There is no snowmobiler in the state of wisconsin that isn't frustrated with the "DEER HUNTING CRAP"...I mean...have one season...I don't care if they have bonus tags up the giggy..but get rid of these Zone T hunts, antlerless hunts, and muzzleloader season...If you want to hunt with a muzzleloader..great...do it during the deer/gun season...How many people really hunt during muzzleloader season??? If there is early season snow....there is no doubt in my mind..snowmobilers would out number muzzlerloader hunters 3-1. I am not against hunting or hunters..just think they get too many options..and we snowmobilers get too few, during our short season.

The main problem with early season riding though..is that the majority of northern wisconsin trails cross water..and unless we have ice (which we currently don't have safe ice)...you can't get very far, unless you bang some ditches...wisconsin also wasn't smart enough to buy up all the railrode grades (like Michigan did)...they let the grades revert back to land owners, and quite a few of them..not all......closed them off to snowmobilers. If the state had bought those grades, and not let them revert back...we'd have trail access, without having to cross water in the early season. Michigan did it right..the railrode grades might be boring...but you can get just about anywhere in the Yoop without crossing water.
 
B

bryan t

Banned
and one more thing....Some of the so called "snowmobiling capitals",the small towns in northern wisconsin, that love taking our sledhead money..AREN"T ALL THAT SNOWMOBILE FRIENDLY....for example..why is tomahawk one of the only towns that you can ride your snowmobiles on city streets to get trail access or get to businesses??? You figure Eagle River, and Minocqua would allow the same thing..they sure love our money there...but just make one wrong turn and see how friendly the local cops are about sleds on roads..In fact the above listed towns, and the northern wisconsin counties should follow Houghton Counties lead..and allow sleds on the rightaway.

I remember a time..not to long ago..(the mid 1990s) when very few people snowmobiled in the Yoop...they had poorly marked trails ...they weren't groomed very well..and..it was a long way between stops..Boy have things changed..they mark and groom their trails much better...there are more stops, the trails open by december first, and they actually have snow...less and less people are riding in wisconsin...especially in the early season...only the wisconsin DNR can change that.
 
S

Skylar

Super Moderator
Staff member
As said before by many, the Wi dnr herd control dude/dudette/person/people etc etc, are a bunch of morons. And that is the bottom line.
 
M

mvedepo

Member
There should be 1 firearm hunt and 1 Bow hunt at the most.

Otherwise just 1 hunt and pick whatever you want to kill the thing with.
 
X

xcr440

Well-known member
I think your pointing the finger in the wrong direction on the deer thing. Call your insurance companies, they are the ones pushing all this deer hunting time. They don't want to pay for it. The DNR in WI just doesn't want to lose their support.
 
misty_pines

misty_pines

Member
Deer Seasons

Many deer hunters are also snowmobilers. As a bowhunter and a snowmobiler myself, I have no problems with the fall season dates (with the exception of the October anterless firearm hunts), but think that once the regular firearm season is over (11/29 this year), they should have no additional firearm hunting allowed and let the sleds ride. I do enjoy bowhunting in December, but snowmobilers don't have to worry about the bowhunters.
 
A

anonomoose

New member
You guys are missing the point here...

The WDNR as is the MDNR, are working hard to come up with revenue....that means cash....strapped as they are, the number of licenses have fallen off the table. No deer, boring hunts, poor economy...too many wolves and coyotes, uncle charlie...whacking deer in the off season...(opps...sorry uncle charlie) have all put a damper on the INCOME that these hunting activities produce.

These boys are hurting for funds and they are NOT about to give up specialized hunts for a few snowmobile stickers.

BTW, there is a muzzle loader season in both upper and lower in Michigan so if you see some guy out there with a gun as long as the Mackinaw bridge, give him some room, or he might decide to do some last minute target practice on a smoking target.
 
B

bergs

Member
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H

hemi_newman

Active member
i think they would sell more sled stickers than deer tags if they opened the trails on the 1st. We can still ride sleds in town here in a town in NW WI
 
D

dooski

New member
Yup Morons. Ins companies paying off politicos to sell out our hunting heritage and screwing up our very limited snow time.

When I saw the groomer running down the closed trails to freshen everything up I knew what club to join.

If you can't beat em Cheat em.
 
R

renegade

Active member
Wonder how much money the DNR has cost the state in the last 2 years when places had rideable snow and there were late season hunts we don't need. Especially this year. I would love to see some figures on this, then divide by the number of deer killed this weekend. Would be a very interesting stat. As ar as being able to ride in some towns and not others, the DNR informed the town in which I live, it is a requirement to have marked routes through town, and to put up no snowmobile signs in the parks. The town did not want to do any of this but the dnr forced the issue, so the town designated every street a atv/snowmobile route and does not enforce the no sleds in the park signs. Sure am glad I live in a town run by people with a head on their shoulders.
 
7

79_srx

New member
Most of Dane co is open,(south west is not due to corn)I was going to hunt this weekend just to get out and enjoy the new snow,But after walking in 17 in of knee deep snow--- i don't think so ! lets ride instead
 
uncle_ed

uncle_ed

Active member
I feel your pain. I want to be out sledding as much as the next guy but we do have to share the woods with those that hunt. As an avid hunter and snowmobiler I have to decide which I want to do at times but weather will sometimes dictate that for me. I would like to throw out a couple of things I found out there just as food for thought, not that it makes things any better.

The hunters had the woods long before snowmobiles were ever invented so they are sharing the woods with us

There are more open trail days than hunting days and you can bet that hunters want to have more open days too

there were 626,404 deer hunters for 2009 per wdnr
there were 222,854 registered snowmobiles for this season

hunter dollars are used for many things including buying state land for us all and for law enforcement which if it did not would cause trail permits to go up to cover those expenses

I am not trying to take sides just try and look at it from the other side sometimes. Hey look on the bright side the trails arent getting torn up before the base has a chance to set in nice and there will even be better snow when they do open!
My thumb is gettin ithchy too!!!!
 
W

whitedust

Well-known member
uncle ed :you have to think of Ma & Pa motels, dealers all snomo support getting $0 in Eagle River this weekend & other Vilas county towns. WI could tax that revenue & all would be rolling in the much needed dough. Seems a shame to waste this profitable weekend to me. DNR tabled extended extended 2010 deer hunt season due to the negative outcry. Deer population is down & most hunters see no value in extending the season to kill more deer with pops so low. Seems to me WI DNR has an agenda of their own & does not listen to the public. I live in Vilas & can tell you the herd is greatly reduced to the point I rarley see deer & 6 years ago I would have mutiple sightings per day. If the WI DNR wants herds at all time lows why don't they just say it? People in the woods know the truth no deer so why kill more? I don't get what WIDNR is doing or why makes no sense to me.
 
uncle_ed

uncle_ed

Active member
We hear that deer numbers are down in certain areas here in Michigan as well. I dont say I begin to understand the dnr philosophy on herd management but I know they have a tough job with new variables because of bovine and cwd. I am sure that the insurance company lobbists impact decisions as well. This whole "balancing act" of trying to make everybody happy is a hard line to walk for sure. I just feel that we as users of our natural resources should stick together so that we dont give fuel to those that want the outdoors left alone and undisturbed. We have a scary situation going on here in michigan as our governor has cut back and consolidated our government and depts to the point that hikers and those that ride horseback are going to have a voice in snowmobile trail issues. That is crazy!! I just want us to be able to ride our trails and do as we have been well into the future.
 
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