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| Hunting is beginning to impact some Hoofer activities. Already there has been one special weekend of deer hunting, and there will be more. Some of you asked how you can know what is happening outdoors for the rest of the year. Here is a link to the DNR website page where you can look up hunting seasons when you are planning your outdoor activities. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/ The website is complex, but for most of us, the most important season is the white-tailed deer season. As "gun-deer season" draws the greatest number of hunters, it is the most dangerous time for us to be in the woods. Dates will vary around the state, depending on whether or not an area is included in the CWD* eradication zone. |
Much of southern and central southern WI is in the CWD eradication zone, including places hunting is not normally allowed (i.e., Nature Conservancy properties, state parks). There is a special map for the deer season at this link:
The map includes a lot of information, but look at where you want to go and see if it is labelled "CWD". Before you plan hiking/camping/backpacking/river trips from mid-November through New Year's holiday, you should consult the DNR sites so that you know where you may encounter hunters. Then you can wear appropriate bright orange clothing, or find somewhere else to go, or something else to do.
Finally, realize that there are too many deer out there and the hunters are doing all of us a service and protecting the land by culling the herd.
Connie
* CWD for the uninitiated is "chronic wasting disease" of deer and elk, which is contagious and the DNR is trying to kill all the deer in areas of the state where the disease has been detected in animals. Thus, they have especially long hunting seasons in these areas and hunters can hunt deer in places where they are not normally allowed.
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