deer

Sunrise on the Oklahoma Red River

November 25, 2018 by Charlie 10 Comments

The following is the account written by First Bubba detailing his effort to get a “cull buck” who earlier visited his trail camera.

Photo of First Bubba’s cull buck “My trail cam has revealed an older, heavy antlered buck that needs to be culled.”

First Bubba mentioned this buck in his comment on my deer post “My trail cam has revealed an older, heavy antlered buck that needs to be culled.”

Of course, I wished him luck with his cull operation. And here is what happens during First Bubba’s attempt at culling the big 10.

The sun is creeping up to the horizon on Red River of Oklahoma. A gorgeous morning!  Dead still, not a cloud in the sky and 30°F.  I took a 5-minute wait at the STOP sign on the highway to finally get my frosted windshield clear enough to continue.

I’m humming a tune, dreaming about the thermos of hot, black coffee and the biscuits in my pack. When I get settled into the blind and got the coffee and biscuits out, the eastern horizon is beginning its morning blush.  The food plot is dark, but I can see well enough to tell no deer are present.

The coffee and biscuits taste like heaven in the chilly gloom.  About 6:45a the biscuit is gone and the slow sipping of the coffee satisfies.

I glass the wheat pasture for movement… Nothing.

I go back to sipping the now cooling coffee… Glass again. Still nothing…Back to the coffee.
Just as I set the thermos down, the motion of a deer jumping the fence gets my attention.  I’m hoping for the big 10 point that’s on my trail camera; IT’S HIM!

7:00 AM Ruger No.1 .270 WinRedfield 4× standard
Sierra 110 grain SP
I forgot! 18.5″ outside spread.

I’m on the .270 and watching him through the scope, waiting, impatiently for him to give me a broadside.
He picks at the oats and slowly turns to offer his right shoulder…I slip the safety off, find the trigger and squeeze. He collapsed in his tracks! I never feel the recoil.

My scale only went to 160 pounds – He bottomed it out!  Field dressed, he weighed 135 pounds.
Nine points.

The Euro Mount

OOPS! Wrong buck, good luck getting the “right cull buck” next year Bubba. Or, what the heck, just keep shooting nine pointers!

Congratulations on a very nice deer.

Hunting Deer From the Ground in Wisconsin

November 6, 2018 by Charlie 6 Comments

The pungent smell of a buck drifted down on the morning thermals right when an urge to stretch crawled through my muscles. The yearn to stretch was mentally pushed aside, on a windless morning like this the smell of a deer this strong leaves me with no doubt a buck is close, very close. A glance at the winding string tied to my bow tip indicates the deer is uphill behind me 45 degrees to my right. Deer just like turkeys seem to always approach on my weak side. Many years of turkey hunting has taught me how to hide on the ground in plain sight and at moments like this, a hunter must be quiet and motionless. Everything in the woods has slowed to the speed of a molasses flow. My eyes have moved as far to the right side of my head as possible and strain to push further, there is no sound of a moving deer perhaps my nose mistook the odor. I slowly inhale, nope, there is no mistake a rutting buck is not far away. With a smell like that my bet is he is an elder carefully checking the safety of his next steps. My eyes shift to confirm the thermal’s direction. According to the frayed dental floss tied on my bow tip still shows the path of scent movement is in my favor.

Last week while sitting in a Gobbler Lounger a doe unexpectedly showed up standing right in front of me at ten yards. She busted me, stomped her foot, snorted and bounded away. After a few minutes, I bleated in the manner Ishi once upon a time would do to call deer for Pope and Young. After a short period of time, she came back, stopped at fifteen yards and bolted when my arrow passed through her engine room. I found her laying peacefully within forty yards of my shot.

Knowing that the buck uphill behind me could move off unseen in any number of directions, I decided to make the Ishi call. In this case, I did not dare touch the heel of hand to my lips. Instead, I pressed my lips tightly together as when I kee-kee on a wing bone. As I sucked air in through my lips, the desired soft bleat sounded. It worked, the buck begins quartering down the hill passing 6 feet to my right and continued angling down the slope toward the trail I had figured deer would walk along broadside past me.

Keeping an eye on the buck and the winding string on my bow I could anticipate the exact spot where the buck’s nose would intersect my scent line, much experience has taught me if there is going to be a fatal shot it must occur before that intersection. When his head went behind a tree I raised my bow, he never noticed and when his front leg extended out for his next step my arrow hit in the pocket with a hair cutting blood spraying thump. The surprised buck launched, scrambling/crashing away, all went quiet, after the saga of the buck trail last year I decided to wait 30 minutes before standing up to check anything out. Even though my broadhead was robust, sharp and the shot was good. Checked the time, 9:00 A, at 9:10A there was loud sounds of a falling deer sliding down a steep hill being cheered on by some startled squirrels. Not sure who made more noise the buck or the squirrels, this little puzzle kept me occupied for the next twenty minutes or so. Then that long-awaited stretch as I stood up felt so good.

After a rough slide down to the bottom, he lays with head resting on a rock.

Sure I had heard the buck drop I contained the urge to make haste to the place of that sound; it is always best to move with purpose along the trail without taking any shortcuts until you see the deer laying dead. At the point of the shot, there was lots of cut deer hair and foamy pink blood, but the amount of blood leading out from there was less than I like to see. However, with the large divets kicked up through the fallen leaves, there was no doubt which way the buck went. I advanced on high alert watching the trail well ahead for my deer after moving forty yards the edge of the deepest ravine on the property came into view, and few feet from the drop was a huge puddle of blood as if someone had just dumped it from a pail. Best of all 150 yards almost straight down, at the bottom of the ravine lay my buck.

The Ten Minute Buck Leads Us to Next Day

January 6, 2018 by Charlie 10 Comments

Hunt date October 24, 2017

The buck stood just a mere 15 yards with one back leg lifted as if a dog on point. The setting sun’s glare was blinding as I settled into the stand, so I turned my back to it while waiting for its further descent to the horizon. The view on the other side of this short ladder-stand can be just as productive. Figures, just like turkeys, deer like to appear on your backside.

The first assumption is the buck has busted me in this seven-foot stand. However, buck’s eyes are focusing on something at ground level and not at my position. Apparently, this buck has come to find out what made the walking noise. Whenever approaching a deer stand, it is best to walk in like a deer, the noises made must be natural sounding within the cadence of the deer’s world. In this case, instead of thinking a hunter had moved in this beautiful buck came to investigate a potential doe.

The temptation is to count points while waiting for a good shot; longtime experience has taught me not to do this, stop the one, two, three… immediately and focus on the task at hand. This evening’s thermal current is gently cascading downhill from the buck to me; there is plenty of time.

When deer are in close moments must be slowly deliberate so that they don’t catch the deer’s attention by sight or sound, including neurological background noise. Like the hands of a clock, my lower torso shifts to align the bow when its time comes to rise. The front angle of the deer is too sharp for a shot; he needs to move down about eight feet for an arrow to hit the pocket behind the left shoulder and exit before the last rib on the opposite side.

Time seems to have stopped, I’m not sure if 54 years of deer hunting have numbed my excitement or if more concerning, shooting a buck no longer causes the fever. Sadly, I feel no excitement, only intense concentration to not screw this up because no matter the experience level, things can go wrong in a hurry.

The multipoint buck sniffs the thermals one more time before moving on the downhill trail, almost broadside he comes to a stop with his front shoulder extended forward. Perfect, the arrow is released. My buck bounds angle straight away uphill, stops, his antlers are above the brush then disappear while the sapling he was standing by vibrates as if life is leaving the deer or he is making a rub. It is time to wait at least a half hour; I give it 40 minutes even though my arrow is blood-soaked. Slowly descend to the ground, all senses alert. Upon inspection, the blood on the arrow has bubbled up and down the shaft, indicate substantial lung penetration. There’s chest color hair on the ground and a good blood trail to follow. However, this deer should not have gone up any hill, which always makes me suspicious that things are not as they first appear.

It takes me at least 15 minutes to move 50 yards towards a dead buck, the sound of a deer bounding downhill freezes me, and more deer sound like they are walking away side-hilling. More time passes, the sun is low, and light is fading fast as I reach the sapling. At the base of this little tree, an empty blood-soaked deer bed. Wait some more even though a substantial blood trail beckons me to follow.

Apparently a mortal hit. Air bubbles in the blood pool indicate lungs are pierced. At this point, I did not think the deer would go far.

The thick hillside brush makes moving sound like anything other than a human crashing their way ahead impossible. At any moment a carcass should be illuminated in my beam of light, depressingly, I find another bed, blood, and a good crimson trail leading off onto neighboring land. Time to seek permission.

The neighboring landowner was, perhaps, one of the most accommodating, he promptly granted permission to search. Shane with Calling all Turkeys was to arrive tonight so that we could video some fall turkey dogging. I called to let him know I’d likely be busy hauling a buck in, at that time, my expectation was for a smooth recovery. This year Shane was training his 9-month-old Blue Tick hound, Callie, for deer recovery, a leashed tracking dog is legal in Wisconsin. I agreed and waited until Shane arrived with Callie before resuming the buck’s trail.

We were back at the point of shot five hours later. Callie quickly picked up the trail as she started dragging Shane behind her. Large puddles of blood confirmed she was on the correct deer. With all Callie’s baying and commotion of us busting brush to keep, we flushed several other deer on the way. In spite of the distractions of the deer, Callie stayed on the track. However, that gut feeling of something is not going right begin to seep into me. During my half-century-plus of deer hunting, I have been on hundreds of recovery trails, for many of those years I was on the tracker’s call list to help other hunters; something was not going right here. A deer who has lost this much blood and continued to do so, should not be leaving yet another bed.

After a couple of more hours, the blood on the ground started turning a grainy black color typical of deteriorating lungs and not a lot of it. According to Callie’s nose, the deer crossed an open grassy field that took us to another woodlot. We decided to wait until sunrise before going further. We all needed rest and a break from the inky black night. My sleep was not restful as the mind kept replaying all the events of the shot and track over and over looking for some details it might have missed.

As the sun rose it all its splendor, we were back sorting through the evidence to figure out where this buck went. At a planted food plot the deer was expected to cut across to the other side, wounded animals are known to take the path of least resistance. The buck did not do this.

Blood sign continues to be easy to follow.

Instead, he circled and bedded in the opposite side’s brush line. He bedded stretched out; the moist ground leaves

Charlie is pointing out the bucks outline where he laid stretched out.

held an imprint of his body. And he had moved out yet again! Tracks and small spots of blood led us downhill towards a paved county road and past several trail cameras. Shane suggested I contact the landowner for permission to pull the cards so that we could perhaps see the condition of the deer was. Yeah, I, of course, was having doubts about my shot placement too; to my pleasant surprise, the landowner allowed us to pull the camera cards.

As we ate lunch, we perused all of the camera pictures and were shocked; there was no photo, not a single one of the buck! How could this be? The sign and Callie’s nose confirmed the buck had used the trails heading downhill.

After lunch and some rest, we replaced the camera cards. Unless this deer possesses powers from the gods not yet discovered by us mere mortals, there must be an earthly explanation. While Callie continued dragging Shane around in attempts to pick up the trail and that included attempting to take him for a walk along the busy county road, I started back trailing in an effort to find the

Shane covered in burdock including some particles in his eyes. He trusts me to remove them from his eye.

“earthly” reason for no pictures.

This old buck knew where the trail cameras were! Figured out he should let his picture get taken. He had left the trail to walk behind every one of the cameras! Never before had I encountered this kind of behavior from any deer. How could he possibly have figured out how hunters use and why hunters use cameras? Of course, my mind has worked on this quirky happening. The only thing that seems logical is the electronics in the camera make some noise that spooked a cautious buck; he did not like the sound or the flash causing him to move around the camera.

By this point in the day, I’m feeling queasy, hate not doing my part well and losing a deer and, the thought of giving up bowhunting gnaws in my head. The trail is cold and the final option, grid searching appears to be it. There’s a long grass swamp at the hill’s base along the road; he must be in there. As we searched I lost track of the deer remains that we found, one a small buck died within a week, others large, literally mossy covered natural European mounts and some more recent. What we could not locate was our buck.

In what was to be the final loop along an old logging trail that would allow Callie to scent on the downwind side of the swamp. As we moved around the swamp getting close to the county road, I was ready to give up on the recovery of this buck. Or at least until the vultures and crows showed me where he was in a few days. The case could not be made that he’d be OK and alive. In situations like this, I always consider my tag filled because clearly, I killed the animal.

Callie suddenly jerked Shane off the path into a thick bushy patch that lay between the trail and county road. Shane yelled. I got something in my eye and need help. Earlier Callie had dragged him through dense patches of cockleburr, and I had to get him to hold still while pulling some fragments out of his eye. Oh no, not again. But my partner needs my help so into the brush I go.

Shane had his camera pointed at me, his eye was ok and on the ground lays a large dead twelve point buck with a perfectly placed arrow wound. It’s about 3p, nearly 24 hours since the shot. Shane has a video of me he continues to laugh at–as my face from depression to ecstatic “Holy shit is that my buck?! I mean holy moly…” The back story there is Shane had made the reasonable request that I refrain from profanities during recordings.

We would not have recovered this deer without the aid of Callie the deer tracking hound. She had tried to take us along the buck’s trail along the shoulder of the road. We did not think a wounded deer would walk on the shoulder of a busy county road during daylight. Moral of this story, trust the dog. In this case, even if she is an inexperienced 9-month-old.

Shane has every reason to be proud of Callie and training he as given her over the summer months.

Excitement might not have hit me way back at the shot, had the buck been recovered from his first bed, I’d have been thrilled. But after all

I will be forever grateful for Callie’s excellent nose work. Notice where the arrow hit. This is a shot opportunity I would take every time it is presented.

that trailing and becoming ready to give up then finding him; well, I was in touch with a lot of that old-time deer excitement. The buck’s meat is perfectly fine and delicious, weighed over 200 pounds field dressed.

Callie absorbing the hard found deer scent.

What went wrong? Why such a long trail?

This is an obvious question that all hunters think hard about, and the answer did not hit me until I was reading a piece by a chef regarding knife sharpening and proper knife selection for the task. The chef stated a knife cuts best by slicing, not pushing. It is the length of the back and forth pulls, causing the food to be sliced cleanly and not pressure pushing the blade down to get it through. Of course, I knew that! This year I had been convinced to use a different broadhead which has a wide stout blade. This head smashed its way into and out of the deer’s chest but did not do a good job cutting its way. Kind of like a hatchet would have performed.

An arrow kills by hemorrhage, which requires cutting like a knife, not a hatchet type whack. Broadheads that are wide, and short, even though they are sharp, are not as deadly as the longer knife like heads. A big wide broadhead causes entry damage, making for copious amounts of blood. However, internal cutting–hemorrhage may be minimal. Both lungs on this buck were penetrated, plus the edge of the liver. With my old Zwickey or Grizzly heads, he would have been dead within 60 yards with a hit like this.

Both lungs were hit, and the liver, which has a large wound. Notice the bruising and tearing. No evidence of the broadhead slicing.

Starting from the left; QAD Exodus this is the broadhead I used this year, notice the short blades, they are not long enough to slice. The Grizzly has the most extended cutting surface and slices it passes through a deer’s chest. The Zwickey operates similarly to the Grizzly head with slightly shorter cutting length. The last broadhead on the right cutting length is short due to notches at the rear so it too will tear rather than slice. Tearing does less tissue damage, thus allowing game animals to live longer after a lethal hit.

In my experience, the Grizzly and Zwickey broadheads when adequately placed have killed deer without fail to cause the deer to drop dead within 60-70 yards. After my experience with the QAD Exodus this season, no one will talk me into using a broadhead that does not have enough cutting length to slice rather than tear its way through a chest cavity. Other broadhead designs may look “wicked,” but no company has done a study that refutes the finding of Dr. Ashby’s study of arrow lethality on African game. I should have known better.

Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Forecast

September 5, 2016 by Charlie 4 Comments

Wisconsin DNR’s annual Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Forecast is published and available.

The downloadable PDF is here:

2016 Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Forecast

Download Wisconsin 2016 Hunting & Trapping Forecast

Some of the highlights inside include

Find a place to hunt in Wisconsin

Pocket Ranger App has been downloaded 210,000 times for Apple and Android phones.

Places to hunt

Deer registration locations

Rules and regulations

License and permit information

Safety communication tool

Advanced GPS mapping features

Trophy Case, join a community of anglers and hunters

News and alert feature.

Public Access Lands (PAL) Atlas

Finding Open Lands – A mapping tool shows the approximate location of all MFL–Open and FCL lands in Wisconsin – here, you’ll find landowner info, acreage, and enrollment information.

Voluntary Public Access VPA and Habitat Incentive Programs HIP

Provides financial incentives to private landowners who open their property to public hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife observation and improve wildlife habitat.

FFlight the Fields and Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool

Features available within the program will help hunters locate DNR public parking areas, overlay township descriptions, and provide access to maps and aerial photos of prospective hunting areas.

Deer District Forecasts

West Central
Northern
Northeast
Southern

Migratory Game Birds

Ducks
2016 Changes
Canada Geese
Mourning Doves
Woodcock

Upland Game

Wild Turkey
Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Bobwhite Quail
Rabbits & Hares
Gray & Fox Squirrels

Furbearers

Raccoon
Coyotes
Gray and Red Fox
Beaver
River Otter, Muskrat, and Mink
Fisher
Bobcat

Black Bear Forecast

Northeast District
Northern District
West Central District

The folks at WDNR did an excellent job producing a thorough overview of the upcoming 2016 fall hunting and trapping seasons. I highly recommend you download this document; there is lots of useful information. You will not be disappointed. Good hunting.

Velvet Trophy Shows His Stuff

August 1, 2016 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Due to Vic’s training, he will not chase deer.

On Sunday, Vic and I were out for a woodland stroll during the lunch hour. Of course, our ultimate goal is to locate turkeys and check on the local flock dynamics. There are so many deer across the landscape these days that most of the time they just blend into the background, but then on occasion, a few standout.

You never know what you’ll see on a summertime stroll in a Wisconsin Woodland.

This smallish velvet buck was eating small burning nettles, as Vic and I approached he lifted his head and walked over to get a better look at us. Fortunately, I had my camera and was able to get out and turned on.

Deer, including trophy class bucks, are not afraid of dogs.

As the deer approached, Vic sat near my left leg, so I was able to snap this picture of a beautiful public land buck. After spending the better part of a half a century pursuing trophies like this, I marvel at how at home they are around dogs. I wrote about deer and dogs here. I know what some readers are thinking, “Oh, well, that’s just a summertime buck.” Wrong, this happens in the fall while wild turkey hunting, pheasant, grouse, or woodcock hunting. At that time of year, a shotgun is in my hands, and the camera is in a waterproof, cushioned pocket so getting a picture like this is more challenging. Interestingly the deer will tolerate my dog even if he growls or barks at them, but they will not stand around when I start digging in my pockets.

My passion these days, fall turkey hunting, so now the question I ponder; Should I go out this season and take him or should I give the GPS coordinates to some other deserving hunter?

Deer can’t be reliably saved for future years because there are too many hazards in the wild that most likely will take their lives. In Wisconsin, a buck deer like this has about a 50% CWD infection rate. There is a 50/50 chance that any buck you encounter will look like this next year.

Patrick Durkin wrote an excellent piece on CWD in WI. His article should be mandatory reading for all hunters.

Somewhere along the line this fall I’ll meet a deerhunter who’d like a crack at a nice buck and I’ll give them the coordinates. Perhaps, they’ll tip me off as to where all those turkeys I’ve been seeing went.

Does Wild Venison Tastes Best when Procured in September or Early October?

July 28, 2016 by Charlie 17 Comments

Ever wonder if wild deer meat, venison, has a different taste and or meat quality during the year? Which is better table fare; a buck, doe or fawn? Many a deer hunting camp have hotly debated the second question, but it seems no one talks about or even thinks about the first question. Perhaps, this is because due to work and family commitments most deer hunters have a limited window of time to hunt and as a result hunt during their state’s firearm season. Most gun seasons are open later in the fall, so without a thought of hunting any other time they go out to fill freezer when they can.

Deer killed in November and December are good to eat and for many outdoor folks, some very excellent eats indeed.

Whitetail deer numbers have grown significantly since the late 1960’s, and early 70’s when some states had to close deer season due to the small numbers or in some areas where there were no deer. Nowadays, deer are found all over the country with very liberal deer hunting seasons.

Here in Wisconsin farm country, deer season starts with archery mid-September continuing with a variety of seasons into January. The long season structures give deer hunters the chance to shoot, eat and compare table venison each month of the fall.

I have killed deer throughout all of the seasons, in many years I have taken deer during each month of the open hunting periods and found early season (mid-September to mid-October) venison is the best eating. Here’s why:

No matter which sex the deer, they have less fat or tallow on and in their flesh. Tallow is not pleasant to eat, without the fat build up the venison’s flavor is not tainted nor gamey.
Deer food sources are abundant and varied, so the animal does not need to travel very far to eat. Nor do they need to eat a lot during the summer months, so their meat is more tender due to much less effort required to live comfortably.
Neither bucks or does pay much attention to each other, for the most they stay in their chosen territories eating and sleeping to build up strength for the upcoming rut in early November.
The reproduction hormones are not flowing yet. The production of these hormones seems to change both the texture and flavor, not saying it’s bad, just different.
Starting late October the deer begin to move about much more. Bucks are on the move setting up breeding territories while the does attempt to avoid them. All the extra exercise firms up the muscles which have a direct effect on the texture of the table venison.

Several times when I have had dinner guests we dined on venison from each month, and there has not been a single guest who did not prefer the early season deer over the later season. All the venison is delicious no matter when it’s taken so continue hunting and enjoying yours. Just, if you get the chance at a September deer, take it and see what you think.

Deer Can Hear Your Muscles Move?

June 26, 2016 by Charlie 3 Comments

Have you ever had a whitetail deer standing real close looking the other way while the wind is blowing from the deer towards you? This deer appears to be totally unaware of the danger near him. The draw is silent yet, suddenly for no apparent reason other than some dang sixth sense he tenses and bolts away out of range only to stiff leg around for a few minutes before fading off out of sight.

During my half-century of hunting a scenario like this has happened on more than one occasion. I’ve sadly shaken my head in defeat while racking my brain trying to figure out went wrong at the moment of truth. And not just deer, other animals such as turkeys, elk, coyotes, fox, cats and bears at times have appeared to have that sixth sense warning of danger at the very last moment. I have always thought something unnoticed went wrong, some movement, noise or scent and then redoubled my efforts to avoid making whatever mistake it was. However, in March another possibility was unveiled to me.

Early this year the upper left side of my body seized into pain shooting down my left arm causing my hand to go numb to the point where a needle pushed through it did not produce any feeling or pain. Needless to say, this is always a good reason to seek medical attention. Thankfully a heart attack and stroke were ruled out. The doctors suspected nerve damage and referred me to the neurology department.

An MRI showed nerve damage at the base of my neck, so the Doctor ordered an EMG (electromyography) and this was when things got interesting as they relate to hunting.

This EMG graph represents the noise made by contracting human muscles.

During the EMG I discovered when my muscles are moving and tensing they make noise, a lot of noise, the electrical static coming out of the EMG speakers was astounding. As soon as I heard that racket all those deer described earlier came to mind, and I remembered they came to attention just when my muscles were tensing for the draw or lifting the gun. I immediately asked the doctor if any research has been done to determine if animals can hear all those sounds. He was taken aback by that question; apparently, it had never occurred to anyone to consider the possibility. Of course, my next request was when the test is complete could we experiment with different muscle moves. He agreed.

I learned that if I quickly bunched up my bow pulling muscles, the noise went off the chart and when I ever so slowly tensed those same muscles for a draw the sound produced was much more moderate, almost a flat-line. We spent an additional 40 minutes as I experimented with different combinations of internal muscle movement while the doctor measured the sound levels and strength application. We discovered I could apply the same pressure with and without noise. Hmm…

Fewer deer escape me these days than did at the beginning of my hunting career. Buck fever does not have much effect on me anymore, and I’m smoother during the seconds of shot preparation and shooting. Perhaps there is no sixth sense, rather just a case of a very finely tuned sensory ability on the part of the prey.

Here’s a video of a basic EMG test. Mine was much more extensive, as in a lot more needles were inserted into me but the principles were fairly close to the same as shown here.

Wisconsin Electronic Deer Registration

September 2, 2014 by Charlie 3 Comments

During Wisconsin’s 2014 deer seasons some hunters have been selected to test the new electronic deer registration system. These hunters can voluntarily use the pilot program to register their deer via internet or phone call in. They also have the option to continue in person registration.

Selected hunters may receive a survey about the electronic registration experience. The DNR will use the survey results along with the data from the 2014 registrations to fine tune the system so that it will be ready for all hunters starting in 2015.

Charlie elk is proud to have been selected for this test and looks forward to registering all his 2014 deer using the electronic registration. In person deer registration has always been extremely inconvenient; time/gas consuming and in some warm weather late night recovery situations just plain hard work. There are no direct roads to the registration stations where charlie hunts.

How did charlie get selected?

Not sure. charlie does kill more deer than the average hunter each fall. However charlie has no inside knowledge whether or not that was a factor. charlie never wins any drawing. Even if his name were to be placed in a hat 99 times with only 1 other entrant, that other would be drawn first. This was proven years ago at a MNDNR Advanced Hunter Rendezvous when 100 instructors names were drawn to determine the order of selecting from 100 paintings donated as instructor rewards. Guess what. charlie was picked number 100. They are all nice paintings and charlie’s hangs in a place of prominence just so charlie is always reminded he must work for everything he gets.

Perhaps a new day is starting with charlie’s luck and that world record big bugger better look out.

May your season provide a mindful of great hunting memories and check back for updates on e-registration.

Wisconsin 2014 Deer Hunt Is All Different

July 25, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Be aware Wisconsin Deer Hunters, August 18th at 10 o’clock starts the over the counter sale of antlerless permits on a first come first serve basis. There are numerous changes concerning deer hunters they need to get informed, understand and be ready for deer hunt 2014 well in advance of the season’s start.

In case you have not heard 2014 deer licensing has major changes. Counties are now the new deer management areas with each one assigned to one of these 4 zones. Wisconsin Deer Management Zones 2014

Northern Forest
Central Farmland
Central Forest
Southern Farmland

Antlerless tags sales begin on August 18th and continue until sold out. A hunter may buy one tag per day until the county is sold out. It is very likely all permits will be sold well before the opening of gun deer season, perhaps before the archery deer season. So plan to purchase your permits early. Remember permits are good for private or public land but not both.

Monday, August 18 at 10 a.m. – Northern and Central Forest Zones
Tuesday, August 19 at 10 a.m. – Central Farmland Zone
Wednesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. – Southern Farmland Zone
Starting August 21 at 10 a.m. – all zones can be purchased continuing until sold out.

Wisconsin 2014 Antlerless Permit Information this link includes a county by county number of available antlerless permits for both public and private lands. Permits cost $12 for residents and $20 for nonresident deer hunters. $5 for ages 10 and 11 hunters.

Crossbows are legal for all Wisconsin hunters starting fall 2014. The crossbow season is concurrent with the archery season and requires the purchase of a crossbow license. Or the combination archer/crossbow license for $27. With the combination license a hunter is free hunt with either as their mood or conditions dictate.

Turkey Dogs Don’t Ruin Deer Hunting Areas

June 26, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

The short answer is no.

Turkey-doggers and their dogs don’t usually interfere with bowhunters or ruin their deer hunting. Turkey dogging is a late morning mid-day activity, and the vast majority of bowhunters have already left the field by the time we start; although deer hunters should stay on their stands if they see or hear turkey doggers in the area. Deer have a tendency to bed down during full daylight hours, and as long as the deer don’t move, a stand hunter has little chance of seeing them. When mobile hunters such as turkey doggers, other small game or upland hunters enter an area, the deer will get up and move around. Deer are territorial; they do not leave their home range unless there is a lot of disturbance. If the deer leave, it is a short time before they will return, just like rabbits who circle the beagles and return to where they started. I see more trophy bucks within easy bow range when Vic is with me than I do sitting on my butt during “prime time.” Turkey dogs and other hunting dogs are trained not to chase deer. The dog may occasionally bluff a deer to get it away from the bird hunting area, but they rarely chase the deer for long distances.

Some bowhunters get upset about anyone else doing anything else in the woods perhaps it’s they start to feel ownership of a spot after placing their stand. Or more likely it’s because–
The scent control salespeople and inexperienced outdoor writers have convinced many deer hunters that leaving any scent in the woods will destroy the quality of the hunting area and all the deer will “blowout”. So they think if anyone walks around without a has-mat suit on the area is contaminated making it impossible for them to kill a deer let alone a trophy.
Oh well, what can I say about these guys? Except you need to get off your stand and out more. Come on think about it- If deer boogied out of all the areas with human, canine or a scent they don’t recognize, there would be no area holding any deer. Some scent is everywhere.

Turkey hunters are arguably the most considerate, sharing and easy to get along with hunters of them all. That goes double for turkey doggers. If you are sitting on your stand, a turkey dogger comes by, wave, so they know you’re there, and they’ll move out. Then stay alert, it’s likely a deer, possibly a trophy will be by soon.

Good hunting.

After Melt Winter Kill Finds

April 7, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

A lot of questions are being asked about the extent of Wisconsin’s winter deer and turkey kill. Of course it will vary by area.

All the reports coming in here concerning turkeys are indicating the population is strong and vibrant with strong gobbling reports coming from all across the state of Wisconsin. So it is looking like as predicted Wisconsin’s 2014 spring wild turkey season is going be a good one. Additionally the early reports are of strong gobbling all across northern Wisconsin including units 4, 6, & 7 where WDNR needlessly cut the spring permits. Apparently northern turkeys are either well adapted for survival during adverse conditions or they use their wings and sharp eyesight to find better areas of food and cover to move to. Then return as temperatures become mild and the snow melts.

Unfortunately deer become stranded in deep snow leaving them dependent on local food and shelter conditions. This clearly has led to some die-off in areas exactly how extensive we don’t know yet. Apparently all the monitoring takes place on computer screens these days rather then in the field. In West Central Wisconsin I documented 31 winter killed deer in about a 1,000 acre area, additionally buddies reported more dead deer further north. I reported my findings to the local WDNR manager, he did not inquire any further than expressing surprise at the high number. Even with that overwinter kill deer sightings are very high this spring. A lot of deer survived here in spite of the harsh winter.

WDNR does not have teams that go out and observe deer or turkeys across the state to assess the health of populations. Many think they do but old fashion hands on wildlife management is rarely practiced any more. This is true with the vast majority of game departments across the country. For better or worse they rely on internet postings on social sites and blogs.

Not much happens if a hunter shoots an obliviously sick animal and takes it to a WDNR headquarters or sends pictures. There is no tracking or analysis performed. Hunters are left to their own to really figure out what has happened in their areas or what is happening.

Now is the time to get out to inspect your hunting area if you think there has been an overwinter kill. It’s easy to see the remains now. Here are some pictures of what you may find.

Turkey feathers are well preserved during winter in Wisconsin.

Turkey feathers last a long time.

These feathers were left overwinter from a fall kill.

The feathers above are well preserved so if you scout your area evidence of winter kill will still there.

These turkey bones are from an owl kill about a year old.

Carcass bones remain in the natural kill area longer than most people think. Look for these and feathers as you scout your area.

This is a picture of deer I found in late January. Still easily identifiable after the spring thaw.

Deer carcasses are easy to find especially if you hike with your dog. It is natural for them to become curious and point the way to you. This grizzly stuff to find but important in order to try and understand how a hunting area was affected by the severe winter. If deer were stranded in a deer yard for the winter you will find several carcasses in the general vicinity.

If you do not find evidence of dead turkeys or deer as pictured above perhaps you can consider your hunting area in good shape. Be thankful. Study what deer and turkeys ate over the winter and work to increase the supply of those food items for the next severe winter. This is how carrying capacity of the land can be increased.

Poaching Deer In Wisconsin may soon cost $10,000

March 19, 2014 by Charlie 3 Comments

The Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill authorizing a surcharge penalty from $43- $10,000 for poaching deer. In particular a trophy deer. Judges would be required to add the surcharge fine according to the bucks score based on length of tines and spread. Also anyone convicted of poaching would be forbidden from purchasing a hunting, trapping or fishing license for up to 3 years.

Now the bill moves onto the Senate.

Wait a minute.

Does a poacher by definition care about buying a license?
Aren’t all deer and other species poaching just as reprehensible?

How about we just make the fine $10,000 for poaching any game with 50% going to the tipster?

Is Quality Deer Management Theory Destroying Wisconsin’s Deer Herd?

February 25, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

Test results provide current snapshot of CWD in south-central Wisconsin

For 12 years WDNR has had ongoing CWD surveillance efforts, Department of Natural Resources officials maintain a current picture of trends and

To stop CWD should we focus on removing the older bucks?

prevalence of chronic wasting disease within the area previously known as the Wisconsin CWD zone map in the southern part of the state.

The Prevalence of CWD has increased in all categories- Based on 2013 test results for the western monitoring area, encompassing western Dane and Eastern Iowa counties where sampling has been occurring annually since the disease was discovered, current prevalence is:

25 percent of adult male white-tailed deer
10 percent of adult female deer
about 7 percent of yearling males
about 6 percent of yearling females

All the CWD research has shown, very clearly that adult bucks are more likely to be infected. WDNR’s 12 years of CWD surveillance proves this yet again. CWD infects 1 out of 4 adult bucks and if yearling bucks are included 1 in every three bucks are infected compared to 1 out of 6 female deer are infected. The research demonstrates: If the goal is to reduce the incident of CWD adult bucks should be removed from the deer herd. So instead of “earn a buck” there should have been “earn a doe”. Is it time to target bucks for removal or is it too late?

A rational person could conclude quality deer management theory is destroying Wisconsin’s deer herd. Why? The emphasis of quality deer management is on preserving bucks and letting them grow older to 3-6-year-olds before killing them. These 3-6 years old bucks have a much greater chance of carrying CWD, and these are the deer that migrate into new territories spreading their CWD infection as they go.

Tami Ryan, DNR Wildlife Health section chief-

“Sampling deer from these areas where there has been long-term monitoring of disease patterns is important to understanding the dynamics of this disease,” . “Prevalence has been increasing as expected, and we continue to find that prevalence is higher in males than females and higher in adults than yearlings.”

In 2013, DNR staff tested deer from within and outside of the CWD-MZ in south central and southeastern Wisconsin. The sampling strategies were aimed at detecting changes in the location and trends in the prevalence of the disease. Monitoring plans focused surveillance on adult deer, which are most likely to have the disease.

Beginning in 2014, with the approval of the Deer Trustee Report rule package, DNR will have a new funding source available beginning this fall to provide hunter service testing statewide. The funding comes from having the authority to apply $5 from each additional antlerless deer permit sale in CWD-affected counties towards CWD testing and monitoring.

Tami Ryan, DNR Wildlife Health section chief-

“Prior to this change, DNR received no money from additional permits sales. We are pleased to now have a consistent funding stream for CWD testing and monitoring,”

Also emerging from the rule is the Deer Management Assistance Program and the formation of county deer committees, both of which give DNR flexibility to work locally to develop cooperative approaches to disease surveillance and management.

Tami Ryan, DNR Wildlife Health section chief-

“It’s important to be able to work cooperatively with hunters and landowners, as their participation is essential to CWD surveillance. It’s also very important that we connect with the local communities so they can stay informed on deer disease and DNR’s approach to monitoring. They are also the conduit for public sentiment, sharing information with us in addition to taking information back to their community.”

In spite of the evidence, we are still going to target antlerless deer when the science proves; if the goal is to stop CWD, the population of male deer needs to be reduced. Perhaps this won’t help the deer in the CWD zones, but it sure would stop those wandering bucks from leaving the area and infecting the rest of Wisconsin’s deer.

Wildlife Winter Survival

February 17, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

As this is written mid February 2014 the severe winter of 2013-2014 marches on with no relief in sight. Most human animals are staying in their warm abodes

These remains appear to be that of a fawn.

starring out the window hoping for spring’s arrival. As for the wildlife, they of course do not have this option. Unless they are of the variety that hibernates. The rest are left to make do. They try to maintain body temperature by seeking the shelter of trees, brush and snowbanks. In the case of deer many are not making it. I spent this last weekend touring a wide area of west central Wisconsin, farm country, found 30 dead deer. There are probably more buried under the snow.

Due to the fall rut many bucks start winter weak with little fat reserves. They spent their time mating rather than eating. Now nature sees them as expendable and they are among the first to die during a severe winter like we are having now.

Fawns have a hard time in winter many of them will die as the adult does push them away from food in order to survive themselves. The 2 year old doe is best prepared deer to survive winter.

There is very little that can be done at this point in time to save winter stressed deer. It has been estimated during the winter of 1995 northern Wisconsin lost 126,000 deer to winter starvation. Some expect this winter to have a similar winter kill statistic. Or worse.

WDNR managers have been warning about another severe winter kill for years unless the herd was reduced. Many experts believed Wisconsin’s deer were pushing the land’s carrying capacity. From my observations I believe they were correct. Now nature is making the correction and nature always over corrects.

Next season some are going to blame the wolves but consider their situation. The snow this season is

Some remains are above the snow indicating death was within a few weeks.

unusually dry, fluffy and deep. There is no top crust for wolves to travel on, nor has there been any all season. The going has been hard even for a man on snowshoes. This means the wolves are floundering in deep snow most likely unable to catch prey. They too are likely starving. A reasonable person would expect, when fewer wolves are around next year the anti wolf hunters will blame the hunters and so that circle will go round and round. Like wolves and deer chasing their tails.

The time to save the deer from this fate has passed for now. I urge all hunters particularly those who manage land for deer to get out there and see what is going on. Note all the food plots of clover and other low growing greens are buried under some feet of snow. Acorns and other fall mast are buried and inaccessible. What the deer need now is woody browse and many well meaning food plotters remove all of that. Make plans to maintain some above snow browse for next winter. If there are trees that need to be or can be cut down you might want to consider dropping those this weekend. February is the tree pruning month.

Because Box Elder trees hold their seeds into late winter and early spring they are a valuable source of food for both turkeys and deer. Notice the seeds on the tree and scattered on the snow. These trees continue time releasing seeds thus keeping a steady supply of food for wildlife.

All areas will have shrubs and trees that given a chance will grow and provide winter time food. For example in my area box elder trees are targeted as a native invasive and the state foresters urge their removal/eradication. They are fast growing and if not managed will take over, however, they hold seeds through winter providing deer and turkeys with a valuable food source during times of starvation.

Warning: Winter Feeding Can Kill Wisconsin Deer

January 30, 2014 by Charlie 2 Comments

How can this be true?

Due to severe winter weather conditions deer in Wisconsin are or becoming very stressed, may be to the point of starving. If I put out some corn, I mean, they eat corn I’ve found it in their stomachs while field dressing them. Plus we all see deer in cornfields eating away. So what’s with this warning?

A version of this question is being asked all across Wisconsin especially in the northern part of the state. We all love and treasure our deer and only want to do what is best for them. Feeding during extreme conditions sure seems like it will help them out when they need it the most. If the deer had the same digestive processes they did last fall we could help them with supplemental feeding.

However, what many folks don’t know and what some hunters may have forgotten is a deer ‘s digestive enzymes change with the seasons. If you think about this it makes sense. In order to survive most all the metabolic rates of all wildlife change. In the case of whitetail deer they become less active in order conserve energy. In addition their digestive enzymes change so they can digest woody browse. This is the stuff they would not have considered eating last fall when so many other more desirable choices were available.

Acidosis- grain overload and Enteroxemia- overeating disease. Deer find grain or hay in a plentiful pile they eat. But because they can’t digest it due to the change in their enzymes they eat some more in an effort to satisfy the hunger and suddenly die with full stomachs.

Michigan DNR website does a good job explaining:

Corn toxicity is a general term related to two diseases which can affect white-tailed deer throughout Michigan and elk in the northeastern portion of the state. Both diseases occur acutely and result in the rapid death of animals in good physical condition.

A change from a natural diet of high fiber woody browse to low fiber high carbohydrate foods initiates the disease. The severity of the illness depends on the type of grain (ground or whole), previous exposure of the animal to the grain, the amount of grain consumed, the animal’s nutritional state and physical condition, and the microflora present. Ingestion of toxic amounts of corn are followed within 2 to 6 hours by a change in the microbial population in the rumen. The number of gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus sp.) increase markedly (replacing the normally abundant gram-negative bacteria), thereby producing large quantities of lactic acid. This results in the rumen pH falling to or below 5, destroying protozoa, cellulolytic organisms, and lactate utilizing organisms, and reducing rumen mobility. Chemical rumenitis and absorption result in lactic acidosis. The lactic acid and lactate build-up cause excessive quantities of fluid to move into the rumen, causing dehydration.

In deer and elk there is no effective treatment for either of these diseases because of the short duration of the illness and that normally animals are found dead, not sick.

Click on the link above these take away quotes it’s worth reading the information is its entirety. You’ll also find some images of diseased animal intestines.

How to Help the Winter Deer

First understand there is very little that can be done once a severe winter sets in. Usually by the time humans notice how bad it is the wildlife is already damaged.
The best feed on a small scale local level is to go cut down some trees to provide the deer some woody browse. The buds are swelling with moisture and nutrients out of the deer’s reach, a chainsaw brings these into easy deer reach. (if you don’t own the land make sure the landowner grants permission for cutting)
The best trees to cut down are the more undesirable like box elder, aspen, birch, elm, ironwood, dogwoods, silver maple, etc..
Do not supplemental feed grains or hay.

Long Term Help

If you plant food plots that contain primarily grasses and leafy plants. Develop a plan that allows for deer desirable woody browse.
Visit your food plots now to witness the available food first hand. So many are shocked to find heavy snow has totally covered all their work and provides no wildlife food at all.
Carrying capacity is defined as the number of any given wildlife that can survive during the worst of conditions.
Always plan food plots and other habitat projects for the worst of conditions.

Wisconsin Senate Passes Crossbow Bill

September 18, 2013 by Charlie 6 Comments

The bowhunter’s crossbow

Read Update Crossbows are now legal in WI

On Tuesday September 17, 2013 the Wisconsin State Senate passed

SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1, TO ASSEMBLY BILL 194 ssa1_ab194

authorizing a crossbow season in Wisconsin. All Senators with the exception of Senator Mark Miller voted for passage. This revised bill is the same as the original Assembly which was passed earlier this year with the Senate’s additional amendment 1 giving the DNR authority to change the crossbow season after 2 years.

Many think this is the backdoor for Wisconsin Bowhunters to later gain restrictions on crossbow hunters after the attention dies down. The Wisconsin Bowhunters have made no secret of their dislike for crossbows especially if these crossbow hunters are allowed to hunt during the rut. Apparently after years of having the rut period to themselves many “bowhunters” feel entitled. Originally they had proposed accepting crossbow legalization only if the crossbow season were to close mid-October and not reopen until December. Crossbow advocates may have made a mistake accepting this compromise, Wisconsin Bowhunters are well connected inside the WDNR giving them ability to influence regulations.

Hopefully, in 2 years all of the crossbow opposition’s fears will be laid to rest as they discover the crossbow is just a bow that casts an arrow just like any other bow.

Nonhunters I have spoken with wonder why all the hoopla and controversy on this issue. They sum the situation with something like this-

“The deer ends up dead. Why does it matter how?”

Good question.

The Death of Fawn Named Giggles

August 9, 2013 by Charlie 1 Comment

Fawns like this are rarely if ever abandoned. Do not try and help; Mama deer will be back.

Post Updated August 30 WDNR proposed Policy Change– scroll down–

A sad story, with plenty of wrongs on all sides. Watch the first WISN 12 ” Armed Agents Raid Animal Shelter for Baby Deer” news story here. It started when a good-intentioned Illinois couple mistakenly thought they were rescuing an abandoned baby deer close to the Wisconsin / Illinois border. They compounded the problem by crossing a state line with a living wild animal to bring it to Wisconsin-based St Francis shelter for “rehabilitation”.

The first mistake, a fawn left alone is rarely, if ever “abandoned” by its mother. Does frequently leave their young fawns alone for extended periods of time. One can only imagine the panic the doe experienced when she returned to find her fawn gone. Many times I have watched does dash madly about to find wayward fawns that had wandered out on their own. The giggling sound made by the fawn which led to its name Giggles was the fawn calling out for its mother. In this case, the fawn was removed when it should have been left alone.
The second mistake, St Francis should not have taken the fawn in without contacting the WDNR within 24 hours to apply for a permit as Wisconsin law requires.

Regarding – “The Armed Raid” – It’s quite clear WDNR law enforcement overreacted, although I can find no evidence of any illegality on the part of law enforcement. I have corresponded with some of those involved and law enforcement friends who were not involved. On the condition I not reveal their names here is what I found.

Before a search warrant, St Francis refused a request by a couple of wardens to search and take custody of the fawn. They did not sneak around and spy first as reported in the news. St Francis was within their rights to refuse a warrantless search.
16 government agents and employees came back to serve the search warrant. 10 Conservation Officers dressed in regular duty uniform with the prescribed sidearm. One Deputy Sheriff dressed in regular duty uniform and normal sidearm. Two plain clothed detectives with concealed arms. Three WDNR Wildlife staff, presumably the ones who tranquilized Giggles. The Wisconsin Reporter confirms my information above.

Supervisor Jennifer Niemeyer did the WDNR no favor in her interview with WISN 12 News where she said:

“the law requires the DNR agents to euthanize animals like Giggles because of the potential for disease and danger to humans.” charlie says: Actually, that is not true as it is not a blanket kill requirement, the law allows for the issue of a permit for rehab purposes.
“These are always very difficult situations for both parties involved, and we are empathetic to the fact of what happened because we know in our heart of hearts they tried to do the right thing,” Niemeyer said. charlie – Yes, correct, sensitivity and common sense should have entered in this situation. WDNR used neither.
“Could you have made a phone call before showing up, I mean, that’s a lot of resources,” WISN 12 News investigative reporter Colleen Henry asked.
Niemeyer continued “If a sheriff’s department is going in to do a search warrant on a drug bust, they don’t call them and ask them to surrender voluntarily their marijuana or whatever drug that they have before they show up,”

Niemeyer’s last statement is really over the top. There is no comparison or moral equivalence between a drug raid and a 35 lb. fawn. This case clearly demonstrates the problem with the “letter” of the law and the spirit of law. Or as most citizens think of it – common sense. In the sad case of Giggles, the ability and the power of the position overruled compassion and common sense.

Deer who have found their way into life-threatening predicaments such as stranded on ice flows or bucks with locked antlers are routinely saved when found. Further, those who engage in saving them are given accolades, not citations.

In the case of Giggles, the fawn WDNR claimed the risk of CWD as the excuse to kill her. But it is well-documented fawns do not have CWD nor are they carriers of CWD in their first nine months of life. In this case, the DNR could have issued a permit and allowed the fawn to return to an Illinois shelter as was the plan before they interfered.

Fortunately, Governor Walker agrees this WDNR enforcement action was uncalled for and over the top. He is demanding significant changes in procedure.

Proposed Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources policy change August 30, 2013
Immediate reintroduction of wild animals into the wild

After voluntarily collecting an illegally captured wild animal, DNR staff would reintroduce the animal to the wild if it does not pose a threat to public health, the health of wildlife, or to the animal itself. In the case of deer, if a deer originates in a Chronic Wasting Disease zone, it could only be reintroduced in a CWD zone.

•Ability of a licensed rehabilitator to rehabilitate wild animals for reintroduction to the wild If a wild animal cannot be immediately released into the wild, but could be safely released after rehabilitation, it would be taken to a licensed rehabilitator. In the case of deer, following rehabilitation, a deer which originated in a CWD zone could only be reintroduced into a CWD zone.

•Restricted use of euthanasia DNR staff would only euthanize a wild animal if it is sick, highly likely to be diseased, or a threat to public health or the health of other wildlife. Additionally, the proposal calls for the following change which would require action by the state legislature to change state law:

• Ability of an individual to care for a captured deer with proper health and disease protections Individuals who illegally hold a captured wild deer would still face citations and penalties for illegally possessing the deer. They may be able to keep the deer if they meet a series of regulations to ensure the health of the deer and the state’s deer population as a whole. These include, but are not limited to, specific size and space requirements for an enclosure, health tests administered by a licensed veterinarian, and a notification process to both DNR and DATCP.

We are still waiting for changes in their law enforcement procedures. Sending 16 government agents to deal with one small fawn and six animal shelter employees is ridiculous. It is not the same as a drug raid.

Will Wisconsin let everyone use a crossbow in 2013?

August 8, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Update March 10, 2014 Wisconsin Cancels Disabled Hunter Permits

Update 12/17/2013 Crossbows Now Legal In Wisconsin

After investigating many possible scenarios there appears to be a chance although a slim one that Wisconsin’s bowhunters will be allowed to use crossbows in the 2013 archery season. Well, technically during the soon to be established concurrent crossbow season, an important distinction to some.

A hunter’s crossbow. Will it be legal for all hunters in 2013 or 2014?

When the Wisconsin Assembly unanimously passed AB 194 many hunters were optimistic they would have the long denied opportunity to hunt deer with a crossbow in Wisconsin. In this age of extreme political partisanship where nothing gets a unanimous vote it sure seemed a slam dunk the WI Senate would quickly follow suit. Unfortunately that was not the case, SB 185 is stuck in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

Senator Neal Kedzie is the chair and there are rumors he is not enthusiastic about legalizing crossbows. I have heard these from other Senator’s staff. This may be more finger pointing by others rather than being based in any fact. You can judge for yourself; Here is my email to Senator Kedzie and his response-

charlie wrote:

Honorable Senator Kedzie,

Many deer hunters were looking forward to hunting with crossbows during this fall’s archery season especially after the Assembly passed this bill unanimously. However it now appears SB185 is stuck in the Natural Resource committee with no action scheduled. Is this correct? Are there plans to get this to the floor of the Senate anytime soon?

Because of the current special crossbow permitting process many once proud bowhunters who became impaired are considered second class hunters due to their special treatment. Legalizing crossbows for everyone would do a lot to take away the current stigma associated with a hunter who uses a crossbow. Please do what you can to get SB 185 up for a vote an on to the Governor.

Thank you.

Senator Kedzie responded:

Thank you for contacting the office of Senator Neal Kedzie regarding legislation relating to the use of crossbows for hunting.

As you know, an amended version of the bill recently passed the State Assembly; the Assembly version is now different than the Senate version, SB 185. The Assembly bill was referred to the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Friday, June 14^th. At this time, no hearings have been scheduled, as the full Senate has adjourned and will not meet in regular session until September 17^th, at the earliest. Thus, no other legislation will be taken up by the Senate prior to mid-September, and scheduling a hearing for the bill at this time would be somewhat moot, as the work of the committee is only one step of the Senate approval process.

Still, we appreciate reading your comments in support of the legislation.

Office of Senator Neal Kedzie

OK, I said the chance of legalizing crossbows in Wisconsin for the 2013 season was slim at best. The state senate is not back in session until September 17th three days after the opening of archery season. If the Senate Natural Resources Committee schedules the public hearing, votes SB 185 out committee, Senate Majority Leader Senator Fitzgerald schedules a full senate vote, SB 185 were to pass and then get the Governor’s signature; by mid October or so. WDNR already has the license issuing program written, tested and ready to go. It would then be possible to have a crossbow license available by third week of October just in time for hunting the rut and the rest of the archery season.

More likely, SB 185 will be passed early in 2014 and hopefully effective for the 2014 deer season. No matter what the people want politics move slowly and unfortunately, particularly on the Senate side of the equation politicians listen more to the special interests than voters.

Update: Hearing scheduled for more Wisconsin State Senate Schedules Crossbow Hearing

Your Secret Hunting Location and Metadata

June 21, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Metadata may lead another hunter to your most favored haunts.

So you thought you’d done a good job keeping your prime hunting spots top secret even from most of your closest buddies. Heck, season after season you’ve bagged a trophy so what’s there to worry about now? Except then on occasion, you see another truck parked around “your” area, then another and another. What’s going on? A random hunter invasion or something else?

Well if you took pictures near the kill site, texted or made a phone call. Oops, you’ve marked the location of your honey hole with metadata.

Metadata is information that includes GPS coordinates, information about communications you send and receive, the type of device used, email subject lines, search terms and the websites you visit. It exposes your reading and viewing habits. If you carry your cell phone to a gun range- Don’t worry about any of the firearm databases; you have just disclosed to anyone in the world who understands metadata that you are probably a gun owner. As a matter of fact, if someone cares to track you, metadata can construct a map of your daily movements.

Analyzing metadata requires specialized computer skills right?

Not really, all you need is a computer program with the right algorithms; Google has apps for that which are available for free. Digital pictures contain the GPS coordinates of where and when they were taken, so do text messages and emails. You won’t find GPS coordinates listed as such because they are contained in the code, so you need to run a program to sort them out. With this program you can check out all the vanity pictures posted online, sent by email or texted.

Very soon there will be a new easy to use deer scouting app advertised by some large hunting company that will search the trophy deer picture for its GPS coordinates. Someone somewhere is working on that app marketing right now. In the meantime with an understanding of metadata analyzing and the right Google app, anyone can find the GPS coordinates of a picture taken with smartphones and the new digital cameras including trail cameras.

Metadata is one of the reasons why charlie does not carry a smartphone hunting, and his camera is old with no GPS capabilities.

Ways to avoid having your hunting location metadata-ed

Do not take a smartphone hunting
Take your vanity pictures in locations where you do not care about disclosure
Do not use your phone as a GPS rather use a GPS that broadcasts no identifying information
Do not text or send emails from your hunting spots

Of course, the best-looking pictures are those taken in the field shortly after the game is killed.

How to “scrub” your photo for online use:

Open the photo in one program and open another new file, use a crop box tool to select the open photo displayed on your screen. Paste it into the other empty file then rename it and save. The only metadata it should have now is the file creation date, file type, and size.

Crossbow Bill AB 194 Wisconsin Assembly Passes

June 7, 2013 by Charlie 8 Comments

Update 12/17/2013 Crossbows Now Legal in Wisconsin 2014

Wisconsin Crossbow bill AB 194 passes the Assembly and moves on to the Senate

On Thursday June 6, the Wisconsin Assembly passed AB 194, to create Crossbow Hunting Licenses –

From the Assembly official site

AB 194
BY CZAJA
CREATE CROSSBOW HUNTING LICENSES
PASSAGE

AYES – 95 NAYS – 0 NOT VOTING – 4 PAIRED – 0

Wow, I did not expect a unanimous vote. Is this what happens when special interest groups stand down? The Wisconsin Bowhunters who were the opposition lobbyists and the NRA who are the proponents of hunter freedom and choice agreed to not lobby for or against crossbill bill 194, the Senate’s version or the Governor’s signature. So the legislators were left to hear from their constituents without any group lobbying. This demonstrates that there is widespread support for crossbow hunting that cuts across party lines all across the state of Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see the how the Senate vote goes.

The bowhunter’s crossbow

Assuming this crossbow bill AB 194 becomes law in Wisconsin bow hunters will have a chance to try a crossbow while deer hunting for their first time. They’ll find there is a “crossbow” learning curve. Hunting with a crossbow is the same yet different than a regular bow. Many bow hunters have heard the stories and claims made about crossbows being so much easier than current legal archery, it will be interesting to talk with those first time hunters about their perceptions verses actual experience. I for one can’t wait.