Voices Counted:
Support Those That Support Us

Hello fellow hunting supporters!

We hope you are all enjoying your winter months.

It has been a while since we last contacted you so I wanted to give you an update on recent activities. It may appear like there has not been a lot going on but we are still making progress.  As you might expect, we need to make progress during the off season since no one wants to work on this stuff after hunting starts.

Since we last wrote we have been able to complete the DHU incorporation.  We are now a legal corporation in the state of Wisconsin which means we have the right to lobby and participate.  This is an important first step since it means that we have an official voice. 

We have also had the opportunity to participate in making a proposal for a revised state wide Overwinter Goal.  Here is the progress since our last contact.

As you may or may not know, the DNR originally proposed an overwinter goal of 748,000 deer. This is a lower number than the DNR currently estimates we have in the state.

After the December 17hearings where many of us testified, Senator Holperin and Representative Hraychuck wrote letters objecting to the new population goals.  The letteris attached.  This letter helped but it does not change anything.  We would like to thank all of you who sent letters, emails, made phone calls, and attended the hearings.  Our message is starting to be heard!   We need to continue voicing our concerns

Early this year the DNR revised their proposed overwinter goal to 800,000.  Still significantly under the number that any of us are used to.

This week theHunter’s Rights Coalition, of which we participate, presented a case for an overwinter goal of 1,176,774 deer.  The presentation is attached. This proposed new goal does not include “non-harvest mortality”which we know is significant.  This number came about by looking at the goal from a hunter perspective.  1,176,774 would result in an annual harvest of approximately 440,000 deer.  440,000 is the average annual harvest for the past 18 years.  Discussions will continue on this subject!  (For reference, in 2009 we harvested just over 300,000 deer)  The reason we did not include non-harvest mortality is because no one really has an idea what it is for the whole state.

Also attached is areport from the DNR on the effect of wolves in the central and northernforest.  The 2 nd page is a chart that shows that non-harvest mortality is greater than harvest mortality for this area.  Understanding and utilizing this data is critical to developing a better herd size estimation process.  Currently, non-harvest mortality is not factored into the herdsize estimations (SAK) that the DNR does annually.

We will continue to be in touch as information becomes available.  Please continue to contact your legislators to voice your opinions and concerns .  The more our legislators hear from us the more they will listen and the morelikely it is that deer hunting will improve.   We also recommend that you forward this email toyour hunting friends and ask them to join and support our efforts.

Best regards!

                                                                                                                         

Steve Fleming

Interim DHU President

262.993.4228

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Deer Hunters United of Wisconsin