OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Deer Hunt 2022 is still officially months away, but hunters and non-hunters are getting the chance to weigh-in on the issues.
The Department of Natural Resources is coordinating meetings around the state.
From a lone buck on the move near Shiocton, to antlerless deer on alert in nearby Brown County. Harvests, and trends are up for discussion at the annual County Deer Advisory Council Meetings.
“This time of the year is actually deer season for the DNR deer program, and a bunch of volunteers across the state,” said Jeff Pritzl, DNR deer biologist.
Pritzl tells FOX 11 the CDACs meet a few times each year to help shape the future of the white-tailed deer population in Wisconsin.
“The primary focus of the meeting is to make a recommendation for how many antlerless deer permits will be available each fall.”
Pritzl says the CDACs started in 2014, as part of the Deer Trustee Report a couple years earlier. There are members from the public, and representatives from different interests, including forestry, agriculture, wildlife management, and tourism.
At Lena Swamp Archery near Oconto Falls, owner Wade Jeske has been on the council since the beginning. He says the CDACs have an impact.
“We sit down, and we hash it out. Some people feel really strong, but everybody’s willing to give a little bit.”.
Jeske tells FOX 11 Oconto County’s council welcomes feedback from the public.
“Usually if people are happy, they don’t show. So you got to kind of take that as a compliment. Because if they’re not happy, they’ll fill the room.”
Pritzl agrees.
“The CDACs were put in place to kind of elevate public interaction and influence in the outcomes. And the good thing about it, is that it helps us walk in each other’s shoes, the agency and the different stakeholders.”
The virtual meetings start this week and continue through the end of the month.
