If Saturday morning at 6:22 (plus a few minutes depending on zone) is anything like today, it will arrive crispy cold, with a biting wind barging its way in from the southwest. The sky, perhaps harboring a few spits of snow, spreads like a steel gray curtain from one horizon to the other.
Perfect!
I'm feeling cozy and warm with several layers of head-to-toe comfort as the bow season winds down - for me at least. This coming weekend begins a series of firearm opportunities that will take us all the way to March, if we wish. I've passed on a couple of smallish bucks and, well-armed with buck tags left over from last year, I look forward to the upcoming gun hunt.
I believe I know what others will be thinking come Saturday morning. The imagination runs wild as shooting hours begin for the 2010 gun deer season. From which direction will that buck appear? How will I set up the shot?
Later, as the newness of the season wears off, the mind will ramble to seasons past, to the deer that wandered into range, then got away - either through a wayward shot or the lack of an open opportunity. You review the details of every harvest from the past, going back to your very first buck. You remember where you were sitting, when and where the animal was first seen, the spot where the bullet thumped, and best of all, where you recovered the deer.
Deer populations are doing well in the South Central Region and hunters should have a great season in 2010. That's according to Department of Natural Resources deer survey results that show all Deer Management Units within the region are above goal.
The prediction comes with a caveat, however. The deer are not distributed equally throughout the region so that some will see an abundance of whitetails, while others might have slim pickings.
And, as has been the case in recent years, Chronic Wasting Disease issues come into play. CWD rules have stayed the same since 2008, however, which helps hunters stay on top of things. Unlimited Earn-a-Buck rules will still be in place for all CWD units and seasons have been extended to increase antlerless harvests.
Hunters may harvest as many bucks as they wish as long as they meet the requirements of harvesting one antlerless deer prior to shooting the buck. Orange buck authorization stickers earned last year can be used for the 2010 season. This year the stickers are blue and may be banked for the 2011 season.
Can't find your authorization sticker from last year? Get a replacement at any DNR Service Center during normal business hours. Just be prepared to swear on a stack of Bibles that you didn't lose it in a poker game. Be sure to call ahead, since service center hours have been reduced significantly.
Hunters will again be able to have their deer tested for CWD at both DNR and some private registration stations throughout the CWD Management Zone (see sidebar for local options).
The regular nine-day season runs from Nov. 20 to 28, followed by a ten-day muzzleloader-only season Nov. 29 to Dec. 8, a four-day firearm hunt (antlerless only), Dec. 9 to 12; and a holiday firearm season Dec. 24 to Jan. 9.
Extended Landowner season returns. The extended landowner season is back for 2010 beginning on Jan. 10 and extending to the end of the DNR license year, March 31. A CWD-MZ Landowner Permit is required to allow others to harvest deer on the landowner's property during this time. The CWD Landowner Permit costs $2 as does the Hunter Permit. Either permit can be obtained beginning Dec. 1 at any license sales outlet. The permits will not be available via Internet or phone.
EAB rules do not apply during the extended season and either sex may be harvested. Buck stickers for the 2011 season will be offered for each antlerless deer registered during this period.
Hunters who wish to hunt but do not need all the venison should consider contributing part of their harvest to area food pantries as noted on the list of registration locations.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
Perfect!
I'm feeling cozy and warm with several layers of head-to-toe comfort as the bow season winds down - for me at least. This coming weekend begins a series of firearm opportunities that will take us all the way to March, if we wish. I've passed on a couple of smallish bucks and, well-armed with buck tags left over from last year, I look forward to the upcoming gun hunt.
I believe I know what others will be thinking come Saturday morning. The imagination runs wild as shooting hours begin for the 2010 gun deer season. From which direction will that buck appear? How will I set up the shot?
Later, as the newness of the season wears off, the mind will ramble to seasons past, to the deer that wandered into range, then got away - either through a wayward shot or the lack of an open opportunity. You review the details of every harvest from the past, going back to your very first buck. You remember where you were sitting, when and where the animal was first seen, the spot where the bullet thumped, and best of all, where you recovered the deer.
Deer populations are doing well in the South Central Region and hunters should have a great season in 2010. That's according to Department of Natural Resources deer survey results that show all Deer Management Units within the region are above goal.
The prediction comes with a caveat, however. The deer are not distributed equally throughout the region so that some will see an abundance of whitetails, while others might have slim pickings.
And, as has been the case in recent years, Chronic Wasting Disease issues come into play. CWD rules have stayed the same since 2008, however, which helps hunters stay on top of things. Unlimited Earn-a-Buck rules will still be in place for all CWD units and seasons have been extended to increase antlerless harvests.
Hunters may harvest as many bucks as they wish as long as they meet the requirements of harvesting one antlerless deer prior to shooting the buck. Orange buck authorization stickers earned last year can be used for the 2010 season. This year the stickers are blue and may be banked for the 2011 season.
Can't find your authorization sticker from last year? Get a replacement at any DNR Service Center during normal business hours. Just be prepared to swear on a stack of Bibles that you didn't lose it in a poker game. Be sure to call ahead, since service center hours have been reduced significantly.
Hunters will again be able to have their deer tested for CWD at both DNR and some private registration stations throughout the CWD Management Zone (see sidebar for local options).
The regular nine-day season runs from Nov. 20 to 28, followed by a ten-day muzzleloader-only season Nov. 29 to Dec. 8, a four-day firearm hunt (antlerless only), Dec. 9 to 12; and a holiday firearm season Dec. 24 to Jan. 9.
Extended Landowner season returns. The extended landowner season is back for 2010 beginning on Jan. 10 and extending to the end of the DNR license year, March 31. A CWD-MZ Landowner Permit is required to allow others to harvest deer on the landowner's property during this time. The CWD Landowner Permit costs $2 as does the Hunter Permit. Either permit can be obtained beginning Dec. 1 at any license sales outlet. The permits will not be available via Internet or phone.
EAB rules do not apply during the extended season and either sex may be harvested. Buck stickers for the 2011 season will be offered for each antlerless deer registered during this period.
Hunters who wish to hunt but do not need all the venison should consider contributing part of their harvest to area food pantries as noted on the list of registration locations.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.