CWD Disease Response Plan
Here is a sampling of remarks contained in the 39-page Disease Response Plan:
The legal title to, and the custody and protection of, all wild animals within this state is vested in the state for the purpose of regulating the enjoyment, use, disposition and conservation of those wild animals.
The stated goal of the plan is to minimize the area of Wisconsin where CWD occurs and the number of infected deer in the state.
Wisconsin has approximately 700,000 deer hunters who have harvested an average of 470,000 deer annually over the past ten years. (The 2009 harvest was down, however, with a total kill of 329,103.)
Deer hunting adds $1.4 billion to the state's economy each year.
CWD was first discovered at a Colorado research facility in 1967.
The first free-ranging deer testing positive for the disease occurred in 1981 (also in Colorado).
Wisconsin began active surveillance for CWD in 1999 following increased awareness of the interstate transport of elk from CWD infected western game farms. The disease was first discovered in Wisconsin in 2002. Illinois and Wisconsin have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on a mutual goal for CWD management.
The plan's executive summary acknowledges that "disease management in free-ranging wildlife populations generally is difficult, expensive and controversial." The summary goes on to say, "...it is imperative that the DNR has public support for and active participation in this plan."
That might be a problem, based on discussions at two recent Wisconsin Conservation Congress meetings. The discussion at a District 9 meeting in Spring Green indicated overwhelmingly rejection of the plan, reminiscent of the opposition voiced when the first CWD plan was unveiled in 2002. District 9 takes in seven counties in southwestern Wisconsin, all of which are included in the CWD Management Zone.
The potential return of sharpshooters to the landscape was perhaps the most objectionable issue. Lafayette County delegate Dave Breunig hearkened back to previous votes taken by the general public at the spring hearings and by Conservation Congress delegates at their annual convention indicating that hunters find sharpshooting unacceptable.
"We defeated that once before, and now they're doing it again," Breunig said.
Gerry Stadler of Reedsburg in Sauk County was also critical of the plan. "It's a mistake," he warned. "It's taking away from the sport, the traditional family hunt."
Stadler sees it as a violation of the public trust that requires that we take a conservation approach to game management. "We're not conserving any more," he said. "We're just killing deer."
The response at the Congress CWD study committee was more mixed. The reason: several of the committee members hail from northern counties well outside of the CWD Management Area. Hunters there often argue that the disease can and must be contained in the southern part of the state.
Davin Lopez, Department of Natural Resources CWD Coordinator, summarized the difference in attitudes between north and south. "It stands to reason those outside the CWD core area would want to see the disease contained." At the same time he acknowledges that hunters in southern regions do not want to see their traditional hunt disrupted.
Committee Chair Mike Riggle from Medford in Oneida County had the dubious task of directing the group toward an up or down vote on the plan. The first vote failed by a close margin. The measure finally passed by a 7-5 vote after tweaking the wording regarding sharpshooting to restrict its use to areas on the periphery of the current CWD Management Zone where an outbreak might occur.
In addition to sharpshooting, the proposed plan includes the pursuit of a statewide ban on baiting and feeding and landowner permits extending beyond the current season structure.
The 2009 season structure would remain in tact through 2015 with an evaluation of its effectiveness in reducing deer populations after the 2015 and 2020 seasons.
In addition to the traditional gun season, Nov. 20-28, the 2010 season would thus include antlerless gun hunts Oct. 14-17 and Dec. 9-12, an EAB muzzleloader season from Nov. 29-Dec. 8 and a Dec. 18-Jan. 9 EAB gun season. The EAB archery season runs from Sept. 18-Jan. 9. However, archers would not be able to harvest a buck during the antlerless seasons in Oct. and Dec.
Citizens can review a draft of the plan at the DNR website at www.dnr.wi.state.gov. Call 608 264-6046 to obtain a hard copy of the plan.
The Natural Resources Board will take up the matter at its Sept. 21-22 meeting in Wisconsin Rapids.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
