Tagging requirements eliminated in state bill
Due to provisions inserted into the 2017-'19 state budget, hunters in Wisconsin are no longer required to place a carcass tag on deer or turkeys they kill.
In addition, waterfowl hunters no longer need to register Canada goose kills.
The items were part of the budget signed Thursday by Gov. Scott Walker and went into effect immediately.
Not part of the original proposed legislation, the provisions were added to the budget bill by the Joint Finance Commitee at the request of Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc).
Though the changes removed a requirement for hunters, they also ended decades of tradition and heightened concerns over the accuracy of harvest data, a key component of professional wildlife management.
In addition, they caused the Department of Natural Resources to scramble to update hunting regulations for seasons underway and roll out a public information campaign.
Hundreds of thousands of copies of the 2017 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet were printed and distributed in recent months without the new rules.
In fact, the first item listed in the pamphlet describes the proper method of validating a paper carcass tag.
As a result of budget (formally known as Wisconsin Act 59), the state is prohibited from requiring hunters to use deer or turkey tags.
While most hunting and fishing regulation changes are made through administrative rules, the budget provisions were statutory. Any future modifications would also require a change in state law, rather than the more flexible administrative rule process.
No current DNR official publicly criticized or supported the modifications, but DNR licensing bureau director Kimberly Currie referenced the magnitude of the changes in a Thursday memo to staff.
"Certainly this is a big change for wildlife management and law enforcement from the historical carcass tagging requirements," Currie wrote. "However what is
SMITH
Sept. 30 Duck opener in south and Mississippi River zones. Oct. 14 Pheasant (statewide) and cottontail rabbit (south zone) seasons open. Nov. 18-26 Gun deer hunting season.
critically important is that we continue to spread the word and enforce the importance of the registration process in our ability to effectively manage Wisconsin’s deer herd moving forward."
Behind the scenes, many DNR employees were angered by yet another aggressive move by legislators to change hunting or fishing laws without open involvement of the department, the Natural Resources Board or the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
Tom Hauge, who retired in 2016 after 30 years as DNR wildlife director, said the changes would make it more difficult to get accurate deer harvest information and easier for violators to go undetected.
"The first reaction I and many conservation groups had was, 'What the heck?' " Hauge said. "This didn't go through the normal process for hunting rule changes and caught almost everybody, including the DNR, off guard."
Hauge said changes like this that come after the season has already started create confusion in the minds of hunters.
"We only recently entered the realm of electronic registration,"
Hauge said. "Now hunters no longer need to tag an animal. For people who want to violate or take advantage of the system, the door seems to be open wider than ever. And for wildlife managers, there is greater concern over erosion in the quality of data available to make decisions."
Todd Schaller, DNR chief conservation warden, said while carcass tags are no longer required, the registration rules remain the same. Deer and turkey hunters must electronically register their harvests by 5 p.m. on the day after the kill.
In addition, hunters will still need to possess proof of authorization, such as a paper license or tag, a GoWild! card or driver's license.
"From a hunters perspective, the changes make their world easier and remove one step," Schaller said. "From a law enforcement perspective, we're still going to work to make sure hunters are properly licensed and are properly registering their kills."
As of Friday, the DNR was working to update the tagging rules on its website and was planning to produce a written document outlining the changes, Schaller said.