Shaurette: Preperations for fall hunting seasons underway this month
 No comments posted.
By PAUL SHAURETTE
For The Herald
Friday, August 15, 2008 7:03 PM CDT
This is when it starts getting good.
Cooler days, and sometimes chilly nights. Fading daylight creeping in sooner everyday. Could the fall season be far off?
Ahhhh. . . the dog days of August are suddenly upon us but we all know that the long hot days of summer are leaving us fast.
Late summer fishing is heating up and getting good, but somehow at this time of year our internal clocks begin to switch to thoughts of fall hunting and those glorious, shimmering days of autumn in the forest.
You may have already noticed the increased numbers of swallows gathering up and staging for the flight back south. Purple martins are also packing it up and gaining energy for the long migration ahead.
Small signs are everywhere, but don’t despair, there is still plenty of warm Wisconsin summer ahead.
Now is a fun time to get back in the woods as the deer and horse-fly populations simmer down, and there is plenty to see and look for.
Adolescent groups of birds and reptiles are out and about looking to eat and grow their bodies for the months ahead. Many species of snakes are now active and many times they can be seen in the morning hours sunning themselves trying to capture enough of the suns rays to make themselves comfortable.
We have a pretty good sized garter snake living under a wood pile near our house and my kids have been able to capture it several times as it sits in its customary place near our propane tank. This particular snake is actually kind of tame and has a very “lime” green appearance from most of them have seen. Hopefully it sticks around and helps out with the rodent population around our place.
Black bears hunters have already been very busy scouting and baiting their favorite areas in hopes of luring in a big bruin with the start to the season just three short weeks away.
Bear numbers in Wisconsin have certainly increased over the last decade or so, and in fact new estimates by the Department of Natural Resources seem to point to two or three times more bears in the state than previously thought. At this time, game managers currently estimate a population of 13,000 bears roaming the Badger State, and many people can tell you they have seen bears turning up in lots of peculiar places.
Last year, bear hunters in Wisconsin harvested 2,797 animals with a hunter success rate of 61.5 percent. This season, there are 4,660 harvest permits available, and hunters should expect about the same type of success out there this fall.
It looks like we can expect a significantly larger number of permits to be handed out next year after harvest numbers and population counts continue to show an ever growing bear population.
Ruffed grouse season is also right around the corner, and when the season begins Sept. 13, hunters will once again see plenty of birds throughout the newly expanded Zone A. Grouse hunters will also have an extra month to chase their favorite quarry because the season now runs through Jan. 31. I, for one, am really looking forward to spending some time grouse hunting after the first of the year when deer season is done.
Wildlife managers agree grouse numbers are still on the upswing as spring drumming counts showed a third straight year of above normal contacts and it certainly does look good for the shot-gunner and his dog this fall.
Speaking of looking good. Deer hunting in the state has been at an all-time high for almost a generation now, and many seem to forget how good we have it these days. I know there are many who are concerned with the herd control areas we are dealing with and the earn-a-buck situation, but it could be worse. We could be looking at ways to increase our deer population.
This fall a good chunk of western and northern Wisconsin is in a herd control zone and for the most part, all of it will once again be included in the October antler-less gun hunt which will take place Oct. 16-19.
There seems to be a growing number of hunters who have really taken a liking to the October antler-less hunt because it enables more families and young kids a chance to get out when the weather is a bit nicer.
As the deer hunting season grow nearer, it will be a good idea to take a closer look at where you plan to hunt this fall to be sure if you are in a herd control unit or in earn-a-buck.
|
Archives