Natural Resources Board adopts new deer management unit boundaries in emergency and permanent rules after contentious public input
Loading...
Summary
The Natural Resources Board voted Feb. 20 to adopt emergency and permanent rules redrawing county-based deer management units in favor of habitat-based boundaries for parts of northern and central Wisconsin, a change supporters said will let local advisory councils manage deer more logically by habitat, and critics said needs more time and clearer local CDAC arrangements.
The Natural Resources Board voted Feb. 20 to adopt an emergency order and a companion permanent rule to change county-based deer management unit (DMU) boundaries in Wisconsin, shifting several northern counties to habitat-based units and adjusting metropolitan subunits in southeast counties.
The department had proposed the change after multi-year public outreach. Officials said the objective is to let local advisory councils make permit recommendations based on contiguous habitat units—such as forest vs. farmland—rather than county lines that sometimes split similar habitat into different management decisions. The board approved both the emergency and permanent versions of board order WM-11-24E and WM-12-24 (NR 10) by voice/roll-call vote. The emergency order will allow the new units to be used immediately for planning and quota-setting this year; the permanent rule will follow the statutory review process.
Why it matters: County-based DMUs, created in 2014, have drawn repeated criticism in some northern counties where a single county can include both large tracts of public forest and separate farmland. Local advocates said the county lines hindered targeted allocations of antlerless tags and contributed to uneven deer opportunity between public and private lands. The department says the new configurations will give advisory councils and district staff better tools to address local differences in habitat, hunting opportunity and deer densities.
What the board heard: The meeting included an extended public-comment period with many speakers. Wisconsin state Rep. Chance Green and numerous Northern Forest hunters and county deer advisory council (CDAC) representatives told the board they favor moving to habitat-based units to improve hunting opportunity and make permit allocation more local and logical for forested areas. Several CDAC chairs explained that split counties made it difficult to manage antlerless allocations that reflect both public- and private-land conditions.
Opposition and concerns: Several commenters cautioned the board not to rush the change. The Wisconsin Conservation Congress’ CDAC oversight committee supported the rule but opposed use of an emergency rule, saying local CDACs need time to consider how advisory councils would align administratively with new units. Some speakers, including longtime hunters and former wildlife staff, warned the rule may not by itself restore herd performance in areas affected by severe winters or predator pressure, and asked that other management tools and better monitoring be used in tandem.
Implementation and follow-up: The department said it will provide guidance and training to local CDACs and the Conservation Congress on how to operate during the transition period; county CDACs will meet this spring under current county-based administrative arrangements but will be briefed about the new units so they can recommend quotas and strategies compatible with the newly adopted units. The emergency rule includes a post-adoption public hearing and additional statutory steps while the permanent rule proceeds through the legislative review process.
Votes and outcome: The board approved the emergency and permanent orders by roll call/voice vote at the Feb. 20 meeting; the emergency order will take effect on publicaton and the permanent rule will progress through the legislative review process. The record shows broad support among board members at the meeting; the board asked staff to work with CDACs and the Conservation Congress on transition issues before local quota and permit decisions are finalized.
What’s next: Advisory councils will meet in March–May on quotas; the department plans training sessions for CDACs on the new units and will present a schedule for any further administrative changes to align advisory committees with habitat-based DMUs. The department and Conservation Congress will participate in added outreach and post-adoption public input required by statute.
