Wisconsin residents can now complete the first part of their hunter education certification using the leading online hunter education course, HUNTERcourse.com. This new option improves the interactivity and convenience of online hunter education in the state.

In Wisconsin, anyone born on or after January 1^st, 1973 must obtain a certificate of hunter education before purchasing a hunting license. With the introduction of HUNTERcourse.com, aspiring hunters in Wisconsin can register and complete the classroom portion of their course online. After passing online quizzes, students print a Field Day Voucher that admits them to the hands-on portion of the hunter safety course.

Fresh Air Educators, the developers of HUNTERcourse.com, worked closely with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to launch this new online option. Jon King, Hunter Education Administrator at WDNR, said of the partnership, “People are trying to fit hunter education into a busy schedule. HUNTERcourse.com provides a highly interactive and engaging learning experience that students can complete at their own pace. Combined with the hands-on Field Day, it is a very effective way for new hunters to get safety certified.”

To start studying for their hunter safety certification, Wisconsin residents can now visit www.huntercourse.com/usa/wisconsin.  Students are also encouraged to register for a Field Day before finishing the online course to ensure there are spaces available. Students will find a list of Field Days by visiting WI.DNR.GOV and searching Hunter Safety and doing a “Find a Class” search on “HUNTER ED CD/INTERNET.”

Finally, students who complete their Wisconsin hunter education with HUNTERcourse.com have the additional benefit of being automatically entered into the Jim Shockey Dream Hunt. Visit www.huntercourse.com/dreamhunt to learn more about this exciting contest for new hunter education graduates and instructors.

For more information about the Wisconsin launch of HUNTERcourse.com, please contact:

Greg Gulliver
Product Manager
HUNTERcourse.com & HE Tools
ggulliver@freshaireducators.com
1-877-722-8838 x250

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - WDNR and HUNTERcourse.com Team Up to Improve Wisconsin Hunter Education

An old, rare Wisconsin deer hunting license sold for a record-setting $2,600 at a live, online auction held by Krueger & Krueger, LLC. Numismatologist Kurt R. Krueger said this was probably the highest price ever paid for a Wisconsin bull hunting license.

The 1930 non-resident license in the form of a 1 and 3/4-inch celluloid button belonged to collector Elmer Oehlke. Krueger said that Elmer had collected valuable items for 50 years and just ended up with the best collection. Oehlke’s collection also included a 1932 non-resident Wisconsin deer license among his fishing and trapping items.

“I’ve chased this type of thing myself pretty much close to 40 years,” Krueger said. “I’ve never owned one and this is the first time I was ever able to handle it… much less two of them.” Krueger also mentioned that there is a 1928 license out there that Oehlke did not own.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - The $2,600 Deer Hunting License

Today Governor Walker announced that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has certified more than one million students through the Hunter Safety Program.

“I would like to thank the expertise of the volunteer instructors whose generosity helps make Wisconsin known for safe hunting,” said Governor Walker.

In 2011, more than 25,000 students completed the hunter’s safety program, pushing the total enrollment since the course’s launch past the one million mark. Already in 2012, classes are under way or planned for each of the state’s 72 counties for students to carry on the tradition and skills that make hunting in Wisconsin a safe experience for all.

“The hunter education course is taught by volunteer instructors who truly know hunting and have a genuine passion to ensure the tradition is passed on to generations in the safest way possible,” Jon King, Department of Natural Resources’ Hunter Education Administrator and conservation warden, said. “The instructors and this course are the top reasons Wisconsin did not have a single gun-related fatality during the 2010 and 2011 gun-deer seasons.”

Started in Dunn County in 1967, the course seeks to instill in students the knowledge and skill sets to be a responsible hunter. The basic course consists of a minimum of 10 hours, during which students learn how hunting accidents are caused and how they can be prevented. The classes consist of lectures, demonstrations, group discussions, practical exercises and individual study and activity assignments.  In 2011, there were 924 classes offered by 3,802 volunteer instructors.

“The way we teach the course is evolving,” King said. “Now, the course has a big emphasis on the real experience – a more hands-on approach which is applicable to real life. However, what has not changed is the course focus on the rules of firearm safety.”

The DNR has also introduced an online version of the course and features bilingual instructors, as well as additional materials for Wisconsin’s diverse population.

“We are ready to instruct students with other challenges – educational or physical,” King said. “We can offer sign language courses and have had students who use wheelchairs.”

King emphasized that all instructors are serious about their role in passing hunting knowledge to the next generation. “Instructors will have a student retake the course to ensure the proper knowledge has been absorbed if necessary. It’s not ideal, but safety is always the top priority.

“This focus and dedication is why the course is on its way to the next million students. Each student who has come before has helped make this course a valuable partner in the hunting heritage of Wisconsin.”

If you are looking for a class near you log onto the DNR website at dnr.wi.gov.  If you are interested in continuing Wisconsin Heritage and have time to help please call the Hunter Education Administrator Jon King at 608-575-2294 and express your interest in becoming an instructor.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wisconsin DNR’s Hunter Safety Program Surpasses One Million Graduates

Recently enacted legislation has changed the process and timeline and may impact the compensation schedule for livestock, hunting dogs and pets proven to have been killed or injured by gray wolves.

With the removal of the wolf from the federal endangered and threatened species list, the DNR Bureau of Endangered Resources will no longer be paying for wolf depredations.

New guidelines for wolf depredation payments will be developed over the next few months. However, several changes in wolf depredation payments will go into effect immediately including the following:

• Reimbursement payments will be made only once a year, normally after December, when funds will be available in the wolf payment accounts.
• If funds are not adequate DNR will pro-rate payment among all those with wolf depredation losses, including livestock producers, owners of hunting dogs not being used to actively hunt wolves, and pet owners.

You can find more details in the DNR news release.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Changes in the Wisconsin Wolf Depredation Payment Program

Sentiment is growing to implement a sandhill crane hunting season in Wisconsin, as evidenced by a vote conducted recently by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC), a citizen’s advisory committee to the Wisconsin DNR. Although the vote is nonbinding, 2,559 citizens voted for the season, compared to 1,271 who voted against it. Sixty-five counties supported the hunt; just four did not.

A bill to allow DNR to plan a sandhill crane hunt was introduced last year by Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc). Although the bill died in the Legislature, Kleefisch was quoted in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune as calling the WCC vote encouraging, and he left open the idea of introducing another bill when the next legislative session begins in January.

“In Wisconsin, there’s a constitutional right to hunt and fish,” Kleefisch said. “If we have sustainable hunting and fishing resources, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a carefully considered, sustainable hunting season for that species.”

Regardless of how the vote influences the bill, it would be several years before the DNR would establish the season guidelines, even if the hunt were allowed to proceed.

By all accounts, the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes in Wisconsin have been an inspiring conservation achievement—mostly brought about by sportsmen’s dollars. Down to just 25 breeding pairs in the 1930s, the birds rebounded to a current estimated population of about 25,000. Approximately 72,000 cranes migrate through Wisconsin and surrounding states annually, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Among those advocating most fervently for the hunt are Wisconsin farmers, who suffer widespread damage to crops, especially corn seedlings, caused by the cranes.

“You can have a flock of cranes go down a cornfield row by row and pull out the newly formed corn,” Paul Zimmerman told Channel3000.com. “Pull it out and the crop doesn’t grow there at all.”

A 2007 estimate of crop damage to farmers in the state was $263,000—and the farmers bear these losses personally. There is no government compensation. Crop damage shooting permits are available, and 73 were given to farmers in 2011. (Only 50 birds were reported killed in Kentucky’s new sandhill crane season, launched last year, which was the first such hunt in the east in nearly a century.)

The crop damage issue is not new, as a 2004 report from USDA’s Wisconsin Wildlife Services indicates—along with another problem: “Sandhill crane populations have steadily increased concurrent with increased reports of crop damage caused by cranes. Cranes also create a potential threat to human health and safety at airports. These large, slow-flying birds use runways as loafing and feeding areas. In 2004, WS (Wildlife Services) received 58 calls about agricultural crop damage caused by cranes. An urgent need exists for WS to provide assistance to landowners, businesses, and municipalities on crane issues.”

Opponents of the hunt generally ignore the airport dangers altogether and say that the crop destruction occurs mostly in the spring, so it would therefore not be mitigated by a fall hunt. They also point to chemical deterrents on the market that would discourage cranes from pulling up corn. Farmers say all the deterrents (which cost $5 to $7 an acre) would do is move the cranes to another field, and spring crop damage of course would be eased if the total population of birds was brought under better control.

Moreover, hunting keeps cranes from concentrating around a food source, which can dramatically increase the risk of disease. (Recently, more than 10,000 ducks and geese were reported killed by avian cholera in California’s Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.)

Also making the case for a hunt was the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway Councils’ approval of a management plan in July 2010 that authorizes individual states to develop hunting seasons for these birds.

States that currently allow sandhill crane hunting include: Kentucky, Kansas, Alaska, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming and Minnesota.

Numerous debates about this issue are appearing in the Wisconsin media. An April 11th online poll posted by Wisconsin Public Radio showed 80 percent of respondents against the hunt. Hunters are urged to make their voices heard in support of scientific wildlife management, and advocate for a sandhill crane season.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wisconsin Battle Over Sandhill Crane Hunting

A Wisconsin court ruled that a ban on felons who are convicted of non-violent crimes (in addition to those convicted of violent crimes) possessing firearms is constitutional yesterday.

Thomas Pocian was the subject of the 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling. Pocian, 44, of Hartford was convicted of forging checks more than two decades ago in 1986, a felonious, non-violent crime. In November of 2008 he wanted to go hunting and so he used his father’s gun to shoot two deer. The deer were registered with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, at which time officers discovered he was a felon and he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In the Washington County Circuit Court, Pocian asked Judge Todd K. Martens to dismiss the case because Pocian was not a violent felon and he felt that the ban is unconstitutionally broad and shouldn’t apply to him.

Martens denied his claim and so Pocian took his arguments to an appeals court. He made a comment that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has used stricter standards to determine whether weapons restrictions are legal since a U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down handgun bans in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

The court still said tougher analysis of Pocian’s case was applied, but Wisconsin’s ban was in line with the government’s responsibility to keep the public safe.

The ruling stated that if Pocian wanted to change the law, a proper route through the legislature is necessary.

Pocian’s attorney says he still has a strong case and Pocian and he are discussing appealing to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wisconsin Upholds Ban on Firearms for Non-Violent Felons in Deer Hunting Case

A former Crawford County man who lost his hunting license for six years in 2009 was back in circuit court a second time Monday when he was convicted for illegally killing a 10-point buck and more deer later that same year.

Tyler Gray, 25, was convicted in Crawford County Circuit Court on eight counts involving hunting after revocation, hunting without a license, using or possessing another’s tag. The charges stemmed from Gray’s hunting of deer and coyotes in Crawford County in 2010 which was after his hunting license was revoked.

Gray’s total penalties ordered by the court on Monday were $3,709.05. Judge James P. Czajkowski also extended the revocation of Gray’s hunting privileges until 2018, three years longer than the original license revocation until 2015.

This was the second time Gray had been convicted. In 2009, Gray was ordered by a Richland County Circuit judge to pay $5,113 and surrender his hunting gun, his bow and his hunting license for six years. That year he was convicted on 20 counts related to shooting multiple deer from the roadway during December 2008 and January 2009.

But that conviction didn’t stop him. But concerned citizens did.

Conservation wardens in the area started getting citizen reports that Gray was back out hunting later that same year. Warden Supervisor Tyler Strelow of Dodgeville took the lead on the case that involved several other DNR conservation wardens.

“He (Gray) told me he could not give up hunting even though he knew he was revoked. He said it twice,” Strelow said in his report of the conversation he had with Gray about the citizen tips. “He (Gray) admitted to killing four deer in 2010 and one of those was a large 10-point buck. He shot it with his bow.”

Strelow said the investigation revealed hunting done with gun and bow by Gray after his license revocation, and that he shot a coyote in 2010.

“He (Gray) thought he was doing everything legal except that he did not have a license and could not hunt,” Strelow said. “This man just simply didn’t care about the law or the fact that he was breaking the law and stealing opportunity from law-abiding hunters.”

“The conservation wardens investigating this case did an outstanding job identifying and citing this repeat offender,” Crawford County District Attorney Tim Baxter said. “Offenders like Mr. Gray need to be brought to justice for the benefit of both the resource and for the rest of Wisconsin’s law – abiding sportsmen and women. These wardens should be commmended for their efforts.”

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Repeat Wisconsin Poacher Caught and Convicted in Crawford County

The April 11 opening of the 2012 spring wild turkey hunting season is just around the corner, and state wildlife officials say hunters can look forward to a good spring hunt. They also are encouraging experienced hunters to consider taking a youth out during the April 7 and 8 statewide spring turkey youth hunt.

“Turkey populations should have come through the relatively mild 2011-12 winter in good shape,” said Scott Walter, upland game biologist for the Department of Natural Resources. “As long as the critical nesting and early brood-rearing season remains dry and warm, populations can be expected to approach naturally occurring population limits imposed by habitat and predators, all good news for turkey hunters.”

Wisconsin has seen record breaking spring weather, but biologists say the early warm weather won’t have much effect on turkeys.

“Spring turkey seasons are set so that toms can breed many of the hens in a given zone before the opening date for that zone,” said Walter. “This timing limits accidental harvest of hens but the toms are still active and coming in to hunters’ calls and decoys.

“This shouldn’t change since breeding activity is influenced by daylight and not so much by temperatures. Breeding and breeding behavior occurs about the same time every year. What could impact hunters is the amount of foliage in the woods. From what I’ve seen, leaf development is running three weeks or more ahead. The landscape during the first hunting period will look like third period on opening day.”

Permits remaining in zones 1, 3, 4 and 5

More than 233,500 permits were made available for this spring’s hunt, a slight increase from the number offered a year ago. More than 137,500 of those permits were issued in the preference drawing for the spring 2012 season, leaving 90,000 tags available for sale. Remaining permits went on sale March 19.

As of March 30, all permits were sold for zones 2, 6 & 7. There are permits remaining in zones 1, 3, 4 and 5 in later hunting periods. Remaining permits can be purchased until they are sold out or the season ends. Visit the spring turkey leftover permit availability page for up-to-date information. Go to DNR’s spring turkey leftover permit page.

Spring hunting periods now seven days

Hunters can look forward to more days in the woods in 2012 as the hunting periods have been extended to seven days each. This evens out weather effects and offers a little more opportunity for time in the woods, Walter said.

The six 7-day 2012 spring turkey hunting periods start on April 11 and end on May 22. Find out more by visiting the DNR’s turkey hunting page.

Self-registration process in effect for spring 2012 season

First tried during the fall 2011 turkey hunting season with great success, self-registration is now in place for the spring season as well. Hunters no longer have to present their bird at a registration station. They must register the kill but they can do it by telephone 1-888-HUNT-WIS (1-888-486-8947) (this only works with a touch-tone phoe) or over the internet by going to the DNR website dnr.wi.us and searching the keywords, “turkey registration.”

In addition to harvest date, time, and location information, you will be asked to determine the age (adult or juvenile) and the sex (gobbler or hen) of your harvested turkey. Please note that only male turkeys may be harvested during the spring wild turkey season. In the field, refer to the Wisconsin Small Game & Wild Turkey Hunting Regulations booklet for a graphic guiding you through the aging and sexing process.

Hunters will also be asked to record a harvest confirmation number on their hunting permit at the end of the call or online session. Hunters will still have until 5 p.m. on the day after harvest to register their turkey.

Turkey Youth Hunt set for April 7 and 8

The 2012 Spring Turkey Youth Hunt will occur statewide April 7 and 8. The two-day spring youth hunt, successfully initiated in 2007, allows one-on-one mentoring of future hunters in a relaxed atmosphere without competition for hunting spots from regular season hunters.

Thanks to the Mentored Hunting Program that took effect starting with the 2009 fall season, youth hunters aged 10 and 11, in addition to youth ages 12 through 15, also may now participate in the 2012 youth turkey hunt.

Under the Mentored Hunting Program, youngsters ages 10 through 15 may hunt during the two-day youth turkey hunt without first having completed hunter education, so long as they do so with a qualified adult mentor and follow the rules of the program. Youth ages 12 through 15 who have already completed hunter education may hunt during the youth hunt while accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older. Each youth must have a valid spring 2012 turkey harvest permit, license, and stamp, McGinley said.

Youth are allowed to hunt on April 7 and 8 in the turkey management zone for which their permit is valid, regardless of the time period their permit is issued for, and may harvest only one male or bearded turkey during the two-day hunt, McGinley said.

A youth who does not successfully harvest a turkey during the two-day hunt may use the unfilled permit during the time period and in the zone for which the permit was issued. There is no special application procedure for the youth hunt, but young hunters must either be issued a tag through the drawing or purchase a leftover tag. All other spring turkey hunting regulations apply.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wisconsin Spring Turkey Season Opens Apr. 11

The third defendant in the 2009 deer-snowmobile thrill kill case that sparked interest from citizens and various organizations statewide today entered no contest pleas in Waupaca County Circuit Court to three felonies of mistreatment of animals and causing death.

Robby Kuenzi, 26, also entered a plea agreement for three Department of Natural Resources misdemeanor charges of hunting deer during closed season. Other forfeiture citations against Kuenzi were read into the record, but dismissed.

Kuenzi will be sentenced for the three felonies and three misdemeanors on May 24, when his DNR privileges also will be discussed. Today’s proceeding was before Judge John Hoffmann.

The incident occurred in the Town of Lind in Waupaca County in January 2009, and involved several deer which were repeatedly run over by snowmobiles and in some cases mutilated by use of the machines.

The other two men involved in the incident, Robby’s brother, Rory Kuenzi, and Nicholas Hermes already have been sentenced.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - No Contest Pleas Entered in 2009 Wisconsin Deer Thrill Kill Case

Wardens in Wisconsin were witness to an unprecedented case of poaching. One individual involved said this was a one-man contest to see who could get the most deer. A total of four individuals are being charged for illegally poaching about 100 deer since the start of 2011. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is seeking to revoke hunting rights for 21 years, restitution, jail time and confiscation of three weapons for the crime.

The man claimed that “poaching is not illegal until you get caught.”

Original press release issued by Wisconsin DNR on March 28th, 2012

A Hillsboro man kicked off the Twelve Days of Christmas with two days of poaching.

From the night before Christmas to the holiday night, the 20-year-old roamed the roads shining and shooting bucks and does as they stood blindly in the light. “This guy wasn’t hunting. He was poaching,” Conservation Warden Mike Nice of Richland Center said of the suspect who is alleged to have illegally taken approximately 100 deer since 2011.

“In my 22 years as a conservation warden, I have never seen another individual come close to that total. The suspect didn’t care,” Warden Nice said of the multi-county case he investigated with Deputy Warden Mike Williams and Warden Cody Adams of Prairie du Chien.

The suspect, along with two other young adult males and one juvenile male, face criminal charges stemming from the eight poaching cases — four in Richland County and four in Vernon County — that were documented by the investigating wardens. Twenty one years revocation of hunting rights is being sought along with restitution and jail time for the Hillsboro man. Confiscation of three rifles used to shoot the deer is also being requested.

Criminal charges were filed in the counties in March. Court proceedings are expected this spring. Nice said the wardens were helped in their investigation by Richland County District Attorney Jennifer Harper, who, by sheer coincidence, herself received information from a tipster. “District Attorney Harper relayed the tip, but, just as importantly, she has done an outstanding job in prosecuting criminal DNR violations in her capacity as the district attorney,” Nice said.

Assistant District Attorney Stacy Smith will be prosecuting the charges in Vernon County. A total of four individuals are being charged in the case.

A competition of one

The investigation began after citizens alerted officials to gunshots heard and deer being taken from private property in northern Richland County where hunting is not allowed. A vehicle and a dead deer were found that night. And that’s all it took for the wardens to get going on the case. The wardens ended up at registration stations in Richland, Juneau, and Vernon counties. Four deer racks were confiscated as part of the investigation. While the wardens had several persons of interest, the evidence kept coming back to the Hillsboro man. One of the man’s partners who was involved in the poaching during the last two years told Nice the suspect had taken more than 70 deer last year and 30 so far this year. “He shined and shot, or shot off the road 100 deer in the last two years,” Nice said.

The suspect eventually was brought in for questioning.

“Why are you doing this?” Nice said the suspect was asked.

“It is kinda like a contest to see who could get the most,” the suspect said, according to Nice.

“Well, who is in second place?” Nice said the suspected was asked.

“Nobody. It’s just me,” the suspect said, according to Nice.

Bucks disappear from landscape

While the suspect rode with wardens to the various locations deer were poached, the suspect described scenarios when he shot at a 16-point buck and a 10-point double drop-tine buck seen numerous times. But the bucks were never seen again after the suspect said he took shots at them — but didn’t think he hit them.

“This is what happens,” Nice said. “A hunter or landowner sees the bigger bucks on their land and suddenly they’re gone. Or, after the season, hikers will find these large bucks dead in the forest.”

Landowners, hunters and non-hunters alike will find this case disturbing, Nice said. “The people who try to do the right thing – sound land and wildlife management, hunt with the principles of fair chase and respect for the resources – everyone is harmed by a situation like this.”

Nice said what drew the wardens to the suspect was the fact he was known as always having a lot of deer. “He had no rhyme or reason why he was going where he was. He was shooting deer at night at a rate I’ve never seen,” he said. “The suspect would use other’s tags and register them at different places so he would not tip off the wardens.”

Nice said the main suspect talked of getting his start poaching at age 12 when he shot a deer from the road with his uncle. The suspect also told the wardens poaching is not illegal until you get caught. One of his partners admitted having to take a break to get some sleep because the suspect was out every night.

Tips matter: Contact the DNR Violation Hotline

“A case like this shows why the tips matter,” Nice said. “Maybe it’s a tip about hearing a gunshot here or something doesn’t look right. It may seem like a small tip. But, they can add up and a case can be made. And that is exactly what happened with this case,” Nice said. “The citizen tips help us protect the deer and the turkeys and all the wildlife, and public safety.”

Nice also noted shooting deer at night is a dangerous and senseless public safety risk. “It violates the cardinal safe hunting rule of knowing your target and what is beyond it. We are fortunate no one was shot with all this going on,” he said.

To report a suspected violation involving wildlife, recreational activities or the environment, please call the DNR Violation Hotline. It is staffed all hours of every day. You may remain anonymous.

Call: 1-800-847-9367, 24 hours a day.

Text: TIP 411 (847411). Text: TIPWDNR [space] followed by the tip.

E-mail: LE.Hotline@wisconsin.gov

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Holiday Poaching Spree Reveals Illegal Killing of Up to 100 Wisconsin Deer