Conservation Congress Seeks More Public Input On Long-Term Deer Management Program

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a citizens’ liaison to the Department of Natural Resources, is seeking more public input on a long-term deer management program after some meetings held around the state regarding the program were sparsely attended.

Aaron Frailing is the chairman of Brown County’s Deer Advisory Council, one of the 72 county councils administered by the Congress that collect input and recommendations on deer policy. Frailing said that the input will have a long-term impact on Wisconsin’s deer management.

“The decisions on the direction of the deer population has never had an opportunity for such public input in the state of Wisconsin,” he said.

Frailing said urban areas have issues with nuisance deer that cause car accidents and eat shrubbery. Rural areas may have deer that harm crops. He also said that people want to continue the tradition of deer hunting, and that people who have come to the county meetings voiced concerns about the end of a program that put restrictions on the hunting of bucks.

More county meetings are planned for mid- to late October, and comments can also be submitted on the DNR’s website. No management changes will be considered until early next year, when the Natural Resources Board is slated to vote on the plan.