By Glen Wunderlich
It never really sunk in until I was at the counter of the Morrice Hardware and intended to purchase an antlerless deer license. When I was asked my opinion of the new regulations aimed at suppressing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, I stated that I didn’t see any better options. Pressed about a specific change from last season, whereas discounted antlerless licenses were available at the reduced cost of $12 for all of the combined seasons in the CWD Management Zone but would now expire November 4, 2018, it hit me. What sense does that make?
No doubt, it was a change, but what will be the result of effectively raising the cost of antlerless tags in an area where the intent is to reduce the herd? Personally, it made no sense to me, because my policy is to take antlerless deer with a firearm later in the season. To me, a firearm is a better tool for the job and the weather is more conducive to hanging deer, as the season progresses. With all the warm weather and rain we’ve experienced in the early archery season, my beliefs have been solidified.
As any experienced archer understands, a deer shot with an arrow will typically run off. Depending on the placement of the shot, the distance it may travel could be well over a hundred yards. That may not seem consequential, unless the habitat it heads for is thick cover, which is usually the case. The wise archer also knows that it’s good policy to wait and hour or so to begin tracking chores and this is where things can get complicated.
I’d venture to take an educated guess that most deer are taken in late afternoon, as twilight sets in; that means, it will be dark, when recovery begins. Add to that a little rain and the hunter’s challenge becomes more difficult, if not virtually impossible. Should the hunter get on the trail immediately and run the risk of pushing a deer that has yet to expire? Or, should the hunter wait an extended period of time, as most knowledgeable hunters do, and risk the potential of rain washing away any sign of the trail?
The dilemma is compounded by the fact that October weather is naturally warmer than that of the late seasons. That same scenario played out in during a chilly December hunt may allow an ethical hunter to wait until morning light to recover the prize; however, that same hunter now faces a quandary of risks that fly in the face of ethical conduct.
With all of this in mind, it didn’t take me long to pass on the “new” reduced rate for antlerless licenses, which wasn’t new at all; only the counter-intuitive expiration date was new.
Personally, I wasn’t about to change my philosophy to save $8 and to go against long-held beliefs. I handed over $20 to get all the benefits of taking an antlerless deer when the snow is on the ground. It made no sense to do otherwise and I would venture to guess a fair amount of hunters will have made the same decision. However, if the reduced rate is meant to prompt more license sales, only time will tell of the wisdom, or lack thereof, of the new policy to reduce the herd.
