Wisconsin Ag Connection - Governor Walker Signs Bill to Eliminate Earn-a-Buck Program

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Governor Walker Signs Bill to Eliminate Earn-a-Buck Program
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 11/07/2011

A bill that puts an end to the controversial Earn-a-Buck program in Wisconsin has been signed into law. Last week, Governor Scott Walker signed Senate Bill 75, which means hunters would no longer be required to kill an antlerless deer before shooting a buck during the state's nine-day gun deer season. However, they would have to tag a doe before bagging a second buck.

State wildlife officials have long said the program is necessary to control the Wisconsin deer herd. But hunters argue that the policy forces them to pass up large bucks that many look for while hunting. The measure also eliminates the special gun-deer seasons in October.

The Department of Natural Resources wildlife management officials proposed a 2011 deer season structure that promises a return to a more traditional hunting framework by eliminating the October antlerless hunt and allowing the first deer to be either sex in the Chronic Wasting Disease management zone.

"Like thousands of Wisconsinites, I look forward to opening day and spending some time in the woods," Walker said. "We listened to the common-sense requests of the outdoor community and are now signing them into law."

Meanwhile, Walker also signed a bill that relates to placing, possessing, or transporting a firearm, bow, or crossbow in a vehicle or motorboat in order for them to be in effect for hunting season.

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