• January 16, 17 & 23 - Public hearings will be held on revisions to ch. NR 10, Wis. Adm. Code, relating to deer hunting season and permit issuance regulation changes. Part of the 2006 deer rule package that was implemented this fall was the result of a Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) motion requesting that the department agree to a one-year experiment with the antlerless only December 4-day gun deer hunt north of Hwy. 8. As a result, the four-day antlerless only December gun deer hunt starting the second Thursday after Thanksgiving in Deer Management Units north of Hwy. 8 was limited to a 1-year trial in 2006. In order for the December gun hunt to continue in those Deer Management Units beyond 2006, the department must modify the rule. The department will hold public hearings on removing the one-year sunset on this December deer hunt for the fall of 2007. This does not mean the decision has been made. The department will hold public hearings and collect and analyze data this winter before making a recommendation for final adoption. The rule process requires that the rule be initiated before the 2006 December 4-day antlerless gun deer hunt occurs. The rule language authorizing the special youth gun deer hunt event is modified to clarify Earn-a-buck and CWD tagging requirements during the event. The proposed rule also includes several housekeeping changes pertaining to deer hunting in several state parks. The rule does not establish new deer seasons, rather it correctly codifies seasons that have existed in the parks in previous years. In drafting the 2006 deer hunting rule, major revisions to ch. NR 10 took place to consolidate complicated state park deer hunting rule language. During the consolidation, several drafting errors and omissions occurred. These housekeeping changes are included to correct those drafting errors. The proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted through the Wisconsin Administrative Rules Web site. Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted via U.S. mail to Keith Warnke, Bureau of Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Comments may be submitted until Feb. 1, 2007. Written comments whether submitted electronically or by U.S. mail will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the public hearings. A personal copy of the proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be obtained from. Warnke at the address above. For information contact Keith Warnke at (608) 264 6023. The hearings will be held at 6 p.m. on the following dates at the locations listed:
? January 16, Rhinelander - Auditorium, James Williams Middle School, 915 Acacia Lane.
? January 17, Park Falls - Board Room, Park Falls City Hall, 400 Fourth Ave. South.
? January 23, Fitchburg - Gathering Waters Room, DNR South Central Region Hdqrs., 3911 Fish Hatchery Road.