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MADISON -- Remaining bonus antlerless harvest permits for the 1999 deer hunting seasons will go on sale at all participating automated license sales outlets and Department of Natural Resources service centers on Sept. 13.
For the first time, hunters may purchase bonus antlerless permits at any of nearly 1,700 conservation license sales outlets. Also new for 1999 is the ability to purchase permits over the telephone by dialing toll-free, 1-877-945-4236. Telephone customers may pay the permit cost plus $3 handling fee with Mastercard or Visa.
The widespread availability of bonus permits should help to avert long lines that traditionally form at DNR service desks in the last few days prior to opening day of the gun season. Automated license vendors will have instant access to any remaining bonus permits for any given deer management unit. Sales will continue until all permits are sold or until Dec. 31.
"Hunters will find ample bonus permits available for nearly every deer management unit in the state," says Larry Konopacki, DNR assistant deer ecologist. "After all the hunter^s choice and write-in requests for bonus permits are filled, we expect to have in the neighborhood of 400,000 permits available statewide for management units outside of our metro units. This should give every hunter wanting to harvest an additional deer a chance to do so."
On the heel of back-to-back mild winters, Bill Mytton, DNR bear and deer ecologist, estimates Wisconsin^s whitetail population at 1.57 million animals this fall, which is one of the largest herds in recent years. If conditions during the nine-day gun season are mild, as they were last year, a large harvest is possible. In 1999, hunters will be able to purchase available permits at a rate of two permits per day.
The cost is $12 per permit for residents and $20 for nonresidents. All funds generated through the sale of the bonus permits are allocated to the state^s wildlife damage program, and are used only for wildlife damage abatement projects, paying wildlife damage claims, and paying counties for the cost of administering the program.
Bonus antlerless permits are good for the early and late archery seasons, the nine-day gun season and the muzzleloader season. Up to six antlerless permits (three for an archery license and three for a gun license) are free in the Zone-T units 51A, 62B, 63A, 65B, 66, 67B, 80A and 80C.
"Early sales of bonus antlerless permits usually go to archery hunters," says Konopacki. "But if gun hunters want to avoid lines during the last couple of days prior to the early Zone-T gun hunt or opening of the gun season, going to a license vendor now could save them some time later on. Now is also a good time to purchase a gun deer license for the same reason."
Hunters can access a list of automated license vendors via the DNR World Wide Web site. Bonus antlerless permit availability will soon also be accessible with daily updates. Hunters may also call 1-800-282-0367 toll-free for bonus antlerless permit updates.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact: Larry Konopacki, Wildlife Management, (608) 261-7589; DNR Customer Service and Licensing, (608) 266-2105 or (608) 266-2621
Uploaded: 9/11/1999
Uploaded: 9/11/1999