March is the time for hunters to be herd

Hunters, landowners and anyone, in fact, with a serious interest in the status of deer and moose in Vermont can attend any one of three public hearings, set for later this month.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140316/FEATURES08/703169999

A deer makes its way through winter snow in Castleton. Photo: Photo by Dennis JensenPublished March 16, 2014 in the Rutland Herald March is the time for hunters to be herd By DENNIS JENSEN STAFF WRITER Hunters, landowners and anyone, in fact, with a serious interest in the status of deer and moose in Vermont can attend any one of three public hearings, set for later this month. This is an opportunity for hunters and others to get the data on the deer and moose seasons held in 2013 and to hear of the prospects for the coming moose and deer seasons later this year. According to the Department of Fish & Wildlife, hunters can offer their opinions on the status of Vermont’s deer and moose herds. The public hearings, to run 7-9 p.m., will be held: March 25 in Springfield at the Riverside Junior High School cafeteria; March 26 in Orleans at the Lake Region High School cafeteria; March 27 in Middlebury at the Middlebury Union High School cafeteria. Two more hearings will be held in central and southwestern Vermont in May. Adam Murkowski, the deer team leader for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, said the deer hearings serve a twofold purpose. “The meetings are important to deer hunters and to the department,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to interact with the public and let them know what information we have regarding the deer herd. And this is the public’s opportunity to provide us with feedback about what they’ve been seeing in the field.” During the meetings, biologists will provide a summary of last year’s four deer seasons, Murkowski said. “We will listen to deer hunters and their thoughts about the deer herd,” he said. The Fish & Wildlife Department is up to its elbows in deer data, surveys and feedback and hopes to put all of the information together to get a better idea about the future of deer hunting in Vermont. Murkowski said he expects even more deer hearings, possibly in early summer. “The idea is to keep the public involved as we continue to talk about deer and deer management in Vermont,” he said. Murkowski said he and other department biologists will also provide an update on the progress of its comprehensive deer management review, scheduled for completion sometime this fall. “In addition to those things at the upcoming March and May meetings and those meeting that will follow in the summer, we’re also going to take the opportunity to discuss the ongoing deer management evaluation review, the overall process,” he said. That includes, Murkowski said, potential changes to “the deer-hunting season structure.” That means taking a new look at season lengths, possible changes in the antler restrictions and other aspects of deer hunting rules, he said. “At the meetings, we will cover where we are in any evaluation process and sharing the results of the phone survey,” he said. The phone survey, which is nearly completed, involves a random, scientific survey of about 1,200 hunters. Murkowski also said he wants to get those who attend the deer meetings to break down into smaller groups so that the department can get a better idea of what, specifically, deer hunters want, in terms of the future of deer hunting in Vermont. “We’re going to have breakout sessions, to get more in depth feedback,” he said. “We’re interested in what they think about this process. We’ll have some questions and ideas for the people and provide them with some feedback.” During last year’s deer meetings, Murkowski said, the breakout sessions “seemed to work pretty well. We’ll do it again if people want to stick around and discuss Vermont deer management in detail. We’re excited to have their input,” he said. “We think it’s very important that hunters show up and let us know what they’re thinking,” Murkowski said. Asked if deer hunters can expect the spike horn ban to continue in coming years, Murkowski said it was too soon to make any projections. “The department is not at the point where we have made any recommendations for any potential changes in Vermont deer hunting seasons or deer hunting regulations,” he said. “We want to hear what people