DNR UNDER FIRE
Thursday, December 17th, 2009 -- 2:48 PM
Usually, when we hear terms like ?throw the bums out,? the ?bums? are politicians.Rarely are the tables turned. But, a couple weeks ago, State Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker said everyone in the DNR associated with deer herd management needs to go.
State Sen. Pat Kreitlow isn?t sure he?d go that far, but thinks some big changes need to be made.
"Even the DNR admits it's had some real problems getting a handle on herd size, and how best to manage it," he says. "I'm not one of those people that would fire (everyone), because, then you're left with nobody, and where does that really get you?"
Thursday was a day of reckoning for Department of Natural Resources deer managers. Assembly and Senate committees cheduled a public hearing at the state Capitol. DNR officials were to be grilled about a November gun-deer season which left many hunters unsatisfied. This year?s harvest of 195,000 deer was down almost 30% from last year.
"There does need to be some kind of a shake-up in the DNR. Sen. Decker sent a very strong message: people's patience has worn very thin--frankly, it's just gone," he says.
Many hunters blame the DNR?s herd management strategies for a decimated deer population, but supporters say the deer herd needs to be scaled back to prevent crop damage and car accidents.
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