Advisory board meeting last night.

[KEN W]

Went to the advisory board meeting in Wahpeton last night.Listened to the GNF commissioner and the big game biologist.They are proposing a cut of 29,000 licenses this year.All units will get less tags except 3F1 and 3F2. They want more samples there for CWD testing to see if it is more widespread after finding it in a mule deer buck last fall.

Most of the drops will be for antlerless tags.Although whiteail buck tags will be cut.They are flying the badlands this week counting mule deer.They are proposing no cuts in mule deer buck tags in any unit but that could change depending on this week's survey.They will offer 1,000 less mule deer doe tags.

Total tags available will be 115,450.....that's 35,000 less than in 2008.There were 94,000 first draw apps last year.The hardest hit will be unit 2A in the SE corner where only 100 doe tags will be availabe.

Randy Kreil,the big game chief said there will be units where even all doe tags will be gone in the first draw....he said there will be unhappy hunters who are used to getting all the tags they want.

Last year saw a lot less fawns with many does with no fawns.They don't expect that this year.Kreil said the many dry does went into winter in great shape plus winter was about 50 days less than 2008-2009.

[marine_man]

Thanks for the info Ken.. I wasn't able to make it to an advisory meeting this year.

Very interesting regarding the drop... should be interesting this year when lottery results come out!

marine_man