WI Natural Resources Board Evaluation of Crossbow Use in Wisconsin Tuesday, October 22, 2019

1. WI Natural Resources BoardEvaluation of Crossbow Use in WisconsinTuesday, October 22, 2019 AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

2. NRB Crossbow Timeline April 2018 – NRB requests season alternatives January 2019 – Season alternatives presented February 2019 - NRB requests crossbow evaluation • Wisconsin’s Evaluation of Crossbow Use & Season Structure • Staff • Human Dimensions Scientists • Big Game Program Managers AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

3. NRB Areas of Interest • Lapsed gun deer hunters • Exclusive crossbow use • Buck harvest equality & weapon success rates • Deer hunter motivations • License simplification • Hunter recruitment & retention • Retail business impacts • Safety & technology • Crossbows in other states AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

4. Evaluation Methods • Go Wild data mining • Lapsed hunter survey • Hunter motivation survey • Technology review • State agency interviews • Retail business interviews AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

5. Key Findings Biological • Buck resource • Herd management • Other states AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

6. Key Findings Are gun and archery hunters converting to hunt exclusively with crossbow? AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

7. Key Findings License Sales and Revenue AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

8. Key Findings Are gun hunters lapsing because of crossbows, harvest success differences, and lack of bucks? AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

9. Key Findings What motivates deer hunters to use a specific weapon? • Archery – skill, challenge, solitude • Crossbow – accomplishment of a successful hunt • Gun – venison, comradery, family tradition • What motivates deer hunters to go hunting? • Gun – family tradition • Crossbow & Archery – similar motivations AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

10. Key Findings Crossbows in Other States • Crossbow use • Deer harvest & biological impact • Wounding rates • Season histories AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

11. Key Findings Crossbows in Other States Wyoming Minnesota Iowa Ohio Kentucky Michigan North/South Dakota Washington/Oregon Colorado AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

12. Key Findings Safety • Wisconsin incidents • Crossbow safety education • Technology • Crossbow vs compound AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

13. Key Findings Business Impacts • Crossbow sales and repairs • Compound bow sales • Retailer comments AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

14. Allocation of Bucks AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

15. Key Findings • Should the deer (and buck) harvest be in equal proportion to the number of licenses sold? • Nearly half the hunters in each weapon group had no opinion • Remaining hunters tended to agree AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

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17. Summary • Biological concerns • Weapon success rates • Buck harvest trends • Technology • Deer hunter input • Deer hunting traditions AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief

18. WI Natural Resources Board AGENDA ITEM 3.A, Bob Nack, Big Game Section Chief