Gov. Walker: Have a Safe, Fun Deer Hunting Season

On Thursday, Gov. Scott Walker delivered the weekly radio address. This week’s address is titled Hunting in Wisconsin.

Hi, this is Scott Walker.

Opening day of the nine-day deer season is right around the corner. To keep the tradition alive, we need to share stories and the experience of the hunt with the next generation.  This year, I am urging hunters to introduce someone new to hunting.  We’ve made it easier and cheaper for new individuals to try hunting — first-time hunters can now try out the sport for a discounted rate by purchasing a First-Time Hunter’s License through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 

Since many people don’t have private land, we are making it easier to hunt by opening private land up to the public.  This year, we’ve expanded hunting through the Voluntary Public Access (VPA) program, which now has 43,000 acres of private land open to hunting, up about 29,000 acres from last year.  VPA land is open to the public for multiple purposes, including hunting, and doesn’t require permission from the land owner prior to use. 

Beyond just VPA land, last month I asked the DNR to map all public land that is open to the public for hunting and other purposes.  We recently launched a web-based mapping tool aimed at helping users find privately owned land open for specific recreational activities. 

To learn more about the First-Time Hunter’s Licenses or get additional information about land open for hunting I’d encourage you to visit the DNR’s website at www.dnr.wi.gov.

I will be one of the hundreds of thousands of hunters looking to get a deer this year. Going hunting feeds our traditions, feeds our families, and feeds our economy. Have a safe and fun 2012 deer season.

The state partnered with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association to produce and distribute brief radio address once a week.  Audio files and a written transcript of this radio address can be accessed on http://www.wi-broadcasters.org and http://walker.wi.gov/Weekly-Radio-Addresses.  To download an mp3 file, you can right click the radio address link and click “save link as.