I thought I would share our experience when it came to a one in a lifetime hunt for elk in the state of WI.
For those of you who don’t know there has been a reintroduction effort for elk in the state that started back in 1995 and has been significantly funded by the RMEF and private donations to establish a sustainable elk herd in the state. The elk were reintroduced into the norther part of the state initially and were given the designation of the Clam Lake herd. The current defined range for this group covers approximately 1,600 square miles over a mix of state and national forest along with private tracks. Over the years this particular herd has grown to approximately 350 animals. More recently the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has started a second herd in the state in the area of Jackson county which is currently estimated at around 150 head. The original management plan called for a limited hunt if they were able to meet population goals and general sustainability. Five years ago the DNR had determined the heard size was adequate to allow for the first limited hunt. Yearly the DNR will determine the total number of tags that would be offered and individuals can apply for a once in a lifetime hunt of the clam lake region for an application fee of $10, and if drawn then you pay for the tag. The number of tags that has been offered to state only residents has been right around 4 each year. So as you can see the number of folks who have had an opportunity to hunt these animals has been very small so far.
I will try and tell the story of our experience but If you have any general questions about what is all involved with this hunt please ask and I will be happy to share what I can.
On to the story:
For those who know me, they know I am often found in some very unique circumstances, and this one isn’t any different. I was driving down the highway in northern WI going to help a friend fix his tractor when I smelt the very distinct smell of structure fire. Anyone in the fire service knows what I am talking about when they roll up on a working structure fire. I start looking around and I see a home just off the highway that was fully involved and no one appeared to be there. I quickly pull over, found the home owner, and made sure that everyone was out safe. The local volunteer fire department was not on scene yet so we quickly tried to save anything we could and when they showed up I spent the next couple hours helping them put out the fire. Those of you who are on volunteer departments, you know how hard it can be to get trucks and people on the road on a weekend in rural communities. You take as much help as you can when your resources are limited. The fire is out and I leave them with my contact info in the event they want a statement and first in report as to what I saw when I got on scene. Now back to fixing tractors, I take off and head on down the road to help my buddy out.
A few days later I get a voice mail that just says hi this is xxx, I got something I want to talk to you about. I figured it was related to the fire so I give them a call back. When the individual answers the phone he says this is the WI elk biologist and I was hoping you would be calling. He then states that I was drawn for the tag. I almost dropped my phone, I was just besides myself and couldn’t actually believe that I was drawn. This is better than wining the lottery I told him. I always looked at the application fee as a $10 donation and it was something that you just dreamt about like what would you do if you won the lottery. I was so excited I could barley contain my self I am walking all over the house talking to the DNR and my wife is looking at me what is wrong with you and who are you talking to?
I eventually get off the phone, tell my wife and daughter about the call, everyone was very excited. Then it hit me, this is a once in a lifetime hunt, you only get one change what are you going to do to make this happen. My first thoughts were based on some statements that @Big Fin has made in some of his videos. I get more enjoyment out of watching others fulfill a dream or harvest an animal than I do in the harvest. In my mind a decision was made, I need to transfer this tag. In the state of WI under certain circumstances you can transfer your tag to a youth or others under a very narrow set of criteria. I asked the DNR if I could transfer my tag to my daughter and allow her the opportunity in my place. The DNR said that was a good question they never had anyone do that before but way the current law was written I should be able to do it. In the background I worked with the DNR to allow the transfer to happen and kept my daughter in the dark. For the next several months we scouted, and spent as much time out in the woods as possible. I kept telling her that she needed to come along in the event I got hurt or couldn’t go because of work and that I needed a backup person. Additionally she was asking how much time she could take off school to go along so she wouldn’t miss out on the hunt.
For my daughters 16th birthday she got an envelop from me, and with a very puzzled look on her face she opened it and was the paperwork all filled out for the tag transfer, and all she had to do was sign it. It was a very overwhelming moment and a very exciting moment for everyone. She knew that if she signed it we both would be out of the running for an opportunity to hunt elk in the state ever again after this season. The way our system works if original individual transfers the tag they then become ineligible for any future tags as well.
Now things are getting serious. We need to find and elk and see if we are luck enough to harvest one, and if so, she would then become the first youth in the state to ever harvest an elk. If there is interest in this hunt I will post about it and let you know if we were successful or not.
For those of you who don’t know there has been a reintroduction effort for elk in the state that started back in 1995 and has been significantly funded by the RMEF and private donations to establish a sustainable elk herd in the state. The elk were reintroduced into the norther part of the state initially and were given the designation of the Clam Lake herd. The current defined range for this group covers approximately 1,600 square miles over a mix of state and national forest along with private tracks. Over the years this particular herd has grown to approximately 350 animals. More recently the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has started a second herd in the state in the area of Jackson county which is currently estimated at around 150 head. The original management plan called for a limited hunt if they were able to meet population goals and general sustainability. Five years ago the DNR had determined the heard size was adequate to allow for the first limited hunt. Yearly the DNR will determine the total number of tags that would be offered and individuals can apply for a once in a lifetime hunt of the clam lake region for an application fee of $10, and if drawn then you pay for the tag. The number of tags that has been offered to state only residents has been right around 4 each year. So as you can see the number of folks who have had an opportunity to hunt these animals has been very small so far.
I will try and tell the story of our experience but If you have any general questions about what is all involved with this hunt please ask and I will be happy to share what I can.
On to the story:
For those who know me, they know I am often found in some very unique circumstances, and this one isn’t any different. I was driving down the highway in northern WI going to help a friend fix his tractor when I smelt the very distinct smell of structure fire. Anyone in the fire service knows what I am talking about when they roll up on a working structure fire. I start looking around and I see a home just off the highway that was fully involved and no one appeared to be there. I quickly pull over, found the home owner, and made sure that everyone was out safe. The local volunteer fire department was not on scene yet so we quickly tried to save anything we could and when they showed up I spent the next couple hours helping them put out the fire. Those of you who are on volunteer departments, you know how hard it can be to get trucks and people on the road on a weekend in rural communities. You take as much help as you can when your resources are limited. The fire is out and I leave them with my contact info in the event they want a statement and first in report as to what I saw when I got on scene. Now back to fixing tractors, I take off and head on down the road to help my buddy out.
A few days later I get a voice mail that just says hi this is xxx, I got something I want to talk to you about. I figured it was related to the fire so I give them a call back. When the individual answers the phone he says this is the WI elk biologist and I was hoping you would be calling. He then states that I was drawn for the tag. I almost dropped my phone, I was just besides myself and couldn’t actually believe that I was drawn. This is better than wining the lottery I told him. I always looked at the application fee as a $10 donation and it was something that you just dreamt about like what would you do if you won the lottery. I was so excited I could barley contain my self I am walking all over the house talking to the DNR and my wife is looking at me what is wrong with you and who are you talking to?
I eventually get off the phone, tell my wife and daughter about the call, everyone was very excited. Then it hit me, this is a once in a lifetime hunt, you only get one change what are you going to do to make this happen. My first thoughts were based on some statements that @Big Fin has made in some of his videos. I get more enjoyment out of watching others fulfill a dream or harvest an animal than I do in the harvest. In my mind a decision was made, I need to transfer this tag. In the state of WI under certain circumstances you can transfer your tag to a youth or others under a very narrow set of criteria. I asked the DNR if I could transfer my tag to my daughter and allow her the opportunity in my place. The DNR said that was a good question they never had anyone do that before but way the current law was written I should be able to do it. In the background I worked with the DNR to allow the transfer to happen and kept my daughter in the dark. For the next several months we scouted, and spent as much time out in the woods as possible. I kept telling her that she needed to come along in the event I got hurt or couldn’t go because of work and that I needed a backup person. Additionally she was asking how much time she could take off school to go along so she wouldn’t miss out on the hunt.
For my daughters 16th birthday she got an envelop from me, and with a very puzzled look on her face she opened it and was the paperwork all filled out for the tag transfer, and all she had to do was sign it. It was a very overwhelming moment and a very exciting moment for everyone. She knew that if she signed it we both would be out of the running for an opportunity to hunt elk in the state ever again after this season. The way our system works if original individual transfers the tag they then become ineligible for any future tags as well.
Now things are getting serious. We need to find and elk and see if we are luck enough to harvest one, and if so, she would then become the first youth in the state to ever harvest an elk. If there is interest in this hunt I will post about it and let you know if we were successful or not.
