Harvest of White Deer in Wisconsin Fuels Outrage Among Community
OutdoorHub Reporters 11.28.12
It’s an unwritten rule among sportsmen and women in Sauk County, Wisconsin that the white deer there should be spared from a hunter’s bullet or broadhead. Local hunters there let the deer walk and many enjoy observing the deer for their unique looks.
When two such deer were taken by out-of-town hunters on opening weekend of gun season in Wisconsin (Nov. 17 and 18), some members of the community were outraged and the hunters are facing criticism. The two white deer, one of which was harvested in Leland and the other in Plain, were both legally taken.
A local business owner, Amy Sprecher of Sprecher’s Bar, told Baraboo News Republic that she would give the hunters “a piece of her mind” if she sees them in her bar again. “They’ve been hunting here for years and coming into our bar. They know how we feel,” Sprecher’ said. “These are really great white hunters.”
The community has been putting more pressure on the Wisconsin DNR to place greater protection on white deer statewide, but DNR spokesman Bob Manwell said that will require legislative action.
“As far as the DNR is concerned, this was a legal harvest, that’s really the end of the story,” Manwell said. “There’s nothing illegal about it. The deer was taken and registered and that’s it. Whether local area sentiment is involved, well, it is what it is.”
