Impact of on-line reg. during Gun season
Wisconsin
Since Wis. has gone to on-line registration in 2015 and probably forever. I can Only imagine the Gin mills / Taverns that registered Deer in the past will loose a great deal of $$$$. I know that our group always stopped in for one or two beers when we would go to register. Usually registered after hunting hours. Now that your not required to bring deer in. how much will this change have in dollars and Cents for local taverns convienience stores etc. that normally registered deer?? Your thoughts??
Never let on-line registration get in the way of thirst for a cold one, opportunity to flirt with a cute bartender, or the chance to poke a packer fan in the eye. I don't think much will change..
I think it will change and have an effect on taverns, gas stations, etc. Our local tavern that use to register deer is doing nothing this year to draw in hunters. He does have a computer if anyone wants to go online and register a deer. In years past that tavern had a photo board of deer registered, a big buck contest and daily hunter specials for meals. Not this year. What he made in those 9 days was what he usually made in 4 months otherwise.
This hits some businesses hard. Although the DNR and others will downplay that. IMO this will also make it a lot easier for some to fill others tags. Some of the large gun groups will love that they can fill tags of absent members and just call in or go online to register.
Is it the DNR and hunters job to inconvenience people and make them go to a local business to make the business some money? I know a lot of gas stations gave up their registration stations because it didn't make economic sense to hire another person to register the deer and the people registering the deer did not spend as much in the store as one would think.
You can still go to the bar, get pissed up, drive home and give hunters a bad name as drunks. Sorry for the rant.
Zinger, so anyone that has a few beers/cocktails after a hunt is a drunk?
Oh no, alcohol and guns go so well together, even the next morning. Should be total sobriety or no gun. My personal opinion.
Tri-County, it would have to be a thermos of brandy old fashioned. The official cocktail of Wisconsin.
On a serious note-
Guns and booze don't mix. Make sure you secure that firearm before having a night cap. And if you do go to town make damn sure you hav a designated driver.
Soooo I shouldn't bring a sixer to the stand with me?....
I know I won't be driving to the tavern since I don't have to go to register deer.
Soooo I shouldn't bring a sixer to the stand with me?....
I know I won't be driving to the tavern since I don't have to go to register deer.
I agree, Firearms and alcohol don't mix.
If you have one at the bar or to celebrate a kill during the day, do not pick up the firearm until tomorrow.
Zero tolerance during the hunt.
I find 8-10 beers relaxes me, takes the edge off, helps my aim.
Tri-County - Actually alcohol and firearms and driving are really no laughing matter!
Way too many folks loose loved ones by the foolish acts fueled by alcohol!
Absolutely nothing wrong with a cold one...after the hunt! Good time to celebrate the hunt and the days ahead!
If you are going to drink, drink responsible and do yourself and others a favor!
Safety first!
It could mean a lot of things. Like fewer drunk drivers, fewer people going to the woods drunk in the morning, ect. On the good side more hunters will be alert and ready to hunt. How much worse could this be. Seems like safety for all is a good thing.
No sense of humor about this. Scary to me how many natural blinds Ive found over the years on public land that contained empty beer cans. There's a real surplus of idiots out there.
reefer is all good though right??? I hear its good for the ol ptsd, and sore back after a long drag from the swamp.
It will effect local economies a little, but i think your corner tavern will be fine, hell they may sell an extra beverage or two because instead of wasting time at a registration station you can go straight to your favorite watering hole. We how ever have always just gone to town for dinner one night opening weekend, and came back to the shack for our drinking festivities. Its funny how much later it takes some guys to get out of bed Sunday morning.
A serious story to put things in perspective - last year the Friday before opening day our neighbors in-laws who were u to hunt came back from town in the late afternoon after all of them had been to deep in the bottle, they took the corner onto our street to hard and to fast especially for snow covered roads. They hit the telephone pole on the corner about 10 feet up. One died instantly, another flight for life, the driver just some scratches. It was all over the Chippewa valley news The worst part was hearing a lady screaming from the house the next day, made one think about past poor judgement calls and how fragile it all is, and how pointless and stupid it is to ever make a decision like that. Don't make bad choices, its not worth ruining your life, your family's life, or someone else's.
Not sure what deer registration and drinking have in common, but I don't need to kill a deer to enjoy a cold one. Not during the hunt, but certainly after.
How stupid is it to blame online registration for the health of a business? Do you guys who do so also support other forms of socialism?
I personally liked loading my deer on the truck and heading to the cenex to register and share the story and hear the stories from the other guys while checking out the deer. I don't think that gas station will lose too much money over it because the guys still need to go get their beer and smokes.
As far as drinking goes, the guys that like to go to the bars will still go. When I first got back into hunting I would bring friends with and we would go out and get sloshed. Now, it's just my son and I and he's not nearly old enough to have beers with me. I am old enough now to realize that nothing good happens when you go out and drink. I do however wish I was a participant in a "real" deer camp so I had some men to drink with while we play cards and talk shat. Staying at my in laws is just not the same as a real deer camp. I miss the comarodory that comes with drinking after the hunt. It's part of what makes gun deer camp special. When I bowhunt I'm there to hunt. When I gun hunt, the actual hunting is second to having a good time with the boys.
Once again crusader and I are in agreement.
we always had to load the deer and head to a local tavern. But the bartenders rarely knew what to actually do other than have you fill out the form. They would hand you the tag and tell you to go tag it yourself. Every one knew this , so I believe the using another mans tag because of the online registry, wont matter a lick by me.
the owner will probably loose a few dollars , but I don't think it will amount to much. As the restaurant is the best in town.
If anything online registration gives a guy MORE time to go to town and spend money...only difference is we don't have to wait in line, standing out in the rain (will it ever snow?), to register. I honestly don't think anybody's going to go out of business because they no longer register deer...and if that's what kept them in business then I think their business plan is skewed and their days as a entrepreneur were numbered anyhow..
As for drinking and guns, we all know that's not a good combination, but on the flip side of the coin I think some of you need to get a grip and realize just because you can't enjoy a beer or two without getting hammered that not everybody is like you or celebrates in that way. Some people can handle their liquor, believe it or not!
Guns and alcohol don't make a good combination, we need to do all we can do to support the sport and not give the antis more fuel!!the day of the lock on metal tags is over. Then it went to paper on line registration etc. progress I guess.
As. Long as they still have the buckboards. A deer hunting tradition!!!!!!!
Quick question: How many DUIs does a person have to get in WI before it's a felony?
JRW, I'm not exactly sure, I have none and am now smart enough to be safe when I drink. Although if they checked me on the golf course in a golf cart I'd be in prison for life by now. I worked with a guy who had five and bragged about the fact that he had only spent a total of around thirty days in jail combined. He's now dead, and so is the person who was in the car he hit. Yes, he was drunk.
I get a kick out of everyone who is complaining about grown men drinking! If you know you can't handle a few drinks than don't drink but, realize not everyone is the same as you! My deer camp consists of about 11 guys, we hunt hard and when the day is done we fill our belly with drinks while telling stories and playing cards. We drink and laugh till we stumble to bed and wake up early and do it all over again for 9 days. We joke at the end of season it's a good thing it only lasts 9 days because our livers couldn't handle 10! There have been mornings were guys including myself were moving pretty slow but, never have we had any incidents, I trust my life with the guys I hunt with. I am 27 and the second youngest at deer camp my family has owned our cabin since 1987 and 6 out of 7 owners are veterans, we are one of the safest crews I have ever encountered and yes we drink at night. Sorry for the rant I just get upset when people judge others based off what they believe, everyone is different look out for each other, if you see someone in your group getting crazy or unsafe say something, otherwise have a good time, make memories and safe hunting!
Overhead this comment from an older gentleman this morning at a local diner "I have not bought a license in years...the boys had me go buy a tag yesterday- so they can shoot one, gut it, register it. And, I will get the venison without leaving the house". I suppose this could and did happen with some degree with the in person registration...but this online/electronic deal just makes it easier for the cheaters to cheat. I know (and I am sure so do the cheaters) that there is a chance to get caught, but the odds are definitely in their favor. (If I knew who this guy was I would without hesitation tip off the DNR) There are pros and cons to it...and I appreciate the effort it takes to haul the deer to the registration, especially when your deer camp is in the middle of nowhere. But as a whole, it just does not make sense to me to change the old system for the sake of change. I suspect it is a money saving effort for the DNR..but we will see. Maybe I will just drink beer instead...
I think some will loose a bit, but the smart ones will adapt and use new, unique techniques to lure in the hunters in their area. . As far as cheating, cheaters will cheat. But I know I like the system for bowhunting, because I used to have a print out of registration stations and hours. Even then a few deer had to handled twice(unloaded at home and reloaded in the morning) since I couldn't get to a nearby station in time.
Dan
"the boys had me go buy a tag yesterday- so they can shoot one, gut it, register it" With group bagging this has been happening for years...
Willert88 -
I haven't seen anyone complaining about "grown men" drinking. That's just fine as long as it's done responsible.
If someone (like your group) drinks so much they stagger to bed. That's great! Staggering to bed is much better than staggering across the street at 1AM fumbling for you car keys!
You want to play drunk - do it at home or in the cabin were your buddies can babysit and the drunks are in a safe environment and not on public display!
At 27 years of age Willert88 - you have many years in front of you to make those observations of the intoxicated idiots I speak of.
My and most folks here experience being "drunk" with the outdoors experience!!!
We don't drink in our deer camp! Fish camp - different story for some of the boys!
Enjoy and be safe!
For those who think electronic registration will make it easier to poach I disagree. With the old way you could shoot the deer, take it home, never register it and then cut it up. With the new system you could shoot the deer, take it home, never register it and then cut it up. Either way they need to punch their tag to be legal to transport the deer out of the field. I don't see how it will make any difference. Now some deer will be not registered simply because people forget, they will take the deer home, cut it up and then a week later realize they forgot to call it in.
There is a big difference between having a few drinks at NIGHT after the hunt and hunting while drinking. I haven't heard one person in this thread say anything about handling firearms or hunting while drinking. But of course some had to blow it out of proportion.
Agree with zinger. For honest hunters, no change. Much easier to call it in. I
Zinger, using common sense to illustrate a point is something not often done here anymore. +1
Sweet JESUS, GET A GRIP! Hunt other states and see none have to drag the animal in and register it. Times change, its a brave new world out there, the sky does not fall in the other states, the phone in registration worked flawless for me. The old system is archaic and ridiculous, embrace the future, its not that scary. Maybe have a beer or Makers Mark and r-e-l-a-x
Registration here has always been a PITA. Most times with deer had to wait until next day to register or drive 20 miles plus to one. If you wanted to take care of the game right away this is a problem. Here and in my case the only one loosing anything on it. Is the gas station as I need more fuel after running all over to find one open.
It's been awesome with bear. Ones shot in evening we gain at least an hour to get the bear dealt with. Don't have to run 20 miles or more at times to get it registered. Done right in the woods. An hour is critical in getting hide off, and bear cooled down.
I am surprised there has not been to much talk on the poaching end of it. You guys are slacking some. LOL
"the boys had me go buy a tag yesterday- so they can shoot one, gut it, register it" With group bagging this has been happening for years... True, even before group bagging became legal and most likely happening still in bow season.
I doubt many businesses will go out of business because of this. But I know sport shops in the area have already noticed a drop ion business since the new system has been in place. Some of these sportshops have to make it when they can and this is just another loss.
As for taverns, probably not much of a drop in business. Gas stations will remain the same unless their prices are too high.
It was nice to go and see the deer that were being registered or look at the photos. Also now there are few photos in the local paper so hard to know what is being shot.
Yes, convenient, especially bear and early season deer.
As for other States systems, their systems are not the best, way less accurate data.
This is one of the best moves in WI deer hunting in a long time. Some want to talk about tradition. I laughed when I read that crap. In-person registration was always a pain in the ass based on our situation. Glad this change was made. Southfarm said it best when he said “I honestly don't think anybody's going to go out of business because they no longer register deer...and if that's what kept them in business then I think their business plan is skewed and their days as a entrepreneur were numbered anyhow..”
Now lets get rid of back tags and things will really be looking up in WI.
OK so today this new call in registration was the greatest thing in the world. I freakin love it. We hunted all day, Worked like hell again to get out deer out of the mess we hunt in, Got them cleaned up and hung and didnt have to take them down for some stupid, useless ride into town. Freakin awesome!!!
Now we work our asses off and can hang them, clean up, enjoy our meal, play some cards and hit the sack and never have to piss around wasting time leaving camp for some useless waste of time trip. This call in registration is a real winner. Wish we would have had this a decade ago. Well done WI. Wwll done. Best move ever.
Run n gun, or "Ron" n gun? Lol
I used it. I still had to take a ride to get good phone reception, just didn't have to take the deer with me.
We used the new system a couple times. A positive experience. The little bit of time it took to go through the required steps took far less time and money than driving to a registration station.
Now the business are complaining, the very same people who pushed to get Walker in office 3 times (I was one of them). WI is amazing. People don't know what they want.
The question is when will the losers who get everything for nothing get their food cards, energy assistance, free cellphones, ect taken away?
I know that question doesn't have anything to do with the impact of registration but I had to vent.
