The Milwaukee Post

14 • Milwaukee County Post • September 18, 2015 The Green Bay Packers had a nice win over Chicago in the first game of the NFL season. It is wrong, however, to make too many judgments about any team based on one game. It's what every coach and player screams regardless of a win or a loss. And they are all wrong. I'll make a large number of judgments based on the first 60 minutes of the season and expect that most of the observations will turn out to be accurate. 1.) The Bears amassed 189 yards rushing against Green Bay. The run defense will not be that bad all season, but the one game is a good sign of something that will never be a Packers defensive strength. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers says it's the most important part of his defense, and if he's serious, then he should be immediately fired. He should be fired because it's always been one of the weakest part of his defenses and this year will be no different. Actually, I don't think he should be fired because the run defense isn't as important as he states. So while his firing and the importance of run defense can be debated, his failure to excel in the area has to be accepted without discussion. In the catego- ry of rushing yards surrendered per game, the Packers had their best Capers season in his first year in Green Bay when they were No. 1 in the NFL. Since 2009, they have been 18th, 14th, 17th, 25th and 23rd best in the league. It should be noted that they were outstanding for the final last eight games of last season, but as the Bears game showed it will be viewed as the exception and not an indication of a return to 2009. 2.) Cornerback Sam Shields will not play as poorly as he did against the Bears, but his play in most games will lead to a belief that he is not worthy of the big- money contract he signed before last sea- son. His pay is the amount of money given to a shutdown corner. His play will prove that shutdown money does not guarantee shutdown play. 3.) Wide receiver James Jones will not dominate as he did in his two-touchdown game against the Bears, but he will be a huge red-zone target for Aaron Rodgers. Thank-you notes have already been sent to the New York Giants for releasing Jones and making him available for the Packers to sign. Those notes will be sent all season long and a great Packers season will guar- antee a Jones comparison to the Andre Rison signing in the Super Bowl 1996 sea- son. 4.) The regular-season special teams ranking of the Packers will improve from recent seasons, and it will have nothing to do with the change in special teams coach- es. Ty Montgomery will return kicks as well as he did against the Bears and the other mistakes and sloppiness will be as common as the last few years but won't seem as bad because of Montgomery. 5.) Aaron Rodgers will continue to play as the only quarterback in the history of the league who might be able to complete an entire regular season without a single interception. He won't ever be able to have the perfect season, but he's the first quar- terback to be so mistake-free that it even seems possible. * * * It has nothing to do with the rest of the Packers' regular season, but Jay Cutler has a 1-12 lifetime record against the Packers. It's worth wondering if he has already done enough to be voted into the Packers Hall of Fame. This year's archery and crossbow sea- son opened statewide Saturday and, thanks to a fairly mild winter across much of the state, it should be a good one. "We're expecting a good year in the field," said Kevin Wallenfang, the big game ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. "I've heard quite a few reports of does with triplets in the farmland areas and many northern folks I've talked to say their deer sightings have increased compared to the past years." Waukesha falls within the Southern District of the state's zones and things are looking good, if not great, this season. Habitat plays a key role in the distribution of deer around these parts. The acorn crop for the area is looking so good in the early season that bets are for hunters to concentrate their efforts around oak trees. According to the DNR's deer forecast, crops are about a week ahead, so hunters need to keep that in mind because early removal of crops can mean more deer in the woods and fewer of them hiding in standing corn. There are several new changes in the deer season rules for 2015. All counties in the Southern District will have bonus tags avail- able except for Racine County. The bonus buck has been discontinued and no bonus buck authorization stickers are valid for this season. Also new in the area is that albino and all-white deer are protected statewide, whereas in the past they could be harvested in chronic wast- ing disease zones. One of the biggest changes is that all deer will be registered electron- ically. A sample test occurred last year with a group of hunters and it was determined the test went well- enough to go to it for all hunters this year. Hunters have three options for registering deer: ■ by calling 844-426-3747; ■ at www.gamereg.wi.gov or; ■ electronically at a participat- ing in-person registration system through the Pocket-Ranger app for mobile devices. Electronic registration is simple, fast and convenient for hunters. The registration system will prompt hunters to answer a series of questions and generate a 10-digit confirmation number, which must be written on the carcass tag attached to the harvested animal. Hunters are reminded to carry a pen or pencil with them to write the 10-digit number on their tag. When this registration number is written on the tag, the animal is considered legally registered. All deer must be registered by 5 p.m. the day after the deer is recovered and hunters must retain the tag with the confirmation num- ber as proof of registration until the deer has been consumed. When the system was proposed a couple years ago, some hunters opposed it thinking that it would be easier for hunters to pull one over on the DNR, but rule-makers felt that the system would make regis- tration much easier, so it was worth giving it a go. Now is a good time for hunters to check all their stands to make sure they are safe. The last thing you want is to climb up to your stand on opening day at dark-thirty and have an equipment failure. No only will it ruin your hunt, but it might also ruin your life. Check all straps and make sure that nothing is in need of repair. Tree stands can greatly enhance a deer hunter's chances of harvest- ing a deer, but DNR Hunter Education Administrator-Warden Jon King said stand-related inci- dents are one of the leading causes of injury to hunters. A few minutes reviewing our easy-to-apply safety maneuvers can prevent a fall that could bring a fast end to any outdoor fun this fall, King said. The first tip is to always wear your harness. King recommended a full-body harness, to always use a haul-line to raise and lower your unloaded firearm or bow, and to attach an additional foot strap to your body harness so that one can be screwed into the tree. The hunter can use the strap to relieve pressure on the upper legs and to avoid suspension trauma. Always maintain three points of contact climbing into and out of the tree stand, either two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand, at all times, he said. Most falls happen when climbing in and out of the tree stand. Consider using a lifeline or another similar product to prevent a fall at this point. The season is finally here. Good luck and be safe. (Dan Durbin writes an outdoors column for the Post. Call Durbin at 644-7940, or email him at ddurbin@bastdurbin.com if you have a story idea.) Good season ahead for archery, crossbow hunters DAN DURBIN Be aware of new rules and remember to be careful out there Packers' first game provides insight for rest of season No time like now to rush to judgment SPORTS "HOMER" on SPORTS STEVE "The HOMER" TRUE (Steve "The Homer" True, host of "Homer and Thunder Show," heard from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on 540 ESPN, can be reached at homer@espnmilwau- kee.com)

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