Gun deer hunting in Wisconsin will start slower this year | News, Sports, Jobs

BRAD RICHTIG of Aurora, Wisconsin, hit a 10-point shot at 2:30 p.m. on the opening day of the Wisconsin gun season in Florence County. Successful hunters can submit photos to The Daily News by emailing [email protected]. In addition to information about the hunt, please include where the hunter is from and the county where the harvest was made. (Sent photo)

Wisconsin hunters recorded 1.8% fewer deer on the opening weekend of the 2024 gun season than a year ago, according to preliminary data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; The biggest decrease was seen in the northern forest region with 14.1%.

Reports from the field range from good deer activity to little to no daytime deer movement, the DNR said.

Some breeding activity was still observed. But overall, deer sightings and harvests declined as expected, given the late opening date relative to the peak of the breeding season.

Snow fell in parts of the state on Monday, and the expected drop in temperatures could create a whiteout in the second half of the season for many hunters. Better visibility of deer and the ability to follow the snow could mean good conditions for those trying to make the most of nine days, the DNR said.

“From what I remember from a few years ago, we may see the numbers increasing at a better pace as hunters get some snow on the ground.” DNR Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl told Wisconsin Public Radio on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday morning, the DNR had no firearm-related hunting incidents to report from the opening weekend. The agency reported two firearm-related hunting incidents in the first two days of the 2023 season.

In all, hunters logged 89,203 deer statewide on opening weekend; this figure was 90,831 recorded in the same period in 2023. In addition to the decline from a year ago, the total was 4.7% below the five-year average.

Hunters recorded a total of 49,038 antlered deer, a 4.3% decrease compared to 51,261 in 2023. The polled harvest was 40,165, up 1.5% from last year.

The opening weekend in the northern forest region saw antlered totals of 8,483, down 17.4% from a year ago, while antlerless totals of 4,016 were down 6.4%. Compared to the five-year average, the horned total decreased by 19.4% and the hornless total decreased by 20.1%.

In Florence County, 596 deer were captured on opening weekend, down 10% from a year ago. 401’s horned harvest decreased by 12.3% and its hornless harvest decreased by 4.9%. Compared to the five-year average, the horned harvest was down 9.3% and the hornless harvest was up 56%.

Also in the boreal forest region, northern Marinette County showed a total harvest of 837 on opening weekend; this was 9.3% lower than a year ago. 682’s deer harvest decreased by 5.8%, while 155’s antlerless harvest decreased by 22.1%. Compared to the five-year average, the horned harvest decreased by 8.5% and the hornless harvest decreased by 2.5%.

Forest County bucked the trend with an opening weekend harvest total of 533, 1.7% higher than a year ago. However, while 379’s deer harvest decreased by 5.2%, 154’s antlerless harvest increased by 24.2%. Horned numbers were 0.5% below the five-year average, but hornless numbers increased by 92.5%.

Southern Marinette County, located in the central farmland region, showed a total harvest of 1,750 on opening weekend, down 6.2% from 2023. The antler count, 1,110, was down 8.1% from a year ago and 2.5% from five years ago. annual average. The total number of 640 individuals without horns was down 2.7% from 2023 and 9.5% from the five-year average.

Hunters had better success than a year ago on opening weekend in Waushara, Winnebago, Dodge, Adams and Marquette counties, Pritzl said.

Preliminary numbers show the number of deer hunters in Wisconsin is up slightly from 2023. As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, sales of deer hunting privileges, which include guns, archery, crossbow, conservation boss and sports licenses, increased 0.48% to 778,111. from the same time last year. Of these, 541,258 were for weapons privileges only.