First reports good from opening weekend
Prime hunting conditions help success rates
Good conditions, including mild temperatures, low winds and moderate snow cover, greeted hunters over most of the state Saturday, opening day of the 2018 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season, according to Department of Natural Resources officials.
Field reports indicate good deer activity and good hunter success rates, though the preliminary deer harvest numbers won’t be available until Tuesday from the DNR.
Snow covered about the northern and southern thirds of the state, providing hunter-friendly visibility and tracking conditions.
About 3 inches of snow covered the ground Saturday in Shawano County and deer were moving, said Chuck McCullough, wildlife supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources.
McCullough said he and several other hunters observed bucks following does, a sign the rut, or deer mating period, was in process. The rut typically peaks around Nov. 8.
The Wisconsin nine-day gun deer season traditionally starts on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) this year occurs on its earliest possible date, the 2018 season also was the earliest possible, increasing the odds hunters would see deer rutting activity and deer movement during daylight.
“I really couldn’t have asked for a better north woods deer season opener as far as hunting conditions,” McCullough said.
Bret Owlsly, DNR wildlife manager based at Horicon, had a similar assessment for southeastern Wisconsin.
“All things considered, it was the best opening weekend I’ve seen since 2012,” Owlsly said.
Owlsly said he had talked to a lot of meat processors who said they were “extremely busy” this weekend.
“I’m expecting the harvest numbers will look good and that people had good success,” Owlsly said.
Two non-fatal shooting incidents occurred Sunday, according to the DNR.
The shooting incidents occurred about 1:30 p.m. in Columbia County and at dusk in Dunn County. Both cases are being investigated by DNR conservation wardens.
In the Columbia County case, the 23year-old victim was shot in the foot by another member of his hunting party while on a deer drive.
He was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Little information was available Monday on the Dunn County case, except that it resulted in a minor injury to the victim’s arm.
The nine-day gun deer hunting season runs through Sunday.
Additional firearms deer hunting opportunities follow, including the muzzleloader season Nov. 26-Dec. 5 and an antlerless deer season Dec. 6-9.