CALENDAR
DODGEVILLE - The light snow had tapered off and openings had formed in the cloud deck above.
But my treestand view of Iowa County was more than blue and white. A pair of crows flapped in and roosted 20 feet apart in the crown of an oak just 30 yards from my location.
The large black birds proceeded to throw their heads back and “caw, caw” at each other. The conversation captivated me – if only I had a translator.
Among other things, I wanted to know if they were telling the other wild ones in the area about the orange-clad lump 15 feet up the nearby tree.
Whatever they were saying, it amounted to a successful diversionary tactic for one member of the local whitetailed deer herd.
As I focused on the bird banter, a deer slipped 30 yards behind my stand and toward the draw behind me.
I noticed it too late and only saw its ears and the top of its back.
Since it was opening morning of the Wisconsin gun deer hunting season, and I was holding a rifle and possessed an antlerless deer tag for Iowa County, the animal was legal game.
But that’s hunting. Sometimes opportunity knocks when your ears are plugged or eyes are turned.
As it turned out, it was the best chance I’d have over the first two days of the gun deer season hunting in Iowa and Marquette counties.
My experience, of course, was just one of more than 500,000.
Hunting conditions were favorable over most of the state and hunter success was up compared to last year.
I haven’t yet punched a 2018 Wisconsin deer tag (alright, harvest authorization) but am looking forward to more days afield, with both firearm and bow in hand.
The gun deer season runs through Sunday, and many thousands of stories are still being written.
For now, here’s a few vignettes of what, through the mid-point, had been a safe, successful season.
First weekend results positive
Hunters registered 118,670 deer through the first two days of the season, a 13 percent increase from last year, according to information released Tuesday by the state Department of Natural Resources.
Hunters were aided by favorable conditions, including mild temperatures statewide on opening day with moderate snow cover in the north and south, and good deer numbers in most of the state.
The opening weekend kill included 65,338 bucks and 53,282 antlerless deer.
Regionally, the DNR reported the southern farmland deer harvest was up 32% and the central farmland was up 13%, while the the central forest was down 5% and the northern forest was down 2%.
Marathon County had the most deer registered (4,140), with Waupaca (3,952) and Shawano (3,800) rounding out the top three counties.
The preliminary nine-day gun deer season harvest is scheduled to be released Tuesday by the department.
Positive deer camp tradition
Brothers Lloyd Purnell of Pewaukee and Mike Purnell of Oconomowoc continue to set a sterling example for landowners in the state’s farmland regions, where deer numbers are high.
The Purnells annually invite hunters to their properties near Sextonville in Richland County for the disabled hunt, youth hunt, bow hunts and all firearm seasons, including the Holiday Hunt.
This year, more than 20 hunters were present for last Saturday’s opening day.
Mike Purnell expressed his goal for the hunters on the properties, which cover about 600 acres.
“I want us to be deer hunters, not just big buck hunters,” Purnell said. “If you can put a good shot on any deer, I don’t care what it is, do it.” SUNDAY
Nine-day gun deer hunt ends. MONDAY-DEC. 5
Muzzleloader deer hunt.
FRIDAY
Musky season closes in northern zone. DEC. 6-9
Antlerless deer hunt.
Many landowners don’t allow any hunting, so the concerted effort to harvest deer by folks like the Purnells is critical to help keep local deer numbers in check.
The Purnell crew killed 11 deer (seven antlerless and four bucks) over the early part of the gun season. Since the opening of bow seasons in mid-September, 23 deer have been taken off their properties.
Further, the Purnells make sure each deer taken on their properties is tested for chronic wasting disease.
And this year, the Purnell clan passed a hat and collected $400, which was donated to Doug Duren of Cazenovia to help fund deer carcass dumpsters in the area.
Landowners like the Purnells help make the future of Wisconsin deer hunting brighter.
License sales
Continuing a trend in recent years, sales of Wisconsin deer hunting licenses are down in 2018.
Through Nov. 16, the state had sold 774,332 total (gun, bow, crossbow, patron and sports) deer hunting licenses, down 2.5 percent from the same time in 2017.
Although the DNR did not have similar data available for gun licenses only, 547,525 gun authorizations (gun, patron and sports) had been sold as of Nov. 16. In 2017, 589,642 gun authorizations were sold through the entire season.
A general shift in deer hunting behavior has been observed in Wisconsin over the last four years after a change in the state’s crossbow hunting to allow use of the equipment by all licensed hunters regardless of age or physical ability. Since the regulation change, sales of Wisconsin gun and archer licenses have decreased while crossbow license sales have increased. The previous law allowed crossbows for deer hunting only for hunters with physical disabilities or those over age 65.
Updated license sales data are expected from the agency in the coming days.
Father-daughter bucks
Mike Wabiszewski, 63, and his daughter, Chrissy, 28, both of Elm Grove, have deer hunted together for 16 years in the Green Lake area.
It’s a family tradition established by Mike’s grandfather, Earl Thompson. Earl taught Mike’s father, Edward Wabiszewski, to hunt in the area and helped Edward kill his first buck in 1966.
Edward in turn passed the love of hunting to his kids. The tradition includes a “Deer Hunters Ball” hosted by Edward on the eve of the gun deer season at his Green Lake home.
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the ball; more than 30 people ages 14 to 86 attended.
The next day, Mike and Chrissy were in their customary spot on land near Green Lake owned by Mike’s cousin Sandy Thompson of Lake Forest, Ill.
Mike has taken 38 bucks over the years and has been at Chrissy’s side when she shot two 10-pointers. But this year provided a first for the fatherdaughter duo.
About 4 p.m. on opening day a wide 8-pointer came into view and gave Chrissy a good shot. Her rifle cracked and the deer jumped into a thicket.
Expecting the deer to jump out of the thicket on his side of the blind, Mike raised his rifle and, sure enough, about one minute later an 8-pointer emerged from the heavy cover and walked into a shooting lane. Mike squeezed the trigger, and the deer lunged.
The Wabiszewskis let 20 minutes pass before taking up the trail. To their surprise and delight, they not only found Chrissy’s wide 8-pointer (an 18inch inside spread) but also a smaller 8pointer (12-inch spread). Chrissy’s deer never left the thicket and likely pushed Mike’s deer out where he could see it.
That, as they say, is teamwork.
Two elk shot illegally
The DNR’s Bureau of Law Enforcement is investigating the illegal shootings of two elk during the gun deer season.
The first occurred Nov. 17 when a hunter shot a bull elk near Warrens in Monroe County. According to the DNR, the man thought the elk was a deer and self-reported the incident after learning of his mistake.
The elk was seized and confiscated in accordance with Wisconsin law and all the meat will be salvaged and donated to the Jackson County Food Pantry, according to the DNR.
The second elk, an adult cow, was shot Nov. 19 in the Jackson County Forest. The DNR is looking for information to help identify a suspect in the case. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the confidential tip line at 800 TIP-WDNR (800-847-9367).
Dumpster success
The deer carcass dumpsters placed in Sauk, Richland and other counties received a good amount of use over the first several days of the season.
One, placed in Prairie du Sac by the Sauk County Conservation Alliance, was more than half full and organizers were planning to bring in a replacement dumpster Monday.
The dumpsters are part of an effort to properly dispose of potentially CWDpositive deer carcasses. Hunters debone or quarter the meat off the carcass and deposit the spine and other unused bones in the designated dumpsters.
Many of the dumpsters have CWD sampling kiosks at the same location.
A map of deer carcass dumpsters is posted on the DNR’s website at dnr.wi.gov.
The receptacles are being funded by private initiatives, including individuals and organizations.
Donations for the Prairie du Sac dumpster can be sent to: Sauk County Conservation Alliance, E8345 Quarry Road, Rock Springs, WI 53961.
Northwoods buck kitty unclaimed
The northern forest region deer herd is recovering from several severe winters.
Only one county – Iron – was buckonly this year. But “recovered” is a relative term and to hear Don Bluhm of Whitefish Bay tell it, there is still upside potential at his traditional hunting ground in Oneida County.
Since 1960 Bluhm has hunted with in-laws and friends at the O’Melia deer camp, 1,800 acres of private land near Three Lakes.
This year 16 hunters were on the property opening day. Bluhm saw no deer but did confirm the presence of a black-capped chickadee.
Several others in the group did see deer, including John O’Melia of Rhinelander, who let an 8-point buck pass because he thought it was “too small,” Bluhm said.
Alas, no deer was taken by the group through five days of hunting and the camp’s big buck pool was up for grabs at press time.
Not only deer out and about
Since the weather was generally mild and the rut, or deer mating season, was still in progress, the conditions on opening weekend were favorable for hunters.
But deer weren’t the only big game animal moving.
Dexi Dunham of Shell Lake noticed something unusual on the ice of Shell Lake last Sunday morning. Initially it looked like a log. Then the log began to move.
Dunham grabbed her binoculars and looked out from her home on the south shore of the lake.
After several minutes, it became clear – it was a black bear. The animal had broken through the ice and only its head was visible.
“It was really struggling,” Dunham said. “I was half crying, half cheering it on.”
Dunham called her neighbor, Dave Zeug of Shell Lake, a retired DNR conservation warden supervisor, and asked what could be done. Zeug, who was deer hunting, said it would be best to let the animal get itself out.
Over the next 10 minutes or so, the bear slowly began to make progress. It thrashed its way through the thin ice like a freighter through a frozen shipping canal. Eventually the bear reached an area with thicker ice and was able to pull itself onto the frozen surface and stand.
Was it looking for a den? Was it on a last feeding foray before turning in for winter? Or had it been disturbed from a den and was relocating?
Dunham said the bear looked the size of last year’s yearlings (now nearing the age of 2).
“It was clearly exhausted,” Dunham said. “But it was amazing, it made it!”
The animal slowly walked to shore, then turned west and out of sight.
Take a lesson from the bear – stay off thin ice.
Good news on safety
Through the morning of the seventh day of the season, only two shooting incidents had been recorded by the DNR, according to Jon King, DNR conservation warden and hunter education coordinator.
Both incidents occurred last Sunday, one each in Columbia and Dunn counties, and both were non-fatal.
The 2018 gun season could become the safest on record. The 2014 season, with four non-fatal shooting incidents, was the safest.
Seven hunters were injured in shooting incidents during the 2017 Wisconsin gun deer season.
The 2017 gun season was the seventh without a shooting fatality since the state began keeping detailed records in the 1940s, King said.
The gun deer season ends Sunday.