Wisconsin gun deer harvest up 7%

Hunters registered 211,430 deer for the 2018 Wisconsin gun deer season, up 7% from 2017, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Department of Natural Resources.

The harvest included 104,388 bucks and 107,482 antlerless deer. The buck total was up 5% compared to 2017, while the antlerless kill was up 8%.

Conditions were favorable for hunters for much of the season, including mild temperatures on opening day and a high deer population in most of the state.

“We had just about ideal hunting conditions through most of the season, and many hunters reported significant rutting activity,” DNR Secretary Dan Meyer said in a statement. “Considering those factors, it isn’t surprising that we are hearing good reports from hunters from all corners of the state.”

Regionally, the DNR reported the deer harvest was up in the southern farmland (17%), central farmland (6%) and northern forest (1%) and down in the central forest (-9%).

Marathon County had the most deer registered (7,642), with Shawano (6,702) and Waupaca (6,520) rounding out the top three counties.

Continuing a trend of recent years, license sales were down. The agency reported 576,277 gun deer licenses were sold this season, a 2% drop from 2017.

Overall, the DNR has sold 803,772 deer hunting licenses (archery, crossbow and firearm) this year, also a 2% drop.

A general decline in hunting, both in Wisconsin and across the nation, has been predicted by sociologists for more than a decade as Americans lead more sedentary lifestyles and spend less time in traditional outdoors activities.

The drop in deer hunting license sales comes even after a 2017 Wisconsin law removed the state’s minimum hunting age. Although the state sold 19,415 mentored licenses to hunters ages 0 to 11 this year (up 8% from last year), it wasn’t enough to make up for the decline.

Three non-fatal shooting incidents were reported during the gun hunt, which ran Nov. 17 -25.

As such, it was the safest gun deer hunting season in state history, according to the DNR.

Seven of the last 10 Wisconsin gun deer seasons have finished without a fatal shooting incident.

The state’s muzzleloader deer hunting season is in progress and runs through Dec. 5. A firearm season for antlerless deer will be held Dec. 6-9.

Bow deer hunting seasons also continue into January.

PAUL A. SMITH/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL Mark Schack (left) of Tomah and his son, Matthew Schack (right) of Fitchburg, talk with Will Kramer of Dodgeville after a morning hunt on land owned by Will’s parents, Kent and Amy Kramer, on opening day of the 2018 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season.

Kent Kramer of Dodgeville walks a path on his property prior to the 2018 Wisconsin gun deer season. The harvest included 104,388 bucks and 107,482 antlerless deer.