Hunting News

Early numbers show decline in 9-day gun harvest

Early numbers show decline in 9-day gun harvest

By Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Preliminary numbers from Wisconsin’s annual 9-day gun show 196,785 deer were harvested, a decline compared to the 198,057 deer taken during 2015.

The largest change in buck harvest occurred in the Northern Forest Zone which saw a 30 percent increase from 2015 after two consecutive mild winters and limited antlerless tags.

"While many factors influence hunter success, the buck harvest is one of our best indicators of how the population is responding to harvest strategies in the Forest Zones," said Kevin Wallenfang, DNR big game ecologist. "The harvest is never uniform, just as deer densities aren't uniform, but overall it is encouraging to see the increase in the northern counties, and statewide harvest levels similar to last year."

The 9-day hunt also provided successful hunters with 98,893 antlerless deer, a 6.2 percent decrease from 2015, mostly in the Farmland Zones.

The 2016 regional harvest breakdown by region with percent change from 2015 included: Northern Forest Zone: 23,445(30 percent increase) antlered and 8,955 (21 percent increase) antlerless; Central Forest Zone: 5,067 (2 percent decrease) antlered and 2,943 (2 percent decrease) antlerless; Central Farmland Zone: 48,872 (1.4 percent increase) antlered and 62,612 (8.2 percent decrease) antlerless; Southern Farmland Zone: 20,508 (3.4 percent decrease) antlered and 24,383 (10 percent decrease) antlerless; and Total: 97,892 (5.7 percent increase) antlered and 98,893 (6.2 percent decrease) antlerless.

Muzzleloader season remains open through Dec. 7, and archery season through Jan. 8. A four-day antlerless-only hunt is Dec. 8-11, and the holiday hunt is offered in a number of counties statewide Dec. 24 to Jan. 1. Any legal firearm, crossbow or archery equipment may be used during these hunts.

The gun deer season remains open through Dec. 7 in metro sub-units, while archery hunting in these areas is open through Jan. 31. For more information regarding preliminary registration and license sales numbers, use search keywords "weekly totals” at dnr.wi.gov.

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