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A foggy opener, fewer license sales and a lower deer population cut sharply into this year’s kill during the nine-day gun season, which ended Sunday.
Although actual numbers are not expected to be released until sometime Tuesday, Dec. 1, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says this year’s harvest will be well below last year’s, making for back-to-back drops in the kill. (Editor's note: see updated story posted late Tuesday).
“We had a reduced deer herd from years past and less than half the normal deer population in 2000, which saw a peak harvest,” DNR wildlife biologist Ron Eckstein said in a telephone interview with NNN on Monday.
Eckstein, who works out of DNR’s Rhinelander office and who keeps an eye on three deer management units, said hard numbers weren’t yet available as of Monday afternoon because data is still being collected from more than 600 registration stations statewide.
However, hunters in Oneida County and Vilas County registered far fewer deer than the year before over the opening weekend, during which roughly 60% to 70% of the kill typically occurs. Both counties reported harvest totals were down about 50% the opening weekend, with Lincoln and Langlade registering similar declines.
More than 600,000 hunters statewide took to the woods and fields this year, with deer license sales down about 10%, Eckstein said. Wisconsin's deer hunt has been regulated for more than 150 years. In the past four decades or so, the lowest harvest recorded was in 1972 and the largest kill came in 2000 when there seemed to be deer everywhere.
Hunters reached in the field at random said they had few deer sightings on opening day, but scattered success was reported by some as the week went on. Many had gone home for Thanksgiving.
DNR’s attempts to meet deer management goals have had some success in recent years, but a harsh winter in 2007-2008 all but decimated the herd, causing officials to rethink target levels. “We’re in a rebuilding year and normally it takes two years to bring the population back up. There were very, very few antlerless permits issued this year in Oneida and Vilas counties because our goal is to bring the herd back up.”
Dense fog, unseasonable mild temperatures and a lack of snow until the last day of the hunt made for less than ideal hunting conditions, which accounted for some of the decline. With fewer deer to be shot and fewer tags issued, whether for bucks or antlerless, the harvest totals were bound to be affected, Eckstein added.
Northeast Wisconsin’s deer population is “really low right now,” he said. “It’s better in northwestern Wisconsin and in the south, which are above management goals." But in Oneida County’s three management units, two had zero number of tags available and the only permit hunters had was for a buck.
The often criticized earn-a-buck program, which has been suspended by DNR as an incentive along with others such as hunter’s choice and special zones, worked well to reduce deer populations but Eckstein said many hunters didn’t like it.
Based on preliminary data, this year’s gun season appeared to be a safe one with no fatalities recorded from hunting incidents although there were some injuries reported.
Meanwhile, the bow and muzzleloader seasons for deer go on, but the vast majority of deer harvested are taken by rifle.
In related news, the controversial idea to hold a 16-day gun deer hunt next year starting the Saturday before the Thanksgiving holiday will go before the Natural Resources Board for consideration at its Dec. 8 meeting in Madison. The proposal has run into opposition for snowmobile clubs, for example, as well as other groups.
“The special committee formed by the Natural Resources Board to develop effective alternatives to earn-a-buck discussed dozens of ideas and season structures,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank. “They ended up recommending a 16-day gun hunt with either an early or a traditional start date. At public hearings we heard sentiment overwhelmingly against an early start date so we are recommending a traditional opening date to the board at this time.
“This was one of the most heavily attended public hearing schedules in recent history. On behalf of the department, I want to thank all the organizations and individuals that participated in the public review process over the past few months. Public involvement in this decision process is invaluable.”
The complete proposal is available on the Natural Resources Board meeting adenda for December page of the DNR Web site. The special committee’s report [PDF] is also available on the Natural Resources Board Web pages.