The 9-day gun deer season in Wisconsin is just a couple of weeks away.
The Wisconsin DNR says the archery season that’s going on right now can sometimes be used as a preview of what’s to come.
Archery harvest is trending right on the 5-year average. But that’s not evenly distributed across the state according to DNR Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl.
“The northern forest, which experienced a rather severe winter last year in terms of extreme snowfall, is running about 30% behind last year in the archery harvest. That's a bit of a foreshadowing of what we may expect during the gun season,” he said.
Snow coverage will also play a large role in deer harvest over the 9-day gun deer season.
There was snow on the ground for the gun deer season last year. Pritzl says it was a factor in the increase in deer harvest.
While hunters wait to see what the weather does, Pritzl warns that next year will likely see a drop in harvest numbers because it’s a leap year.
“Hunters should keep in mind that this is going to be the best opportunity with the gun season to have the opening weekend earlier and closer to the rut. Next year in 2024 it's going to fall back, essentially a week, which usually has about a 10 to 15% negative effect on total harvest. We'll see how that plays out for us,” said Pritzl.
Not all of the Northern Forest has been behind on deer harvest so far this season.
Areas like Florence County that didn’t have as harsh of winter last year are actually ahead in deer archery harvest.
Chronic Wasting Disease
Another county is being added to the DNR’s deer baiting and feeding ban.
A wild deer harvested in Polk County tested positive for Chronic Wasting disease.
That county will have a 3-year baiting and feeding ban put into place on December 1st.
It will also renew the ban currently in place in neighboring Barron County.
There are bans in 58 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.
“One of our greatest tools with CWD is to try to reduce the risk of additional deer-to-deer contact. Of course, that's going to occur naturally but trying to discourage that. Ways we can do that is by lowering deer populations and baiting and feeding. Those regulations are another way to reduce that artificial congregation,” said Erin Larson, the deer herd health specialist for the DNR.
CWD testing is not mandatory, but highly recommended.
Hunters can drop off samples of their harvested deer at sites around the state.
You can find a map of drop-off sites on the Wisconsin DNR website.
Getting your deer tested lets you know it’s safe to eat. The DNR does not recommend eating deer that test positive for CWD.
Testing also helps the DNR learn more about the spread of the deadly disease.
“The prevalence or percent of the population that would test positive for CWD varies extremely across the state. We do have areas in the south where we would say that CWD is endemic. Now, I would say that Iowa, Richland, and Saulk are some of those counties where we do have much higher prevalence rates or percentages of positives,” said Larson.
Of the 1,800 deer that have been tested for CWD so far this year, 145 have come back positive.
The 9-day gun deer hunt runs November 18th through the 26th.
