The Gun Deer Season opener in Wisconsin is Saturday, November 23rd.
More than half a million hunters are expected to take to the woods over those nine days.
Wisconsin DNR Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl says there’s mixed expectations for how good harvest will be this year.
A late start
Last year’s mild winter likely means more deer on the landscape.
On the other hand, the nine-day season is starting later in the year than it typically does which means deer won’t be moving as much.
“In the past, we've seen an influence on that with the harvest numbers of a potential drop of 10% or more, simply because of that shift in the date. Hunters should be aware that deer movement may not be as robust as it as it can be,” said Pritzl.
If the current deer archery season is any indication, harvest in the northern forest zone may be up this year.
Pritzl says deer harvest in that zone is up considerably from last year.
“[It’s a] return more towards, I guess you would call, normal, the past five-year average,” said Pritzl. “That's a good sign for the northern forest moving forward. We'll see if that is a foreshadowing of what will happen during the gun season.”
Deer harvest was down about 18% statewide last year.
The Northern Forest Zone saw the biggest drop with nearly 12,000 fewer deer harvest in 2023 than in 2022.
CWD and PFAS testing of deer
There are several areas in the Northwoods where the Wisconsin DNR is looking for chronic wasting disease samples.
CWD is a fatal, infectious nervous system disease of deer.
It’s slowly been making its way into herds in the northern portion of the state.
This hunting season, the DNR is hoping to get more samples from Lincoln and Oneida counties as well as parts of Vilas, Forest, and Langlade counties.
Wisconsin Deer Herd Health Specialist Erin Larson says hunters can find CWD sampling drop off and carcass disposal sites on the DNR website.
“We do want to avoid having hunters move deer far away and then put that carcass waste out on the landscape in a new area,” said Larson.
The DNR is also looking for deer samples from ones harvested in the Stella area of Oneida County.
That area of the county has been dealing with high levels of PFAS contamination.
Interested hunters will need to submit sections of muscle and liver from the deer.
Safety reminders
The DNR is reminding hunters the four basic rules of firearm safety, TAB-K:
- T – Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
- A – Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
- B – Be certain of your target, what’s before it and what’s beyond it.
- K – Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
Hunters must ensure at least 50% of outer clothing above the waist is blaze orange or fluorescent pink. Hats or head coverings, if worn, must also be at least 50% blaze orange or fluorescent pink. Faded or stained clothing is unsafe and should be replaced.
Additionally, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, must have a hunter education certification to purchase a hunting license unless hunting under the Mentored Hunting Law. Learn more about safe hunting in Wisconsin and register to take a hunter education course on the DNR’s Outdoor Skills webpage.
