Deer take is up in area hunt

Posted at 12:30 p.m. on November 21, 2018

The Brillion News

In total, 118,670 deer were harvested by gun and registered statewide during the opening weekend of the gun deer hunt in 2018, compared to 105,216 in 2017. A total of 65,388 bucks were registered on opening weekend, compared to 60,380 in 2017.

In Calumet County, there was a big jump, with the total deer harvest rose by 32.4 percent from opening weekend for 2017 – with 395 deer taken in 2017 and 523 this year. In Brown County, the numbers went up from 574 to 674, an increase of 17.4 percent. In Manitowoc County, the numbent up from 1,316 to 1,527, a 16 percent rise. In Outagamie County, there was an 8.1 percent rise, from 1,077 deer in 2017 to 1,164 in 2018.

Preliminary harvest numbers seem to correlate with weather reports that have been shared on DNR’s Facebook page as well as with reports hunters provided during the registration process. Reports from the entire state indicate excellent hunting conditions, including snow cover in most areas. Preliminary registration figures in the Northern Forest are down slightly compared to the opening weekend in 2017. Hunters throughout the state reported seeing rutting activity, which was expected with the early gun season opening date.

The southern part of the state also experienced excellent hunting conditions, with fresh snow in some areas and comfortable temperatures. Overall, registration numbers in the Farmland zones were slightly higher than last year. With the weather reports for the remainder of the gun deer hunt looking positive throughout most of Wisconsin, hunters can expect continued opportunities and are encouraged to head out to enjoy the remainder of the nine-day season hunting with family and friends.

Registration of Deer Required with GameReg

As a reminder, hunters are required to register their deer by 5 p.m. the day after harvest. For more information, search keywords “GameReg.”

“The registration process is critical to the management of Wisconsin’s deer herd, so hunters who forgot to register their deer are encouraged to complete this process, even if they do so beyond the 5 p.m. deadline,” said Kevin Wallenfang, DNR big game ecologist. “Knowing life is busy, the best practice is to register your harvest immediately so you don’t forget – some hunters are completing the registration while still in the field, which works great.”

Opening Weekend Hunting Accidents

The DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement reports two hunting incidents, both of which occurred on Nov. 18 and resulted in injuries.

The first was in Columbia County in Marcellon Township – a 24-year-old shooter was participating in a nearby deer drive when he shot at a running deer, striking instead the victim, a 23-year-old male, in the foot. The victim was a member of the same hunting party.

The second incident occurred around 5:05 p.m. in Dunn County in the Village of Colfax. A 21-year-old male who was not wearing blaze orange was working on his downed deer when he was hit in the arm by a bullet from a 17-year-old shooter who thought the victim was a deer. The victim was transported to the hospital and released.