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Opener buck harvest drops 21% over 2023 in Vilas and Oneida

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In sharp contrast to statewide numbers, the opening weekend buck harvest in Vilas and Oneida counties dropped 21% over last year, while the antlerless take was virtually even despite the issuance of more authorizations in both counties, state records show.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said last Wednesday that registrations thru 5 a.m. on Nov. 26 showed hunters harvested 305 bucks in Vilas and 501 bucks in Oneida during the first two days of the hunt, down 23% and 20% from 2023, respectively.

The total antlerless harvest in the two counties was 329 deer, a slight drop from the 346 registered on opening weekend a year ago.

While officials said the decline was forecasted because of the late Nov. 23 opening day, the latest date possible, there was some optimism going into the season due to last year’s snowless winter and a warm fall that might have delayed rutting activity — or at least that was the hope.

The DNR said hunters registered 89,203 deer statewide during opening weekend of the nine-day 2024 gun deer hunt, which is down just 1.8% from the 90,831 taken in the same period last year. This year’s total is 4.7% below the five-year average.

Hunters registered a total of 49,038 antlered deer on opening weekend, compared to 51,261 in 2023, a 4.3% decrease. The antlerless harvest was 40,165, which is up 1.5% from last year.

Conditions for opening weekend this year were mostly cloudy and dry, with some light precipitation in places on Saturday morning. Mornings were cool and quiet. Temperatures rose to the mid-30s in this area, which made for comfortable conditions for hunters.

DNR officials said reports from the field varied widely from good deer activity to little or no daytime deer movement. 

“Some reports of breeding activity were still coming in, but overall, deer sightings and harvest were down as expected, given the late opening date relative to the peak of the breeding season,” said a DNR press release.

However, snow fell across parts of the state last Monday, Nov. 25, and a forecasted drop in temperatures provided a white backdrop during the second half of the gun season for many hunters. Better deer visibility and tracking snow could mean good conditions for those who try to make the most out of the full nine days. 

Preliminary license sale figures indicate the number of deer hunters in Wisconsin increased slightly compared to 2023. As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, sales for deer hunting privileges (which include gun, archery, crossbow, conservation patron and sports licenses) reached 778,111, up 0.48% from the same time last year. Of those, 541,258 of those were for gun privileges only.

Final license sales figures will be available in January, at which time DNR staff will perform a thorough analysis and interpretation.

At the time of publication of this news release Nov. 27, the DNR had no firearm-involved hunting incidents to report during the opening weekend of the 2024 gun deer season. During the opening weekend of the 2023 season, the DNR reported two firearm-involved hunting incidents.

The nine-day gun deer season ended last Sunday, Dec. 1, and will be followed immediately by a 10-day muzzeloader season thru Wednesday, Dec. 11. Any hunter with an unused buck and antlerless authorization is eligible for the black powder hunt.

It is expected that preliminary statewide harvest numbers won’t be released until Dec. 4 as officials wait for the last of online registrations to be posted. Hunters have until 5 p.m. the following day to register their harvests online.

The muzzleloader season will be followed by a statewide, four-day antlerless hunt Dec. 12-15. No bucks can be harvested by any method during that four-day hunt.

The DNR reminds hunters to always use the four rules of firearm safety, TAB-K, as a cornerstone for safe and successful hunting:

• 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 your trigger guard until you are safe to shoot.

Learn more about safe hunting in Wisconsin and register to take a hunter education course on the DNR’s Hunting Safety webpage at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/Education/OutdoorSkills/HuntingSafety.

Anyone with information regarding natural resource violations may confidentially report by calling or texting: 1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trained staff relay the information to conservation wardens. File a report online at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/contact/Hotline.

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