MADISON (Press Release) – Though hunters define success in different ways, 134,772 deer were
successfully harvested and registered in Wisconsin during the opening weekend
of the nine-day deer season. The tally is based on preliminary call-in numbers
collected from registration stations by Department of Natural Resources staff.
"Congratulations to all hunters who were able to harvest a deer opening
weekend of the nine-day. Though getting a deer is often the ultimate goal of
the hunt, it is the whole experience of getting out there with friends and
family that keeps us coming back each year," said DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp. "I hope
those that weren't able to get a deer during the season opener will get back
out there and enjoy the rest of the days of the season."
"I am particularly excited by the numbers of new hunters and female hunters
that we are seeing in the field this year. From the pictures and stories that
are being shared, there has been quite a bit of hunting success amongst this
new generation of hunters," said Sec. Stepp. "There's nothing like a good first
hunt to get a hunter excited for future hunts. I speak from first-hand
experience on that.
"This was my second year as a deer hunter, and the thrill was even greater.
I am proud to have a deer represented in this year's preliminary tally along
with hundreds of thousands of others."
Opening weekend
numbers up statewide
A breakdown of the harvest by DNR Region and county [PDF] is
available in portable document format on the DNR website.
"We want to remind folks that these preliminary numbers come from a staff
call-around to deer registration stations this morning," said Tom Hauge,
director of the DNR wildlife management program. "The final opening weekend
tally will likely be somewhat larger, when all the registration stubs are
entered into the data base over the next couple of months."
Weather is one of many factors that can influence harvest rates on opening
weekend. The state saw a mix of conditions including fog in many central
counties that hung on for several hours until it was burned off with the rising
sun, and temperatures climbing into the 40s and 50s by mid-morning. Most other
areas had excellent conditions, but statewide hunters missed the snow that they
like. "Though a light dusting of snow would have provided ideal conditions for
hunting, warm and dry weather does tend to allow people to stay out in the
field or the tree stand longer," said Hauge.
Overall, the statewide harvest is up over 19 percent from 2011, and
registration increased in all regions. The warm weather likely had some hunters
registering their deer right away instead of leaving them hang at camp, which
likely bumped up the numbers. "Generally, we see about 60 percent of the
overall harvest in the first weekend, but we hold drawing of conclusions until
the season is complete," Hauge said.
Preliminary harvest numbers are up in all regions and bucks are up statewide
by 24 percent over 2011. Though the harvest is up in all regions, there are
areas of the state, primarily in the northern counties, where hunters are
reporting low deer sightings, according to Hauge.
"This is Wisconsin's 161th modern era deer gun season. It is a fall, family tradition
cherished by over 600,000 hunters. These preliminary numbers are just a small
part of the event we know as ‘opening weekend.' I suspect for every deer
reported there are 10 great deer camp stories out there. It appears that this
season is well on its way to creating life long memories and more importantly,
starting traditions for thousands of new hunters," added Hauge.
Enthusiasm for
hunting remains high
The department's license sales office reported 614, 435 gun deer licenses
sold by midnight, Nov.16, prior to the Saturday start of the season. Deer
license and tag sales will continue through the hunting seasons.
Nearly 26,000 new hunters also bought licenses to deer hunt for the first
time, or for the first time in 10 years, this year. Females represented 32
percent of resident First Time Gun Deer licenses and 30 percent of residents
bought first Time Junior Gun Deer licenses.
"I find this statistic particularly exciting. If we get the women involved
in hunting, we get the family involved. It is so important to be getting youth
out there in the tree stand. We will all be looking to them to keep our
wonderful hunting heritage alive," said Stepp. "But I also want to recognize
that 66 first time licenses were sold to hunters 80 and older. The involvement
of so many generations in the deer hunt truly illustrates how deep the deer
hunting tradition runs in Wisconsin."
Deer hunters continued to engage in another standing tradition, buying their
license on the way up to deer camp Friday. Between 4 and 5 p.m. Friday, deer
license sales peaked at 200 licenses sold every minute. 105,948 licenses sold
Friday before the season opener, a record one-day sale.
Some facts about Wisconsin hunters:
- 614,435 Total Deer Gun Hunter, up 2 percent from last
year
- Resident deer licenses (568,831) are up 1.5 percent
- Nonresident deer licenses (32,554) up 2 percent
- 10/11 year old Mentored Gun Deer licenses (13,050) are
up 10 percent
- 60 percent of gun deer licenses were sold in the month
of November
- Females represent 9.5 percent of total gun hunters
- 78,604 (or 13 percent) were youth (under age of 18)
- 61,276 (or 10 percent) were senior citizens (65 years
of age and older)
- Hunters come to Wisconsin from all 50 states and
several foreign countries
- 25,703 First Time Buyer Licenses were sold
- 13,511 resident gun
deer
- 8,976 resident junior
gun deer
- 3,216 nonresident gun
deer
- 9,001, or 35 percent of First Time Buyers were youth
(17 years of age and under)
For more facts about Wisconsin hunters in the field this year, visit dnr.wi.gov
and search keyword "deer."
A licensing table and breakdown is regularly updated on this page.
Injury report
There were three hunting related injuries reported. One incident was
self-inflicted and two were two-party incidents. The incidents occurred in
Columbia, Manitowoc and Portage County and are still under investigation.
Additionally, Fort McCoy authorities are investigating the death of a hunter on
the military base.
Though DNR does not track non-firearm related incidents, there have been
reports of injuries resulting from falls from tree-stands. About one third of
all hunters will take a fall from a tree stand during their hunting careers.
"This serves as an important reminder to everyone hunting during the remainder
of the deer season to wear a full-body safety harness, use a haul line to raise
and lower your unloaded firearm, and carry a cell phone in a secure pocket you
can reach in the event of a fall," said Conservation Warden Jon King, Hunter
Education Administrator. "Please refresh your knowledge of tree stand safety on
our web site."
Additional safety reminders and tips are available by visiting dnr.wi.gov,
search "tree
stand safety," and also view a safe
hunting feature.
"As the season continues, we want to stress the importance of hunters
keeping safety foremost in their minds at all times on the hunt -- and during
all deer drives," said King.
King noted that historically about one-third of Wisconsin's shooting
incidents happen during deer drives, usually because someone wasn't where they
were supposed to be or someone shot at a deer when they did not have a safe
backstop or in a direction they should not have been shooting.
"Always be sure of your target and anything behind it, and if you aren't
sure, don't shoot. Know where your bullet will impact if you miss," said King.
"It is really important that hunting parties wanting to drive deer have a plan
and that they follow that plan to the letter. Knowing where your hunting mates
are and where safe shooting lanes are is critical."
"Hunters can make 2012 a good, safe season. This is the best deer hunting
tradition to maintain. A safe hunt is a successful hunt," concluded Sec. Stepp.
