I know this isn't any thing pertaining to bow hunting but I think it's pretty interesting! http://m.jsonline.com/sports/outdoo...lowest-in-30-years-b99401459z1-284534621.html
Not sure how that article keeps popping up - it's from last year. This year's season just ended yesterday and I don't believe final totals are in. Although projections show it should surpass last year's season. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outd...-kill-in-wisconsin-b99625205z1-358368471.html
One thing I'm wondering is going to happen this year is that you have to call your deer in by the next day at 5. Before you would have a lot of people waiting until the last day or day after to register. So now I believe the numbers will be bigger in the beginning of the year but will flatten out. I know one thing, the pop. Is down in my area. Plus hardly any shots all year.
I have read other sources say that this season the harvest totals for gun season were up over last year. Low harvest numbers should not be a surprise animal populations do not recover instantly or even in 1-2 seasons.
The buck only in the north should help get the herd numbers back up. Now if only all the hunters realize going forward they don't have to fill a tag just because they have one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I also do not think that you are ever going to see the deer numbers like you did in the 90's especially in the northern 1/3rd of the state. There is too much competition for the fawns for numbers to reach higher densities. Wisconsin is rapidly losing it's reputation as a deer hunting destination.
Waupaca County is 2nd in the state for registered gun kills so far. I agree that you won't see the numbers in WI that you once did. In the North there's far too much predation in conjunction with harsh winters to recruit the amount of fawns needed to grown the herd. In the rest of the state the population is finally seeing the levels that the habitat can truly sustain. Much of the 90's saw deer levels so extremely inflated that it was out of control. Now people are crying because they don't see 100 deer on opening morning of gun season the way they used to.
The hunting rubes don't care about habitat or sustainability they want to orange up, dump some corn, if it's brown it's down. Back in the day people used to ask others did you get your deer yet? Somehow it changed to how many do you have down. Hunters expectations need to be adjusted.
I agree that deer were too high in numbers here in the 90's, but when the most deer I see a day is 10 hunting all day and being able to see at least 200 yds from my tower stand there is something wrong. I went a few days without seeing a deer in bow season too. We have 5 guys hunting close to 600 acres when you factor in the neighbors, so these deer aren't pressured. Just saw 2 weeks ago that the dnr said we have possibly record high numbers. Who the heck is he trying to bs.
It's all in where you hunt in the state and the quality of your land. Public land can produce, but gets pounded pretty hard during the gun season around us. I hunt in Fond du Lac County on private land and our deer herd is very healthy on our property. Probably a bit of a skewed buck to doe ratio in favor of doe, but probably the most balanced herd we've had since we acquired the property in 2007. Unfortunately for the masses, our property is the exception and not the rule. 20% of the hunters have 80% of the deer probably. I saw probably 40-50 deer opening weekend and averaged seeing about 8-12 every other sit since then. Didn't take any deer with the gun. Passed several bucks since I had already shot one with the bow. My father-in-law shot a decent 11-pointer that I had passed the previous night and I was thrilled for him. My wife's cousin, shot a nice 3.5 year old 8 that was busted up a bit, but it was his first buck ever as well so what a memory for him! My brother, who hasn't hunted in 20 years, shot his first buck ever off one of my better stands. It was my pet 8-pt 2.5 year old that I had seen so many times, but again I was thrilled for him. Would I have liked to see those deer make it and get bigger next year? Sure, but there will be more and I was happy to share both experiences with family and seeing grown men being so excited to take their first bucks. The good news is that all of our "big" bucks made it that I know of at least. Should have some giants next year if they can winter well and make it through muzzleloader, but hardly anyone in our area muzzleloads so not too worried about it. Our goal is to shoot a few more doe with the bow before seasons end and get some inventory on camera to see what bucks made it.
Ag country is the opposite of big woods up north, the wolves and bears are almost a non factor in ag country as well.
Exactly Soto. However, I can see the bears and wolves migrating south in the next 10-30 years just like the deer did. The DNR needs to get a better handle on predation in the northwoods before numbers come back if they ever will. Not shooting doe is a good start up there, but not sure it will work totally. On the other hand, we could probably shoot another 10 doe and not have any impact on our herd. It would probably be good for us to do so. It's hard to manage "the herd" when there are so many variables, but the WI DNR needs to try to balance all of that and do what's best for the deer and not necessarily the hunters.
A quote I read in the Wausau paper. I guess I am doing it wrong. "We got 15 deer opening weekend, there was 17 of us," said Fabry. "We do all deer drive, it seems like the hunters in stands didn't see as many deer." Fabry said the key to his success was the right weather conditions and getting deer moving through the drives.
The lads at deer camp are drivers they did do ok this year, better than last year. The total this year was 5 deer for 10 people vs 2 for 12 last year. Slight improvement, heck on Hwy 2 headed out of Superior to deer camp we saw close to 10 deer along the road, have not had to worry about hitting a deer at night for a couple of years.
Would be nice if judges kept their noses out and let the DNR actually manage more. I wasn't expecting a great gun hunt but I was at least expecting to see a deer. But nothing for the 9 days. I had been getting not a great amount of pictures but consistent over the summer and fall through the first week of Nov. Even where in that week had seen some of the bigger bucks in new areas looking like the Rut was starting. Than nothing since. Not a doe, not a fawn nothing on camera. When I got up for Rifle there was a light snow covering and there were some tracks. After the fresh snow on thanksgiving I went out Sat morning and walked the trails on all 240 acres and found about 10 sets of deer tracks. The land owners pretty much stay on between 20-40 acres near the house and none of the neighboring owners have been up hunting so there has been extremely low pressure on the deer. We have a couple black bears, a few coyotes and recently discovered bobcats but they seem to be after the rabbits. My best guess is because of low numbers including does, they bucks took care of the local does and headed further out to find others. But the 9 days wasn't a complete loss. I located what appears to be a prime spot for my late bow season, now if only they decide to start moving during the day with the snow cover and more on its way.
I was in Wisconsin for a bday party over Halloween. The deer # s where I was probly at least doubled where I live in NE KS
Clark county public land by Black River Falls area not too many deer...I saw 2 does on 5 days hunt...come Sunday, day after opening day, people were already driving deer...on public land !!!
I hunt mostly on public hunting grounds in Central WI. This years was my best year, by far, in the past 10 years with deer sightings. The sightings were high for me during bow hunting, the youth hunt and opening gun weekend. It is a small 80 acre piece of public hunting grounds that is way over hunted during gun season. Like others have said, guys doing drives or out strolling around the first afternoon. So, typically, after opening weekend of gun the sightings drop way down.
