MADISON, Wis. (WSAU) — The state’s deer population continues to be a tale of two regions going into the gun deer season.
DNR big game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang says the harsh winters from several years ago continue to have a ripple effect on deer populations in the Northwoods. “Deer numbers are recovering in the north, but that’s not just something that you just flip and switch and you’ve got great deer hunting again. That takes time.” That’s because the cold winters and lack of food put a lot of stress on the does. “After a really tough winter, because the does are recovering from that winter, they’re likely to lose some of their fawns. Just not even have a fawn that following spring.” Those fawns would have been this year’s two year old bucks, ready to get out into the rut and help shore up the population.
The southern two thirds of the state continue to have a robust deer population, and Wallenfang encourages people hunting for meat to venture south into the farmland control zones. “Certainly more opportunities to actually put some venison in the freezer when you start looking at those counties where you have antlerless permits available.”
Hunters also need to read up and be ready to electronically register their deer. That process can be done online, over the phone, or at deer registration stations. Deer need to be registered within a day of harvest and within or adjacent to the Deer Management Unit where they were killed. Hunters will also need to stay with their deer while it’s being transported out of the woods.
You can learn more about this year’s gun hunt with a special online chat with DNR officials starting at noon today.
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