(WTAQ-WLUK) — More hunters bought licenses compared to last year, but they bagged slightly fewer deer during opening weekend of this year’s gun hunting season.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says 778,111 licenses were sold as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, 541,258 of those for gun privileges only. That preliminary number is an increase of .48% from 2023.
Hunters registered 89,203 deer during the 2024 opening weekend, compared to 90,831 during 2023’s opening weekend. That is a decline of 1.8% year-to-year and 4.7% below the five-year average.
Of the total, 49,038 deer had antlers, 4.3% fewer than the 51,261 registered in 2023. Antlerless deer increased, however, to 40,165,up 1.5% from 2023.
The DNR said weather conditions, with highs near or above 40 degrees each day and little precipitation, were comfortable for hunters. Wildlife officials say snow that fell on Monday and lower temperatures forecast for the rest of the season could improve visibility and tracking.
The DNR also said there were no gun-related incidents during the opening weekend, compared to two in last year’s opening weekend.
The gun deer season ends on Sunday.
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