Final 2009 Deer Harvest

[Cooter]

Hunters register 329,103 deer in 2009

Archery buck harvest up 19 percent

MADISON – Hunters registered 329,103 deer for the 2009 deer hunting seasons. This includes a total antlerless harvest of 191,715 and antlered (buck) harvest of 134,156. The grand total includes 3,232 deer recorded as unknown.

The closely watched total buck harvest for all archery and gun seasons was down 3 percent compared to 2008.

The 2009 archery buck harvest was up 19 percent over 2008 at 41,402 making it the fourth best archery buck harvest in history. Archers accounted for 31 percent of the total buck harvest in 2009. This was up from the 2008 archery buck harvest which accounted for 25 percent of the total buck kill. Gun buck harvest declined by 11 percent last year from 103,845 in 2008 to 92,754, the 29th highest gun buck total on record.

Antlerless harvest was carefully regulated on a unit-by-unit basis through the bonus permit process. In 2009, 13 deer management units had no antlerless permits available to gun deer hunters in an effort to promote strong deer population growth in those units. Gun bonus permits were limited in many other units that were near established population goals.

In 2008 gun hunters registered 246,607 antlerless deer. In 2009 the number was146,917, a decrease of 99,690 or approximately 40 percent. The greatest changes in antlerless deer harvest occurred in the northern forest where hunters registered 30,431 antlerless deer compared to 56,607 in 2008. This 46 percent reduction in antlerless harvest was due to a reduction in antlerless deer tags available in the northern forest. The eastern farmland also saw a greatly reduced antlerless harvest with more than 31,000 fewer antlerless deer registered, a 47 percent decrease from 2008. The decrease in the eastern farmland region is largely due to the suspension of Earn-a-Buck hunting requirements.

The statewide post hunt population estimate is 990,000, down slightly from 2009. Regional populations vary widely in Wisconsin and in northeastern Wisconsin deer populations are generally below desired goals. Populations are higher in the rest of the northern and central forest regions and above goals in the eastern, western and southern farmland regions. Hunters interested in learning more about local populations are encouraged to attend a deer management unit information meeting in their area. Meeting locations and dates are available online or by calling the DNR Info line at (888) 936-7463.

Winter severity recording stations will continue to report through April and this fall’s antlerless harvest quotas will be finalized after all winter severity data are collected. March is a critical month for northern deer herds. Harsh weather in March can result in greater mortality and lower fawn production as deer can be in a weakened condition at the end of winter.

Gun and bow harvest by ecological deer management regions

Regional Bow Totals

Region Antlered Antlerless Unknown Total

Central Forest 2,491 3,284 37 5,812

Eastern Farmland 10,950 9,961 80 20,991

Northern Forest 8,866 10,093 103 19,062

Southern Farmland 10,403 13,103 674 24,180

Western Farmland 8,691 8,354 147 17,192

Unknown 1 3 0 4

Total 41,402 44,798 1,041 87,241

Regional Gun Totals

Region Antlered Antlerless Unknown Totala

Central Forest 5,725 11,769 101 17,595

Eastern Farmland 20,829 27,337 256 48,422

Northern Forest 22,540 20,338 175 43,053

Southern Farmland 23,828 51,700 1,350 76,878

Western Farmland 19,830 35,772 309 55,911

Unknown 2 1 0 3

Total 92,754 146,917 2,191 241,862

Tribal Totals

Antlered Antlerless Unknown Total

540 842 0 1,382

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke, DNR big game ecologist, (608) 264-6023 or Bob Manwell, DNR communications, (608) 264-9248

[klecker]

So got to thinking on this.....I know scary!

I averaged out the last eleven years of bow and guns kills. Bow averaged 91,848 deer killed per year over this period. 2009 was 87241, down roughly 5%. Gun averaged 380,875 per eleven, 2009 241,862, 36.5% down from average. If the deer herd is truly as bad as people say wouldn’t the average between the two be a little closer. A 5% increase or decrease isn’t a big deal, but 36.5% makes a person scratch their head. It makes you scratch your head more when in the same year you have that much of a difference between the two in the same year. One is with in the accepted up and down and the other is off the chart. What other influences could attribute to this any ideas? Other than there is no deer. Cause truly if the deer herd is really down wouldn’t the bow kill numbers have reflected it as well.

My ideas or take on it. One of the later starting dates to the opener of rifle season, warm temps, a lot of moldy standing corn. Water levels down spreading out the deer more, pertains more to the swamp land areas.

What else can you guys think of?

[DonBo]

I think, and this is just my opinion, please don't throw me to the wolves. I think on average, most bowhunters are better hunters with more patience than most gun hunters. As a result, most bowhunters pass up many deer during the coarse of their much longer season. Even with far fewer deer available, bowhunters because of the long season still put themselves in position to take one or two during the coarse of their season.

Gun hunters on the other hand with a much shorter season simply can't have as many opportunities to take one of the remaining deer. With the added pressure, there just aren't enough deer available for all the hunters looking for that same opportunity.

[klecker]

Donbo,

I hear ya about the bow hunters and gun hunters. I know several gun hunters that just gave up this year. That might be a good thing. Seems as if people just got spoiled seeing lots of deer the last 15 years or so.

On a bright not I was up in unit ten scouting a few areas up by the crex near my buddies cabin. I saw more deer in one day than I saw the entire gun season. We went and found a lot of glowing eyes that night as well, alot. They must have a hindin cave they flock to in the fall. Found a couple of kick butt funnels last fall,if the water levels can get recharged. Still should be good but a little more water would really help. Cant wait for the first half of November.

We went a little further south in ten down to my cabin the next morning to check out some more areas. Saw quite a few deer walking around and on the fire lanes going from spot to spot. This area about 4 square miles is a gem, for some reason it hardly gets any hunting presure.

[DonBo]

It's always amazed me the deer that come out the woodwork this time of year. I however think that the deer you saw were pretty much every deer in the woods. They seem to be drawn to the open ditches along roadways as that's the best earliest places that green up right now. So just because you saw lots of deer, remember you may have seen them all.

I hunt with 4 other good hunters who spend a lot of time at it during the bow season, all around the Crex area, and the numbers seen this year were as poor as any year in memory. Now my memory ain't that good, but I've hunted that area since 1971 and I'm tellin' ya the numbers are really down.

Just my take on it...

[klecker]

Totally agree around crex I saw maybe 15 deer in seven days of gun hunting. For deer seen worst year since 88 my first year in that area. I didnt bow hunt up there last year. Just never had the time to get up that way. I gun the crex and bow west of Cushing. I just love gun hunting them big swamps. We did see some really nice bucks this year, I mean NICE. Bad thing only one didnt get away. But I guess on the flip side thats a good thing to as it gives us something to think about for a few more months. Just glad that I hunt with guys that dont fling away at those guys in hopes of getting lucky.