Mornin' to the otters caught on camera frolicking about on a Milwaukee River pier. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

This week’s weekly:

• Tough gun season ahead 🦌 

• Wake surf boat ban 🌊 

• Airgun big game hunting 🐻 

  

Wisconsin’s Gun Deer Season

Uh oh. Folks, we just took a look at the freezer and things aren’t looking good:

This summers’ fish filets? Depleted.

The venison from that bowhunt in September? Going, going, gone.

That raccoon Uncle Joe hit with his car, but “the meats still good!”: …Wait, what the heck is this doing in here!?

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long to fill ‘da freezer once more, as Wisconsin’s 9-day gun deer season is nearly here.

But experts say that this year’s harvest may not be as bountiful as last year’s. As if deer hunting wasn’t hard enough…

Wisconsin’s Gun Deer Season

• Wisconsin’s 9-day gun season runs from 11/18-11/26

• Last year, hunters harvested 203,295 whitetail deer

• Over 500,000 hunters will take to the woods in hopes of bagging a deer

Oh dear

Last season, deer hunters harvested 203,295 deer, a 14% increase from 2021. However, DNR Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl says its a long shot that hunters will match that number this year.

Overall, a deer hunter’s success in the field depends on a multitude of factors.

Some are within his or her control (“no wonder you missed your alarm, you drank a couple two-three too many Old Fashioneds!”), while others are not (“Who would have thought - 75 degrees and sunny in November!”).

But an important one is what’s the current deer herd looking like.

The deer herd size results from a slew of determinants, such as last winter’s conditions, predation, disease, car collisions, etc.

So, where are standing right now? Last winter’s record snow fall in the northern part of the state will lead to lower harvest, the DNR warns.

The bowhunt kill is already 30% behind last year in the north (central WI remains stable, however).

Hunters needed

Impressively enough, more deer were shot last year despite nearly a 2% decrease in license sales (554,898 sold in 2022).

Unfortunately, the number of hunters in Wisconsin is dropping by about 1.5% each year since 2000.

"What that is capturing is what has become pretty well known now is that the baby boomer generation, who embrace deer hunting like no other generation before, is simply aging out and retiring from deer hunting,” said Pritzel.

…which is a huge problem. Biologists already say the southern deer herd is already larger than it should be.

And since we don't have nearly enough predators in Wisconsin to pick up our slack, this oversized population will lead to disease, starvation, and more car collisions.

Good news/Getting out ‘der

The good news is this season’s opener is closer to the rut, meaning deer activity will be heightened. “Hey Sheryl? Our son still doesn’t know what the rut is, I think it’s time we had ‘The Talk’…”

So, if you’re ready to do your part as a conservationist, enjoy the beauty of Wisconsin’s woods, or simply put some anti-biotic, free range meat on the table, give huntin’ a try!

The DNR has tons of resources on season dates, where to go, and more for novices and experts alike (even discounted licenses for first-timers and those returning to woods).

Now get out ‘der!

Other great Wiscampsin reads…

Wisconsin Deer Hunt History

Wisconsin's Fall Hunting Season + Conservation

Bowhunting Wisconsin

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Wiscampsin Weekly Poll

Well folks, looks like we really don’t like the twice-a-year clock changing. 62% of Americans want to eliminate the clock changing and 83% of our readers want the clock changing eliminated!

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🌊 Hang 10, or hang it up?: The wake surf boat ban debate is making waves as recreational boaters and land owners/conservationists go head-to-head. Essentially, the latter group believes wake surf boats (those capable of creating artificial waves by means of ballast or weights), create waves that can wreck shoreline property, the local ecosystem, and lake beds essential for aquatic life.

🍹 The Wisconsin State Cocktail: Anyone need a drink? In a not-so-surprising move, Wisconsin may elect the Wisconsin-style Old Fashioned as our official State Cocktail. For all you FIBs wondering what makes ours so special, it’s because we use brandy, of course! If passed, Wisconsin would become the first state with an official cocktail. Seems appropriate.

🔫 Airguns to hunt big game: Doesn’t sound possible, right? That little BB gun you used to shoot cans with off the back porch couldn’t possibly take down, say a buck or bear? Wrong. Within 100 yards, compressed-air rifles are actually quite effective for hunting, and 28 states already allow them for use in big game hunting. Wisconsin may be next as the bill faces little opposition. Fill up the freezer!

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