The first of the fall deer hunting seasons is set to open on Sept. 15 with the start of archery deer hunting. The early archery season runs Sept. 15 through Nov. 15 and the late archery season runs Nov. 26 through Jan. 6, 2008. Archery hunting in both Chronic Wasting Disease management zones is open continuously Sept 15 – Jan 6.
State wildlife officials say the statewide preseason white-tailed deer population projection is between 1.6 to 1.8 million animals, which should provide plenty of opportunity for hunters who have scouted hunting spots, renewed permissions from landowners if they hunt on private lands, and have equipment ready.
“Deer hunting opportunity should be great again this season,” said Keith Warnke, deer and bear ecologist with the state Department of Natural Resources. “Hunters put in a great effort last year and archers set a new state harvest record for bow-killed deer. The potential is good again this year as populations are above goals in most deer management units across the state and there are an unlimited number of inexpensive antlerless deer tags available for all herd control and earn-a-buck units.
“But remember,” he adds “high deer populations don’t make them any easier to kill. Deer will still use the best available habitat and they continue to make every effort to avoid hunters. To be a successful hunter requires scouting and patience.”
With the exception of the statewide youth deer hunt on Oct. 6 and 7, and the CWD units, there is no gun deer hunting in October again this year. This is the second year of a trial moratorium on October gun hunting and archers who do their scouting should be successful in filling earn-a buck requirements. The return of October gun hunting hinges on meeting a two antlerless deer for every buck ratio in herd control and earn-a-buck units. Hunters met that goal in the central forest area last year but fell short in other areas. “It will take well more than two to one antlerless to antlered ratio this year in herd control units (not including EAB) or October gun hunting will return in 2008.”
Hunters can donate extra venison to the venison donation program so nothing goes to waste, remind officials. Details of the donation program are available on the DNR Web site and at DNR service centers. Due to impending budget cuts there will not be a donation program for deer from the CWD zones.
“Each archery license will come with an antlerless carcass tag good in any herd control or EAB unit in the state,” Warnke says. “And there are unlimited inexpensive antlerless tags for the herd control and EAB units available over-the-counter. For those archery hunters who also gun hunt and plan on gun hunting in an EAB unit, archery season is a great time to prequalify for a buck sticker. That way you can hit the woods opening morning of the gun deer season with a buck sticker in your pocket giving you the option of shooting any deer of your choice right off the bat.”
Archers need to keep in mind that in any area of the state where a firearm deer season is open, including the regular nine-day hunt, muzzleloader season, Oct. 7-8 youth hunt, December four-day antlerless only hunt or CWD hunts, all hunters except water fowl hunters must meet blaze orange clothing requirements. Officials also remind hunters to be careful in the use of tree stands.
The 2007 deer hunting regulations are available on the Department of Natural Resources Web site and at DNR service centers as well as most license vendors.
Earn-a-buck
Fifty-seven of Wisconsin’s 130 deer management units have earn-a-buck rules in 2007. A map of the 2007 EAB units is available on the DNR Web site.
More than 65,000 hunters “prequalified” for a buck sticker in 2007 by registering an antlerless deer during 2006.
If the unit where the antlerless deer was killed was under EAB last year, the hunter received a purple buck authorization sticker on the spot. The sticker could be used immediately to shoot and tag a buck last year or saved for this year. An EAB buck authorization sticker is good in any EAB unit.
If the unit where the antlerless deer was killed was not EAB in 2006 but is under EAB in 2007, the hunter should be in the EAB Prequalification Database. Hunters in this category will be mailed a buck sticker beginning in August 2007. An EAB buck authorization sticker is good in any EAB unit.
Hunters can also earn a buck sticker for the gun deer season by killing and registering an antlerless deer during the early archery deer season in any EAB unit.
Hunters looking ahead to the 2008 seasons can get an idea of which units might be in Earn-a-Buck by looking at the “EAB Watch List” described below.
The following units are on the “watch list” for 2008: all 2007 EAB units, plus units 1, 1M, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 30, 36, 51A, 51B, 52, 53, 54A, 55, 57, 57A, 57C, 58, 59A, 59D, 60B, 72, 73B, 73D, 74B, and 77M.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke - (608) 264-6023
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