OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Deer Hunt 2023 is still a couple weeks away, but people are getting ready for the nine-day campaign.
Officials from the Department of Natural Resources say there could be more deer on the Wisconsin landscape than ever before, but they predict weather could have an impact on the season’s harvest.
Working with recent archery harvest totals as a guide, DNR State Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl says the 2023 gun hunt could be a little slower than 2022.
“Comparing this year to last year, isn’t exactly apples to apples. And if we don’t get that snow cover this year that we had last year, I would expect the harvest numbers won’t quite match last year, because the conditions were ideal last year,” said Jeff Pritzl, DNR State Deer Program Specialist.
Pritzl says last year’s total deer harvest numbers were up 14.4 percent from the season before. He says weather conditions typically play a big role, and when it comes to crop cover, recent precipitation likely had an impact.
“At the end of October, corn harvest was running just a couple days behind schedule. Not a surprise with the wet weather and the snow that eastern Wisconsin got right at the end of the month, probably slowed things down a little bit as well,” he said.
Hunters are also asked to play it safe. Lt. Mike Weber says people using tree stands need to check their gear before opening morning. And that’s not all.
“When you’re going up in a tree stand, and climbing up and down, always make sure to use three-points of contact at all times. And then use a tether line to raise and lower your unloaded firearm at all times. Because you don’t want to be holding onto that, while climbing up and down the tree,” said Lt. Mike Weber, DNR Hunter Education Administrative Warden.
The season runs November 18-26.
