 |
|
|
| 11/27/2009 7:51:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Hunters see, shoot fewer deer
Injuries, small harvest, fog sums up weekend
Julie Wroblewski and Doug Etten
The Lakeland Times
During opening weekend of Wisconsin's 158th gun deer season, hunters registered a preliminary tally of 100,330 deer during the first two days.
The 2009 preliminary count is down 33,498 deer, 25 percent, from the 2008 opening weekend harvest of 133,828.
Buck harvest statewide in 2009 was 49,583 (52,477 in 2008) and antlerless harvest was 50,478 (81,351 in 2008).
The DNR issued a release in October predicting the harvest number this season would be down substantially from last year because of lower deer numbers in many areas of the state, fewer herd control units and no earn-a-buck units outside of the chronic wasting disease management zone.
Conditions to open the traditional nine-day gun deer season didn't bode well for hunters as unseasonably warm temperatures continued rising throughout the weekend after an opening morning cursed with dense fog in many areas led to fewer deer being sited.
Early morning fog was what troubled most hunters opening day, according to some who said they could hear deer moving through the woods, but couldn't see more than 25 feet at times. Hunters said it was nearly 10 a.m. before the fog had completely burned off which covered what most say is the prime time to bag an opening-day deer.
Overall, hunters said the numbers of those out looking for their deer seemed to be down as well, in comparison to years past.
Those accustomed to running into other hunters, especially on public land, said that in some areas they really didn't see the same number of hunters as what they had typically been seeing.
Those hunting on public land who rely on other hunters in the woods to move the deer for them said this year it seemed as if there just wasn't as many people moving around like there usually is.
Though that wasn't the case in all areas, some in the Lake Tomahawk area hunting the state forest said large groups of hunters, sometimes 20-25 in a crew, canvassed areas of the woods disrupting many who were sitting opening morning.
Public or state forest land may be hunted by anyone with a valid license, which makes it tough for the DNR to police issues involving those hunters who find themselves mixed together.
Local registrations also down
Kurt's Island Sports Shop in Minocqua didn't have as busy an opening weekend as some years, but it came as no surprise to proprietor Kurt Justice.
"We expected numbers to be down, with the limited number of antlerless tags issued this year," Justice said Monday.
Many years, the sports shop registers as many as 1,000 for the entire nine-day season. Last year about 700 deer were registered there.
"I'm guessing it's going to be closer to 300 this year. Or it could be even less. It may really drop off," Justice said.
During opening weekend, Kurt's registered 102 bucks. Last year they registered 132.
There was a 90 percent drop in the antlerless deer harvest at Kurt's compared to 2008. They registered 16 does, compared to last year's 166.
"But you have realize, there are no bonus tags available and I'm hearing from hunters there just aren't as many deer out. Very few fawns are being seen, and because of the lack of does, it's my opinion that the bucks are traveling further away to find does."
He also cited the lack of snow which makes it more difficult to spot a deer, and the Saturday morning fog as factors in low opening weekend registration.
"Usually on Sunday night of the opener between 4:30-6:30 p.m., we're pretty busy registering," Justice said. "We registered very few deer (Sunday) night. But it all depends of a lot of things - hunters can only harvest what they're allowed."
He said overall, hunters' attitudes seem to be fine and that because expectations weren't high to begin with, there hasn't been much complaining.
"Every year we get some unsuccessful hunters that really do a lot of complaining, then we get the successful hunters that are happier than heck," Justice said. "It's just part of hunting, not everyone is successful."
Another thing Justice noticed is that hunters don't seem to be hunting as long as they used to. He said some are cutting their seasons short, but also hunters are coming in earlier in the day from their stands.
He said some hunters are in the mindset that it's a good thing there are so few antlerless tags available because it means the deer herd is being built back up.
"My one concern is - and I'm not a wildlife biologist - there are not a lot of fawns. I think there is a high predation of fawns which comes back to the number of bears, coyotes and wolves around. It could take longer than just a few years for the herd to recuperate," Justice said.
And while hunters love to have snow for a better visual of a deer and for better tracking, he said the warmer weather during the opener was beneficial for the young hunters.
"If you can keep them outside, you can keep their interest in hunting going," Justice said.
On this year's registration form, hunters are asked to rate the weather and the number of deer they saw.
"The weather's a matter of perception," Justice said. "We had some people rate the weather as low as a two, and others rate the same weather as high as a 10."
As far as the number of deer, Justice said it really just depended on where the hunters were.
"There's little pockets. One group of six hunters saw one deer total in two days. Another group from Mercer saw quite a few does," Justice said. He said a lot of hunters reported seeing no deer at all.
In Hazelhurst, Butch Fryar of the ICO Marathon said those hunters coming in to register deer - the few that there were - expressed discontent over the total number of deer that seem to be down over years past.
"They can't shoot what they can't see and hunters just weren't seeing deer," Fryar said. "Overall we were down around 55-60 percent over last year's registration numbers which isn't good for my business, I can tell you that."
Fryar said last year's opening weekend wasn't anything spectacular, either. However, the numbers this year are dwarfed in comparison.
Last year's opening weekend saw 400 total deer registered at ICO compared to just 86 opening weekend this year.
"We had 40 registered on Saturday and 46 registered on Sunday," Fryar said. "And there is nothing good about it."
The overall number of bucks being registered was what astounded Fryar the most. Saturday, of the 40 total deer registered he had 34 of them being bucks which is still down nearly 66 percent over opening day last year, according to Fryar.
Purchase of licenses after the opener weren't huge, either. Fryar said only five hunters purchased licenses after opening day, which he says wasn't a surprise.
Hunters are telling Fryar they are upset with the management of the deer herd by the state. Fryar said he agrees with what many of the hunters are saying and doesn't see the herd being back to where it once was - at least not for another few years.
"I think it will be probably about 5-6 years before we see the herd increase in size," Fryar said. "It sure ain't like it used to be."
Five injuries, one pending fatality
Five non-fatal hunting-related shooting incidents occurred over the opening weekend of the regular nine-day gun hunt in Wisconsin. Three were self-inflicted.
A sixth and fatal incident was still under investigation at press time pending an autopsy report. Christopher J. Kealy, 36, of Janesville, was reported missing early Sunday afternoon after family members had not seen him since Friday night when he left to go hunting. He was hunting alone Saturday.
His vehicle was found in Janesville Township and after a search in a large wooded area by the Rock County Sheriff's Department assisted by the Department of Natural Resources, Kealy's body was recovered.
A press release from the RCSD didn't state the cause of death, though a Monday Janesville Gazette story said Kealy died from a suspected accidental gunshot wound.
The article also said Rock County commander Tom Gehl said Kealy was lying on the ground near a tree stand and a gun was found nearby.
Gehl was also quoted as saying the death is consistent with a hunting accident.
The DNR had not confirmed before press time that Kealy's death was hunting-related.
DNR hunter education administrator Timothy Lawhern released a report to The Lakeland Times Monday detailing the non-fatal incidents. The report included:
• A 36-year-old male was wounded when another 36-year-old male was unloading a 30-06 bolt action rifle at a vehicle Saturday at 8:15 a.m. in Grant County. The victim received three entry wounds from door shrapnel to the left thigh and one laceration to the rear of his right thigh.
• In nearby Price County Saturday at 10:30 a.m., a 49-year-old male was unloading a semi-automatic handgun when it discharged. He shot himself through the palm of his left hand.
• Also on Saturday in Green County a 38-year-old male was crossing a waterway by way of a downed tree when he slipped. His 12-gauge pump shotgun discharged into his upper thigh.
• The first of two incidents occurring on Sunday involved a 21-year-old male in Barron County who received a rifle bullet to the upper right thigh. Two hunting parties that were involved were identified, though at press time, the actual shooter had not.
• And in St. Croix County Sunday a 43-year-old male shot himself in the middle finger with a 30-30 lever action rifle.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Lawhern told The Lakeland Times Monday, "pick your hunting partners as if your life depends on it, because it just might. And the other is you're only as safe as your next hunt or the next time you pick up a firearm."
The incidents, according to Lawhern, are typical for opening weekend.
"I could take a cookie cutter and tell you this was going to happen because it's been happening for the past 10-20 years opening weekend," Lawhern said. "Safety has to be first, you need to be following the good training of hunter education."
He reminds hunters if crossing an obstacle such as a deep ditch or a stream to unload the firearm.
"It only takes a few seconds to load and unload," Lawhern said.
License sales
As shooting hours opened, 626,404 hunters hit the woods in Wisconsin. Of these, 9,592 were 10- and 11-year-olds who were allowed to participate in this year's hunt under the new hunting youth mentorship program. Nearly one-third of all hunters were under the age of 30.
DNR's online licensing system peaked Friday at 212 per minute at 5:30 p.m. All told, 82,463 gun deer licenses were issued to hunters who waited until the last minute to purchase. Nearly 270,000 licenses were issued in the eight days preceding the season opener. Deer license and tag sales will continue through the hunting seasons.
|
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Dale Henderson
Stop shooting does. We (my crew) have preached this for years and now finally, the proof is painfully apparent.
|
Comment on this story
|
|
|
|
