Monday, November 23, 2009

Deer Harvest Way Down

No shocker here.

On Monday, the state Department of Natural Resources released preliminary statistics bearing out those field observations.


Statewide, a total of 100,330 deer were bagged, down sharply from the 133,838 taken during the opening weekend of the 2008 hunt.


In the DNR’s 15-county northeastern Wisconsin region, which includes the Fox Valley, the total deer kill was 19,471, down 31 percent from the 28,213 taken during the same period in 2008.


Deer kill totals were down 32 percent in Brown County, 42.6 percent in Calumet County, 45.1 percent in Outagamie County, 32.9 percent in Waupaca County and 44.9 percent in Winnebago County. Kills were down 32.6 percent in Manitowoc County, 40.4 percent in Fond du Lac County, 37 percent in Waushara County and 19.3 percent in Shawano County.


“The final opening weekend tally will likely be somewhat larger, when all the registration stubs are entered into the data base over the next couple of months,” said Tom Hauge, the DNR’s wildlife management director.

I hear beer sales are up though.

(8) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2110 hrs
Off-Duty

  1. Weird, one would think deer would be dropping like flies in crossfire: Gun sale tax revenue is up 42% while ammo is up 49% over same period in 2008.  People must be staying home (and drinking beer).

    Bullets are speeding faster out of gun shops in U.S.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110202712.html

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 23, 2009 at 2227 hrs


  2. You can have all the bullets in the world - but you aren’t going to get a deer when the wolves are eating all of them.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 24, 2009 at 0003 hrs


  3. JP
    What would the retail numbers look like if we subtracted ammo and beer sales ? I am just trying to boost the economy, Obama told us to spread the wealth.
    GEEZ no matter what I do its wrong.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 24, 2009 at 0711 hrs


  4. People stocked up on ammo and guns when they heard Obama was going to be President.  I am not kidding.

    I will count our group lucky bagging two deer this past weekend.

    I do think the wolf population has something to do with the thinning heard.  There are plenty of wolves in the north woods, in fact too many.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 24, 2009 at 0745 hrs


  5. JPenterman, Ah…all those spikes in gun and ammo sales was not the result of people stocking up to shoot deer.  It was/is the result of people stocking up to defend their homes and families and also to protect against government tyranny.  This is the real reason for and meaning of the 2nd Amendment, it has nothing to do with “sporting purposes” as many government and media types would like for you to believe.  An excellent read on the subject is The Founders’ Second Amendment by Stephen P. Halbrook.  In it he explains just how the 2nd Amendment was formed in the minds of the Founding Fathers and the circumstances that brought that thinking about.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 24, 2009 at 0916 hrs


  6. There was a lot less shooting around us opening morning than I usually hear.  I wonder how much the fog had to do with that - it was really thick Saturday.

    Posted by Lance on November 24, 2009 at 1011 hrs


  7. I should mention, I suppose, that my group of four people got two deer Saturday morning.  Both does.  My 16-year-old son’s first deer!

    Posted by Lance on November 24, 2009 at 1012 hrs


  8. Lance congrats to your son on his first kill.  But on the whole we are not going to increase the herd numbers unless we stop shooting does.  The Wisconsin Hunters Rights Coalition (and others) worked very hard to get rid of earn-a-buck because of the devistating effect it had on the herd.  It gets hard not to pull that trigger.  I let 8 go Sunday. 

    Of course - the first kill is worthy of an exception.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 24, 2009 at 1026 hrs


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