November 30, 2018 at 4:29 p.m.
A look at the numbers from opening weekend
A look at the numbers from opening weekend
Last year, the opening weekend of the nine-day gun deer hunt saw 105,216 animals registered. Of those 60,380 were antlered and 44,836 were antlerless. This was an 8.3 percent increase in antlered deer and a 18.8 percent increase in antlerless deer harvested and registered during the weekend.
In the Northern Forest, numbers were down, but only slightly and not across the board. The total number of deer registered during the opening weekend of 2018 was 21,940, down 2.2 percent from the 2017 figure of 22,436. Numbers of antlerless deer registered were up 3.9 percent, from 6,729 in 2017 to 6,993 in 2018.
However, it should be noted there were differing numbers of antlerless permits issued from one year to another, which could have contributed to that increase. The number of antlered deer registered sat at 14,947 at the close of the weekend, down 4.8 percent from 15,707 in 2017.
Three counties in the Northern Forest Zone saw a drop in registration numbers. Price County was down in both antlered and antlerless registrations with an 8.8 percent drop (918 from 1,007) in antlered deer registered and a 19.4 percent drop (245 from 304) in antlerless deer.
This brought Price County's total registrations to 11.3 percent below last year's totals.
Forest County registration numbers were down, too, by 7.9 percent. The biggest drop in that county was a 41.9 percent drop in antlerless deer, from 172 to 100. The antlered deer harvest was up 1.8 percent in the county from 599 to 610.
In Oneida County, numbers were up as well, by 9.2 percent. Antlered deer registrations were up 10.1 percent, with 886 antlered deer being registered in the county over last year's 805. Antlerless deer, too, were up a total of 7.1 percent. This year, 377 registrations came on opening weekend versus 352 last year.
Vilas County saw an increase just slightly more than Oneida's, with their registration numbers being up 9.6 percent. It should be noted, the 151 percent increase in registration of antlerless deer in Vilas County is attributed to the issuance of antlerless tags in this county, which had none last year. Still, the 11.5 percent drop in antlered deer registrations did leave the county up in harvest numbers, a sign the deer herd is still rebounding from the harsh winter of 2013.
Iron County had the biggest percentage drop in the Northern Forest Zone, but the item of note here is the relatively small number of deer registered in that county in both of the last two year. With only 224 deer harvested in 2017, the 2018 total of 189 shows the county down 15.6 percent in overall registrations on opening weekend. Iron County was down in both antlered and antlerless deer registrations, at 3.6 and n6.0, respectively.
Langlade County saw the biggest increase in registration numbers by percentage with a weekend total up 17.6 percent. Registrations of antlered deer were up 13.2 percent, at 1.044, up from 2017's 922. The bigger jump in registration percentage was in antlerless deer. The county saw a 25.7 percent increase in this number, with 616 antlerless deer registered this year and 490 last year.
The Central Farmland Zone saw an uptick in numbers consistent with statewide numbers. An 8.6 percent increase in antlered deer registrations and a 17.5 percent increase in antlerless numbers brought the zone's total to 12.7 percent higher than last year.
The Central Forest Zone saw a decrease just over double that of the Northern Forest Zone. The numbers in that zone were down 4.7 percent. Antlered deer registrations were to account for this, down 7.7 percent while antlerless registrations were only up by 2.1 percent.
The Southern Farmland Zone saw the largest increase in registration numbers by far. Of the deer registered there, total antlered deer registered were up by 30.6 percent, with antlerless deer up by 34.6 percent. This brought the zone's total to a 32.5 percent over last year's number.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at bgaskill@lakelandtimes.
com.
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