Opening weekend was comfortable for hunters but success was limited

Opening weekend of the nine-day gun hunt in Wisconsin brought warm weather and plenty of sunshine for most of the state. What it didn’t bring was great hunter success in the Northwoods, according to preliminary reports.

Reports from hunters in the area gave the impression of a warm, comfortable experience but limited success on opening weekend.

“It’s been pretty slow,” said Travis Strasburg of Strasburg North Country Taxidermy. “We’ve had plenty of deer in so far, but not a lot of local deer.” 

Most of the deer brought into his shop came from out of state or from southern Wisconsin, he explained.

The big buck pool at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua is another piece of evidence. So far only seven of the 113 spots on the pool have been filled. 

The biggest deer to come in, as of this writing, was an eight pointer with a 16-inch spread.

Ed Choinski, chair of the Oneida County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) and an avid hunter, said his group has not had much luck so far this season. A couple of deer came through and hunters made the decision to pass on them, but there had not been a lot of deer to choose from. 

He reported his grandchildren, ages 11-13, have not seen many deer in range of rifle scope.

With the warmer weather, Strasburg said, he expected there would be a lot of people in the woods. However, the hunters visiting his shop said they were not seeing many hunters in the woods, and were hearing even fewer shots.

Preliminary registration numbers for opening weekend from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were not yet available as of this writing, but will be reported as soon as they become available.

Anecdotal evidence indicates those numbers may be down from previous years.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].