Wisconsin archery and crossbow deer seasons open Saturday

Wisconsin’s archery and crossbow deer seasons open Saturday, Sept. 12, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says conditions are looking good for hunters this fall.

The agency held a media briefing Tuesday ahead of the season opener.

Interim Deer Specialist Derek Johnson said another fairly mild winter has helped the state’s deer herd.

“Right now, our herd numbers are looking very strong throughout much of the state, with a third mildish winter again for most of the state,” Johnson said. “Numbers and reproduction are looking good, winter survival is looking good. We did have one little cold stretch there.”

“I know in our area, north central Wisconsin, we got around negative 40 degrees for a couple days there, but the deer seem to have made it through very well,” Johnson said.

Johnson said heading into the season, hunters may want to pay attention to food sources early in the season.

“Acorn production, something big for archery hunting, seems to be looking pretty decent on the red oak front, but not as much as the white oak,” Johnson said. “So I always recommend to our archery hunters to be looking for those food sources during the early parts of the season. Focusing on some of those red oak stands is going to be important this year.”

Johnson said water could also factor into where hunters find deer. While the drought has eased some in northern Wisconsin, he says some areas remain dry.

CWD testing will again be available statewide this season. DNR Herd Health Specialist Erin Larson says hunters can get their deer tested no matter where it was harvested.

“We do have priority areas that we are especially interested in getting additional samples from,” Larson said. “Those priority areas are around newer detections of wild or farm-raised deer, primarily in the central and northern parts of the state.”

The DNR is also reminding hunters to make safety the number one priority. DNR Hunter Education Administrator Renee Thock said that includes taking precautions when using a tree stand.

“Always wear a full body harness, also known as a fall arrest system. Make sure to connect your tether line and keep your tether line short,” Thock said.

She also recommends using a haul line for bows and other equipment and keeping three points of contact while climbing.

The archery and crossbow deer seasons run through Jan. 3. For more information, visit the DNR’s Deer Hunting webpage.