State DNR scales back deer kill total
MADISON (AP) - The state Department of Natural Resources has scaled back its preliminary nine-day gun deer season harvest.
The agency said Tuesday that preliminary totals showed hunters killed 204,725 deer, about 5,000 more animals than the 199,583 they took during the 2014 nine-day season, the lowest harvest in 21 years.
On Thursday, though, DNR officials said hunters killed 201,812 deer during the 2015 nine-day season. They said they discovered a number of inadvertent duplicate registrations hunters made through the state's new electronic registration system. This year was the first where hunters across the entire state had to use the system.
The agency also released data Thursday showing hunters killed 107,646 antlerless deer and 94,166 antlered deer. Marathon County saw 8,014 total kills, the most of any county in the state.
According to the DNR's preliminary deer registration totals, 685 antlered deer were killed in Green County, over 100 more than the 554 killed last year.
In addition, 967 antlerless deer were killed in Green County, a 6.6 percent increase from last year's 907 total.
While Green County did not have the state's highest kill totals this year - Marathon County, at 8,014 total kills, took that honor - only 15 counties saw a greater percentage increase in the number of antlered deer killed.
Meanwhile, 17.6 percent more antlered deer were killed in Lafayette County this season, which concluded with 780 killed in the county, over 200 more than in last year.
Lafayette's antlerless deer were granted some respite, as this season's 1,089 total was only a 5 percent increase from last year's.
- Mike Brestovansky