MONROE - Three stateline counties, Green, Lafayette and Rock, ranked in the top 10 for increased percentages of deer harvested, according to preliminary numbers collected through a DNR call-around survey of 600-plus deer registration stations all across Wisconsin.
Compared to last year, deer kill totals this season were up 35 percent in Rock County, 29 percent in Green County and 23 percent in Lafayette County, ranking them third, fifth and ninth in the state respectively. The counties came in behind Brown County, with 50 percent more deer taken, and Richland County, with 38 percent more.
All top ten counties were in the south or northeast regions of the state.
Where Green County deer hunting shined this year was in placing third in the state for hunters bagging 44 percent more antlerless deer, 1225, up from 850 last year. Bucks tagged were up 10 percent, from 690 to 760. Hunters took nearly 2,000 deer total in the county, about 500 more than in 2011.
At one registration station, Martin's Sports Shop in Monroe, Don Martin said he definitely saw more deer brought in this year.
"A lot of nicer bucks with big racks this year," he said. "Eight- to twelve-point, some bigger than that."
Arthur Patchen at County E Locker, a station for registration and CWD testing, near Albany, said the number of deer brought in to his business was "up a little, probably 15 percent."
He, too, said he saw "a lot of bigger deer in general" this year and "a lot more does than bucks."
A spokesperson at Hoesly's Meats in New Glarus, another registration and CWD testing station, estimated a doubling of their incoming carcasses.
"We were definitely up," she added. And Hoesly's was busy, she said, as the warm fall temperatures forced hunters to get their deer in quickly to cool.
Hoesly's received more bucks than normal, she said, and they didn't expect a big kill this year. But, with two hunting seasons missing this year - the October and the Landowner (January to March) firearm seasons - and no "Earn-A-Buck" program, she believes more hunters took advantage of the 9-day gun season, Nov. 17-25.
Green, Lafayette and Rock are in CWD management zones. All deer killed in the CWD management zone must be registered within the unit of kill or an adjacent unit within the CWD management zone.
Rock County was fifth in the state with a 38-percent increase in antlerless deer kills, 830 compared to 600 last year, and can boast fourth place for a 31-percent increase in bucks harvested, to 590 from 450. Hunters in Rock County brought out 1,400 deer, about 400 more than last year.
Lafayette held its year-to-year increases nearly steady across the board with 24 percent more antlerless and 21 percent more bucks, to achieve a 23-percent total increase. Lafayette had 2,800 deer brought out of the herds, about 500 more than last year - 200 bucks and 300 antlerless.
Forest County was first, up 51 percent, in the antlerless category, taking almost 300 more compared to 2011. Brown was a close second with 50 percent, 160, more antlerless killed. Brown also had the largest buck kill increase, 49 percent more, 400 up from 266.
Seventeen counties, mostly in the north region, saw between 1 to 26 percent fewer deer taken, caused mostly by fewer antlerless animals killed. Oneida (down 26 percent) saw a total of about 1,000 fewer deer taken, 850 of which were antlerless. The number of antlerless deer taken in Vilas County was down 65 percent, about 440 fewer than last year.
Martin said he knows "a lot of fellows who go up north" as a group for the deer season. "A number of them maybe saw one - or none, and one got one," he said. He believes an increase in wolves and beers in those northern areas contribute to their poor hunting experience.
The three local counties can't boast the largest numbers of deer taken during the 2012 nine-day gun season - that would be in west central counties, where hunters bagged between 5,000 and 9,000 deer. The percent change in total deer kills in those counties ranged from up 20 percent in Buffalo County to down 5 percent in Marathon County. The greatest number of deer taken out of one county, 8,917, came from the northeast region, in Waupaca County, up five percent from past year.
Statewide, 2012 preliminary harvest totals are up 7.7 percent from 2011. Preliminary tally indicates 244,000 deer were registered by gun deer hunters for the season.
The preliminary tally showed hunters harvested 114, 822 bucks and 128,917 antlerless deer. This compared to 2011 preliminary harvest figures of 102,837 bucks and 123,423 antlerless, for a 12-percent and 4-percent increase, respectively.
Martin said the First Time Buyer licenses, for hunters who haven't bought a tag in 10 years, may have helped increase the success of deer kill numbers this year, because these tags were reduced to just $5 each.
The number of deer license sales in the state, 633,500, was up 2 percent. Of the total number of licenses purchased this year, nearly 29,000 were First Time Buyer licenses. One-third of first-time buyers were female hunters and another third were youth, ages 17 and under. Additionally, 80 First Time Buyer licenses were sold to hunters 80 years old and older.
Compared to last year, deer kill totals this season were up 35 percent in Rock County, 29 percent in Green County and 23 percent in Lafayette County, ranking them third, fifth and ninth in the state respectively. The counties came in behind Brown County, with 50 percent more deer taken, and Richland County, with 38 percent more.
All top ten counties were in the south or northeast regions of the state.
Where Green County deer hunting shined this year was in placing third in the state for hunters bagging 44 percent more antlerless deer, 1225, up from 850 last year. Bucks tagged were up 10 percent, from 690 to 760. Hunters took nearly 2,000 deer total in the county, about 500 more than in 2011.
At one registration station, Martin's Sports Shop in Monroe, Don Martin said he definitely saw more deer brought in this year.
"A lot of nicer bucks with big racks this year," he said. "Eight- to twelve-point, some bigger than that."
Arthur Patchen at County E Locker, a station for registration and CWD testing, near Albany, said the number of deer brought in to his business was "up a little, probably 15 percent."
He, too, said he saw "a lot of bigger deer in general" this year and "a lot more does than bucks."
A spokesperson at Hoesly's Meats in New Glarus, another registration and CWD testing station, estimated a doubling of their incoming carcasses.
"We were definitely up," she added. And Hoesly's was busy, she said, as the warm fall temperatures forced hunters to get their deer in quickly to cool.
Hoesly's received more bucks than normal, she said, and they didn't expect a big kill this year. But, with two hunting seasons missing this year - the October and the Landowner (January to March) firearm seasons - and no "Earn-A-Buck" program, she believes more hunters took advantage of the 9-day gun season, Nov. 17-25.
Green, Lafayette and Rock are in CWD management zones. All deer killed in the CWD management zone must be registered within the unit of kill or an adjacent unit within the CWD management zone.
Rock County was fifth in the state with a 38-percent increase in antlerless deer kills, 830 compared to 600 last year, and can boast fourth place for a 31-percent increase in bucks harvested, to 590 from 450. Hunters in Rock County brought out 1,400 deer, about 400 more than last year.
Lafayette held its year-to-year increases nearly steady across the board with 24 percent more antlerless and 21 percent more bucks, to achieve a 23-percent total increase. Lafayette had 2,800 deer brought out of the herds, about 500 more than last year - 200 bucks and 300 antlerless.
Forest County was first, up 51 percent, in the antlerless category, taking almost 300 more compared to 2011. Brown was a close second with 50 percent, 160, more antlerless killed. Brown also had the largest buck kill increase, 49 percent more, 400 up from 266.
Seventeen counties, mostly in the north region, saw between 1 to 26 percent fewer deer taken, caused mostly by fewer antlerless animals killed. Oneida (down 26 percent) saw a total of about 1,000 fewer deer taken, 850 of which were antlerless. The number of antlerless deer taken in Vilas County was down 65 percent, about 440 fewer than last year.
Martin said he knows "a lot of fellows who go up north" as a group for the deer season. "A number of them maybe saw one - or none, and one got one," he said. He believes an increase in wolves and beers in those northern areas contribute to their poor hunting experience.
The three local counties can't boast the largest numbers of deer taken during the 2012 nine-day gun season - that would be in west central counties, where hunters bagged between 5,000 and 9,000 deer. The percent change in total deer kills in those counties ranged from up 20 percent in Buffalo County to down 5 percent in Marathon County. The greatest number of deer taken out of one county, 8,917, came from the northeast region, in Waupaca County, up five percent from past year.
Statewide, 2012 preliminary harvest totals are up 7.7 percent from 2011. Preliminary tally indicates 244,000 deer were registered by gun deer hunters for the season.
The preliminary tally showed hunters harvested 114, 822 bucks and 128,917 antlerless deer. This compared to 2011 preliminary harvest figures of 102,837 bucks and 123,423 antlerless, for a 12-percent and 4-percent increase, respectively.
Martin said the First Time Buyer licenses, for hunters who haven't bought a tag in 10 years, may have helped increase the success of deer kill numbers this year, because these tags were reduced to just $5 each.
The number of deer license sales in the state, 633,500, was up 2 percent. Of the total number of licenses purchased this year, nearly 29,000 were First Time Buyer licenses. One-third of first-time buyers were female hunters and another third were youth, ages 17 and under. Additionally, 80 First Time Buyer licenses were sold to hunters 80 years old and older.