Hunters register a preliminary tally of 106,404 deer over the first two days of the traditional November nine-day gun deer hunt, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The preliminary count this year was up about 6.3 percent from last year’s opening weekend count of just over 100,000.
Preliminary buck harvest statewide was 54,263 and preliminary antlerless harvest was 52,141.
The DNR reminds folks that these preliminary numbers come from a staff call-around to deer registration stations. Officials say the final opening weekend tally will likely be a little larger, when all the registration stubs are entered into the data base over the next couple of months.
The final harvest for the nine-day gun season in 2009 was the lowest in 27 years, at 196,000 deer.