DEER HUNT HARVEST DOWN?
Monday, December 1st, 2008 -- 11:25 AM
The 2008 Wisconsin gun deer season ended Sunday. If early deer registrations and anecdotal reports from hunters hold true, the harvest will fall short of the 354,384 deer taken last year.The DNR estimated the state's deer herd at 1.7 million before the season, which began Nov. 22. Hunters registered 133,828 deer over the opening weekend, a 22% decrease from the previous year.
The department is to have a preliminary harvest report late Tuesday.
As of Sunday night, nine shooting incidents, including one fatality, had been reported, according to Tim Lawhern, DNR hunter education administrator. Last year, there were six incidents, including three fatalities. The 10-year average is about 16 incidents.
Four of the shooting incidents this season were self-inflicted, and the other five occurred during deer drives.
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