The hunt is on

Hunt smart and safe this deer season

The deer hunting season opened Sept. 17 with archery and crossbow season, which runs until Jan. 8, 2023. The annual nine-day, gun deer hunting season runs Nov. 19 to 27. Hunters with disabilities may hunt Oct. 1 to 9.

Jeff Pritzl, deer program specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said this year’s hunting season will look much like the last couple of years.

“The good news for hunters is that there isn’t any significant changes this year to be aware of,” he said.

The hunting forecast in the state is on par with last year, Pritzl said.

“We don’t see any signs of great change this year,” he said. “Things have tended to stabilize in recent years. We haven’t seen a lot of disease. We do have chronic wasting disease in some areas and are encouraging hunters to continue to submit samples so we can track that in Wisconsin.”

The DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, has more information on CWD and submitting samples.

“We even have self-service kiosks and online forms to submit a sample through the phone at the drop-off site. We anticipate sampling to stay as good as last year or even better, hunters are good about this,” Pritzl said.

He also reminded hunters that every deer harvested must be registered.

“This can be done online, too,” Pritzl said. “It’s the most important thing a hunter can do.”

By Tracy Ouellette STAFF WRITER

Stay safe

Safety, of course, is something the DNR encourages with hunters.

“For archers getting started now, we want them to be aware of tree stand safety,” Pritzl said. “It’s one of the riskiest things hunters do, getting up in the tree stand. People can fall and get seriously hurt.”

Pritzl warned the condition of ash trees is particularly concerning because of the emerald ash borer.

According to the DNR website, emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an invasive, wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees by eating the tissues under the bark. Native to northeastern Asia, emerald ash borer was first detected in the United States in 2002 and is thought to have been introduced from China via the wood from shipping crates.

“We advise hunters to become aware of the issue with EAB and the condition of ash trees,” Pritzl said. “The infected trees become very brittle and susceptible to breaking branches. Hunters should remove stands from trees that are dead or dying.”

Each year, during the gun hunt, Pritzl said there are incidents with accidental discharges involving injuries and sometimes, death.

“Last year, during the gun hunt, we had one fatality and about five or six injuries,” he said. “The overall statistics have improved with more firearm safety education. It’s rarely someone who gets accidentally hit from a distance by another hunter. It tends to be more incidental – the accidentally discharged gun. Because of that, half of the injuries tend to be self-inflicted or by another member of the same hunting party. It really comes down to firearm handling to prevent accidental discharge.”

Pritzl explained that these types of accidents tend to happen more with the experienced hunter than someone who’s new to the sport.

“The folks most prone to have an accident are not the young, new hunters who have hunter education fresh in their minds, but the experienced hunters who can become complacent. That’s where accidents happen. We target this for safety messages for the 40- to 50-yearold hunters.” Wildlife surveying

Pritzl said one thing hunters can help the DNR with while they’re in the field is to participate in the Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey.

“We’ve had this for some time now, but now we have a smart phone app to make it easier for the hunters to participate,” he said. “Every hunter can contribute and share their corner of the hunting world with this.”

Those interested can find the Wildlife Survey app on the DNR website at dnr. wi.gov.

“Every time someone goes hunting, they can report what they saw, where and when. It provides us with good information on what people are seeing in wildlife in a specific area. And now it’s pretty easy to do,” Pritzl said.

Archery season open

Deer hunters got their first opportunity to pursue deer this fall with the opening of the archery and crossbow deer season Sept. 17.

The DNR, in a news release, reminded all outdoor enthusiasts that safety is part of the fun, and urges hunters to review these four rules of safety (TAB-K) before enjoying the season:

Treat every bow/crossbow as if it were loaded;

Always point the bow/crossbow in a safe direction;

Be certain of the target as well as what is before and beyond it; and

Keep fingers outside the crossbow trigger guard or archery release until ready to shoot.

When heading out to hunt during the archery or crossbow seasons, remember these additional safety tips: • Crossbows have a safety – immediately after cocking, always check to make sure that the bow is on safe; • Always use bolts/arrows recommended by the manufacturer and handle carefully; • Protect yourself and the arrow points with a covered arrow quiver; • The safest way to carry, transport and raise or lower a crossbow from a stand is always to have the crossbow un-cocked; • The safest way to un-cock a crossbow is to fire a bolt into a safe target; • Make sure that the limb tips are free of obstructions and that your fingers, hand or arm are not in the string path at any time while the crossbow is cocked; • Never fire the bow or crossbow without firing an arrow or bolt from it (known as “dry firing”); and • Know your range for accuracy.

Tree stand safety is also a key consideration throughout all the deer hunting seasons. Tree stand incidents are a leading cause of injury to hunters. Always wear a safety harness, use three points of contact when going into or out of the stand and use a haul line to bring the unloaded bow or crossbow into the stand. Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.

For more information on the upcoming deer season, read the Fall 2022-Spring 2023 Combined Hunting Regulations on the DNR website.