MADISON, WI (KDAL) – Preliminary figures released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources show the total firearm deer harvest in 2023 was down by 17.6 percent statewide compared to the previous year.
In the 9 day season that ended Sunday, hunters registered 173,942 deer, about 28,000 of those in the northern part of the state, which saw the biggest decrease in numbers from 2022.
In Douglas County, registered deer totaled 1,712.
The number of deer hunting licenses in the state was down just slightly from a year ago.
The DNR says hunters from all 50 states and 27 countries purchased Wisconsin hunting licenses.