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Outdoors life after gun deer season
Bird with deer fat
Deer fat attracts numerous bird species

With so much hype regarding The Season, a.k.a. the nine-day gun deer season, the public must wonder if there is life beyond these nine days.

Yes, clearly, even beyond looking at the registration figures.  Here are the nine-day figures; hunters registered 85,240 deer; 52,483 were bucks.  Some of those 85,240 were taken by youth hunters during Oct. 7-8.

The bow and crossbow continues until Jan. 7, 2024.  

Before the blaze orange is washed and hung out to dry, muzzleloader hunters can take any leftover authorizations and hunt deer until Dec. 6.  Then bring the rifles back for a statewide antlerless season Dec. 7-10.

In some areas, an antlerless-only Holiday Hunt opens Dec. 24 and closes Jan. 1, 2024.

Check regulation maps since some of these seasons have restrictions.  

Regardless of the hunting type, if there is a gun deer season ongoing in the area, all hunters, except waterfowlers, must follow blaze orange rules of 50 percent above the waist plus the cap.

Had it with deer?

Buck in woods
Hunters had some difficulty seeing deer without sighting snow as a backdrop
No need to become depressed.  You’re in Wisconsin’s great outdoors.

“When it snows I like to read a book, not just any book but a snow book by walking trails and off trails and letting the snow tracks tell me what’s going on,” said Gary Howards, of Oregon, Wis.  

Gary can disturb a rabbit, sort out rabbit tracks from squirrel tracks, notice owl wing prints, which were made after dark.  “The squirrel season now goes until February’s end,” Gary said. “If we get snow, there’ll be skiing, snowshoeing and even snowmobiling,” said Doug Williams, at D W Sports Center in Portage.  “Looks as though the ice fishing season may be short, but better be ready when it does come.”

Speaking of the Holidays, don’t forget the special release of ring-necked pheasants just before Christmas.  Pheasant hunting is a continuation of the same rules as during mid-October.

“As long as there is no ice, open water fishing may be an option, but not for trout streams,” Doug said.  “The trout anglers are already busy tying flies for the early Trout season, which opens the first Saturday in January, 2024.

Wisconsin bear hunters registered 2,922 bears compared to nearly 4,000 in 2022.  Acorns, an abundance of them, may have played into that picture by providing natural food giving bears a choice between donuts and oak nuts.

Turkey hunters, even though Thanksgiving Day is behind us, can add to the 2,906 birds registered thus far.

Hawk eating carcass
A mature red-tailed hawk feeds on a deer carcass

With the close of the nine-day deer season, hunters are free to think of changes they would like to make to their hunting and for the betterment of deer season.  

Gun-deer season involves residents from every state, helps sell 550,000 licenses, and goes on to touch most of the non-hunters in some way. Hunters may consider making a remark or request to the media folks to cover this season more adequately as a news item.  

Now is the time to consider nominating an ethical hunter for the statewide DNR Ethical Hunter Award.  The process is simple.  Every warden knows the ropes. I can direct you, too.

The mountain lion shot by a Buffalo County bow hunter did not receive a citation, even though this animal is a protected species.  The DA in that county did not pursue any charges, after a discussion with wardens investigating the case, recovering the carcass, and listening to the hunter’s story about fearing for his safety before killing the mountain lion.  The individual also self-reported the incident.  He did the ethical thing, which goes a long way, wardens say in most situations.

He will not be able to have the animal; it is in the hands of wildlife biologists who will decide where it will end up.

Birds, sometimes large birds, can be attracted by feeding scraps from home processing a deer.  Fat from the animal attracts hawks, eagles, woodpeckers and crows.  Take extra precautions if the deer was shot with lead ammunition and toss the bones in one of the many dumpsters provided.

Don’t forget the holiday photos for cards or simple prints to send along with greetings.  With some imagination this can be accomplished without snow’s presence.

Contact Jerry Davis, a freelance writer, at sivadjam@mhtc.net or 608.924.1112.


Outdoor opportunities without snow
Deer with collar
This doe whitetail carries a research GPS/camera collar during a CWD study in Iowa County.
Aaron Groves, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist, planned to take a crew and search for a doe deer’s camera-GPS collar that likely dropped the camera portion. He could do this now because the “white” box will show, for human eyes, against a brown backdrop.
Doug Williams, at DW Sports Center in Portage, and a farmer, too said that if a person lost something, hunting related while afield, now is a good time to find it by tracing a path to a tree stand or stump, 

“Sure the bare ground makes it easier for trout fishers to get around,” said Bret Schultz, a trout sage from Black Earth, Wisconsin. “Cloudy days and stable, not weather switches, are beneficial.  Wind is a killer.  I hate it.”
Shed antler hunting, appreciating evergreen ground vegetation, and general hiking to see what is out-and-about are easier now, too.  Birds continue to come to feeders due to lack of leftover natural food, and liquid water helps.
There are negatives to this less-than-ideal-snow winter that we’re in, according to Williams.  “We need snow for moisture and to protect perennials, like alfalfa.  Farmers are scratching their heads as to what to do.”
Taking advantage of what we have works, but not so much for snowmobiling and cross country skiing.
Photographers find close-ups, skies, color patches of watercress, polypodium ferns, and yes even garlic mustard provide opportunities. Structure and texture are helpful subjects to include.  Ice anglers with tan vegetation backdrops make appealing photographs and can even take advantage of dark colored clothing.
Anglers themselves can better see weak spots in the ice, foot-tripping cracks, and ice bulges show more clearly.
Fishing in general, whether it be bluegills through the ice and trout from flowing spring-fed streams often go through a frustrating period about now.
“Trout fishing often lags at this time of the year,” Schultz said. “It’s those major switches in the weather.  Stable weather will turn it around.  Low water flow is a major problem in some streams and has been since October when the season closed.”
On a positive note, Schultz said the fish caught and released are fat and sassy, 14-17 inches long, and not a lot of little fish.

“March will provide better days,” he said.  “That’s when I’ll be out almost every day.  But none of the negatives will keep me from being out there, even now.”
Wild turkeys and turkey hunters seem to be anticipating the coming of greater activity, but Chris Kirby of Quaker Boy Game Call in New York State said turkey gobbling, displaying and fighting are normal but not as intense as a bit later.
Williams reported a gobbler and hen mating, yes in February. Egg development may not be ready to accept sperm yet because those cells generally live inside a hen turkey or pheasant less than a week.
Don’t look for much new and different in the line of calls and techniques coming from major call companies.  Hunters could take advantage of reviewing and improving the basics with standard calls as a check to make sure those tried and true methods are fresh and followed.
It’s early to check on returning and stay-here birds such as robins, bluebirds, and flickers and some winter wonderers like gray and snowy owls.  Again, the lack of snow can enhance observations.
Fishing and hunting license renewal is not that far away, either. Sunny days may bring a maple or boxelder or even a walnut sapcicles from a broken or cut limb.
Squirrel and rabbit seasons remain open.  Walking in a woods is prime without slipping and sliding.  Birds calling, red-tailed hawks and bald eagle courtship are common.
Eagle nest observers have begun their sit, watch, and record duties.  Coyotes are running in pairs, particularly in open fields early in the day.
About all meteorologists are giving us is hope and hints of snow in the future.
Kelly Maguire, at the DNR game farm near Poynette, Wisconsin, said all is a-go for egg production by the breeder flocks, indoor and outdoor.  It’ll be about six weeks before egg collection begins but the indoor layer hens are already getting a different diet in preparation, she said.
While avian influenza is a concern, Maguire is set up with biosecurity measures and has made contact with agencies in preparation if something more serious happening.

Contact Jerry Davis, a freelance writer, at sivadjam@mhtc.net or 608.924.1112.