Deer hunters saw success over opening weekend in Wisconsin, slaying over 100,000 deer, an over 15% increase from 2021’s open season.
Figures showed that hunters nabbed 103,623 deer Saturday and Sunday, 56,638 of which were bucks, Fox11 reported. The number of bucks killed increased by 13.9% than in 2021, according to the outlet.
The figure has since nearly doubled to 200,409 dead deer total, with hunters fatally shooting 113,854 bucks, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) documented.
Deer Hunting in Wisconsin is all about family and tradition – Good luck hunters! pic.twitter.com/rZAKliIcpi
— Bryan Steil (@RepBryanSteil) November 18, 2022
The kill count, though relatively prosperous, is far from record-setting, the outlet noted.
“Keep in mind that in 2021, we had a relatively slow opener. So, it isn’t so much a big jump from last year, as it is a return to more normal we’ve seen over a five-year average,” DNR State Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl told Fox. (RELATED: Police Officer Accidentally Shoots High School Student During Drill: Police)
“This is a trend that we’ve seen going on for the last 20 years, and it’s not unique to Wisconsin. It’s national,” Pritzl reportedly said.
Deer hunting license sales for all seasons are down 2% from 2021, according to Fox11. 779,123 licenses have been sold so far in 2022, 421, 474 of which were for the gun hot, the outlet reported.