Deer Hunting 2024 - A Season of Uncertainty

It has been a busy summer.  It will be a busy fall.  But there is something largely missing.  Preparations for deer hunting.  I have not had a single trail cam out.  My target practice has consisted of a single foray to our middle of the woods hillbilly range in which, admittedly, three generations of the family each showed proficiency with various calibers of weapons.  

I have not even visited our usual tree stand locations, although that's mostly because my walks now include the Exuberant Dog who would tangle his leash on half the trees and lift a leg on the other half.

The basic problem is that there are not many deer around.  Here's a chart of winter severity for 2022-23.  It explains why I did not see a single deer last season, other than a few really smart ones who decided to insolently park themselves on people's lawns.

Confusingly on this chart green means a very bad winter, deeper shades of red a milder one.  Our main hunting area was one clobbered by a combination of cold, snow and a prolonged winter.  Lots of deer did not make it.  Hence the empty woods in the fall of '23.

Deer tags go on sale Monday.  There will be few issued in our county.  That's fair.  You don't devote time and energy to this hobby without a respect for both the deer and for the future of hunting.  Ironically, while there are still not a lot of deer Up North the ones you do see are looking fab.  The winter of 2023-24 was almost non-existent, so survival was excellent and they've all had lots to eat.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources always comes in for criticism.  Not from me, mind you, but from many.  And the dialing back of permits for the upcoming hunt has been pretty significant.

So we strategize.  We look at backup sites.  I may try my hand with a crossbow to get in on that season, which precedes the November rifle hunt.  

Maybe we'll get deer this year.  Maybe not.  Both the weather and the inner workings of the DNR are beyond my control.  At least it should be fun.  Our first official three generation hunt and the new possibilities of hunting on The Homestead.

Fingers crossed for permits on Monday.  It's an online sign up that my archaeology friends will find oh so familiar.....