Deer and other fall hunting seasons finalized

Shawano, Waupaca, Marathon, Langlade and northern Oconto counties will not have an antlerless deer holiday hunt or bonus archery deer season this year, but Portage, Outagamie and the southern portion of Oconto counties will have both, according to finalized state hunting regulations.

Hunters in Shawano County and most surrounding counties, including Waupaca, Portage and Outagamie, will receive two free antlerless deer tags (harvest authorizations) per gun or archery license. Hunters in Oconto County will receive three free antlerless tags, while Marathon County hunters will receive one free tag per gun or archery license.

For a state map showing the number of free antlerless tags per gun or archery license, visit https://gowildagent.wi.gov/Documents/Deer%20Farmland%20Map.pdf.

The archery (bow and crossbow) season is Sept. 14 through Jan. 5, with some counties having an extended archery season Jan. 8-31. The youth deer season is Oct. 5-6 (wear blaze orange or blaze pink clothing during this season, even for bowhunters; only waterfowl hunters are exempt), and a deer season for hunters with disabilities is Oct. 5-13 (not a statewide season, check regulations for details).

The sacred and time-honored gun deer season is Nov. 23 through Dec. 1, with a statewide antlerless season Dec. 12-15. The muzzleloader deer season follows the regular gun season, Dec. 2-11.

If you have not tried a traditional or modern muzzleloading rifle, now is the time to try. I or other members of our Fox Valley Muzzle Loaders Club in New London would be happy to show you how. Why not add more time afield and increase your odds of some fresh venison?

The final gun deer season (in selected counties) is the holiday hunt, Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.

Shawano, Marathon and Waupaca counties will not have a holiday hunt or an extended archery season this year. Portage, Outagamie and Oconto counties will have both. County deer advisory councils, made up of a cross-section of deer conservation shareholders, help make the decision on whether to increase, decrease or maintain their individual deer herds by recommending the number of antlerless tags, holiday hunts and extended archery seasons.

Only Iron and Ashland counties will be bucks only this fall, with no antlerless tags issued.

For a map of each county’s specific season structure, visit https://widnr.widen.net/s/jdqgztt6ph/deer_zonesssforweb.

It looks like a promising deer season to come, with most does dropping at least two fawns this spring (and a few having three). I base my highly unscientific opinion on what I see on my 30-mile commute through deer-infested Waupaca, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. Waupaca County is typically among the top counties for deer harvest each year..

Road kill is another good indicator of the area population, and the shoulders are currently littered with carcasses.

There are a number of new laws or rule changes that you should be aware of.

My favorite one is legalization of high-powered air guns for big game and game birds. As an avid airgunner and owner of one PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) airgun, I can attest to the power of these efficient, powder-free hunting tools. They use compressed air held in a cylinder (either manually pumped up like the old Crosman or Daisy) or filled with a scuba tank.

These guns in calibers up to .50 can easily kill deer and bigger game, including Cape buffalo. This is not your grandpa’s old Benjamin pump pellet gun. If you plan to hunt deer or even bear with one of these PCP guns, please contact me and let’s do a story.

Here are a few other new rules:

• The limit for the April 12-13, 2025, youth turkey season is one bird per hunter. Any turkey license for any of the spring dates may be used by the youth hunter age 15 or younger during this season (see the regulations booklet or link below for details).

• Youth hunters no longer need a goose permit during the Sept. 14-15 youth waterfowl hunt.

• Junior antlerless deer permits are now valid on both public and private lands.

• Size F shot is now legal for waterfowl hunting. Size F is larger than T but smaller than No. 4 buckshot (5.59 mm, if you want to be exact).

• Crow season has a new starting date: Nov. 23. It ends March 26, 2025.

A summary of the state’s hunting regulations is available at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website, https://widnr.widen.net/s/7nnzqjnmtq/2024-25-hunting-regulations.

This is a summary of all the hunting and trapping season dates: https://widnr.widen.net/s/2g6pwtnhmw/fall-2024—-spring-2025-hunting-an....

Good hunting this fall. Think safety first and if you haven’t taken a hunter safety class yet, now is the time to sign up or take an online course (I strongly recommend the associated field course if you do take an online course.). Hands-on training is the only way to learn it right.

Don’t forget the Aug. 1 application deadline for bobcat, fisher and sturgeon upriver lakes tags.

Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.