By Gary F. Martin

As bowhunters took to the woods in 2003, Department of Natural Resources officials hoped for an increase over the paltry 54,133 deer killed in 2002. After the 2003 registration tags were counted, Wisconsin's total archery season deer kill not only increased as hoped - it jumped to a record 95,462 deer, nearly half of which were antlered.

Obviously hunter participation was up from 2002, and a couple things may explain that. Baiting was once again legal in 2003, so archers who prefer to sit over bait piles could do so. While chronic wasting disease (CWD) was, and still is, a concern, efforts by both the DNR and private groups to educate deer hunters about venison safety were effective.

Deer hunters are advised to keep up to date on the CWD situation in Wisconsin, especially if they plan to hunt in or near the CWD Herd Reduction Zone. Special regulations govern hunting in the CWD zones. For more information on CWD, log on to the DNR Web site at www.dnr.wi.gov or visit your local DNR Service Center.

At this writing, specific DMUs where EAB will be in effect have not been listed. However, an EAB Fact Sheet is available online and at DNR offices. The EAB rules are complex, but not impossible to understand. Know before you go, and avoid a citation. The DNR hopes that enough deer will be killed during this year in any DMU placed under EAB, but the department warns that in units that hunters kill too few deer in 2004, EAB may be recommended for 2005 as well.

Deer hunters can earn the authority to kill a buck during any open deer season within the hunting year. However, deer shot during the late archery season or during late metro hunts after Jan. 1, 2005, will not be applied to the 2005 hunt. You can earn a buck with any weapon. For example, shooting a doe during the early archery season will earn a buck for the firearm season, or you can shoot two does in the early archery season and earn both a gun season buck and an archery season buck. Gun hunters earn their buck the same way, by first shooting an antlerless deer.

Photo by Ron Sinfelt

EAB authority must be earned in an EAB unit. If you shoot an antlerless deer in one EAB unit, you have authority to take an antlered deer in any EAB unit. You cannot earn a buck in a non-EAB deer management unit.

During the special October and December four-day Zone T antlerless-only herd-control hunts you may earn the authority to shoot a buck, but you may not shoot a buck during these hunts. The only time you can shoot a buck is during the regular gun season, regular archery season with a bow or during the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader.

Since the CWD units are managed separately, if you shoot an antlerless deer in a CWD unit, you earn a buck only in the other CWD units. Also, shooting a doe in a non-CWD EAB unit earns you the buck authority in only non-CWD units.

The EAB tagging regulations will be new to many hunters. If you intend to hunt in any DMUs under EAB, make sure you read the tagging regulations and understand the use of the EAB stickers. No matter how many does you kill, you only earn one buck for your archery license and one buck for your firearm license. It is the responsibility of the hunter to keep track of his or her EAB sticker. If you lose it, you will have to shoot another antlerless deer to earn another sticker.

Finally, hunters must earn their own buck-hunting authority in EAB units. However, under our group-hunting law, you may shoot an antlerless deer for someone in your party to tag, but they must be hunting with you. When they register the deer, they will receive the EAB authority sticker. Stickers are non-transferable.

Our top 10 counties last year accounted for 28,923 deer, or 30 percent of Wisconsin's total archery deer kill. Marathon County was our best county, with hunters tagging 4,045 white-tailed deer, of which 1,912, or 47 percent, were antlered deer. Clark County registered enough deer to take second place with 3,496 whitetails, and 51 percent, or 1,772 of them, sporting "horns." Third was Marinette County, with an archery kill of 3,488, but of those only 38 percent (1,334) were legal bucks. That's 13 percent below the state's average. Waupaca County was our fourth-ranking bowkill county, and archers took 3,298 whitetails - 1,619 antlered and 1,679 antlerless. Ranking fifth was Shawano County with 1,347 bucks, and 1,444 does and fawns adding up to 2,791 bowkills.

Oneida, Jackson, Vilas, Price and Taylor counties ranked in sixth through 10th places, respectively, and each registered over 2,000 total archery kills in 2003. The antlered deer percentage was near the state average in all except Vilas County, where 2,300 deer were killed, but only 32 percent were antlered.

The top 10 archery harvest DMUs from 2003 are 61, 62B, 58, 63A, 59C, 65B, 59A, 55, 54A and 59B. The first six DMUs listed were also in the top 10 in 2002. Antlered deer percentages in 2003's top 10 units varied from a high of 63 percent in DMU 59B to a low of 44 percent in DMU 55. Archers registered 21,079 deer from the top 10 DMUs, or 22 percent of the state's total bowkill in 2003.

The antlered deer kill percentage was above the state average, which was at 55 percent in these DMUs.

The four DMUs in the Green Bay area - 64, 64M, 63B and 80B - accounted for 3,984 whitetails during last fall's archery seasons. Archers in DMU 64 killed 1,192 deer, of which 670, or 56 percent, were antlered. In DMU 64M, 688 deer were killed, and 322, nearly half, were legal bucks. DMU 63B archers stuck 1,257 deer, with 717, or 57 percent, wearing antlers. In DMU 80B, which cover parts of Kewaunee and Door counties, 847 deer died by arrow, and over half were bucks.

Three of our top 10 DMUs for 2003 were 62B, 63A and 65B. Bowhunters registered 2,603 deer in 62B, and 1,200 were antlered. DMU 63A saw 2,300 deer come into the registration stations, with 1,127 being bucks. Archers took 1,846 deer in unit 65B, and 54 percent, or 998, were antlered. These three units registered 7 percent of the total archery kill last year, and 49 percent of the deer killed were legal bucks.

DMU 58 was next in this part of our state with a total of 2,417 kills and an antlered percentage under the state average by just 1 percent. Hunters in DMU 59C also broke the 2,000 mark by registering 2,209 animals, and over half were bucks.

The remaining unit total kill numbers came in as follows: 59, 1,719; 55, 1,707; 54A, 1,679; 59B, 1,623; and 69, 1,526. Each unit saw a buck harvest higher than the state's average percentage.

Deer hunters who might be worried that they will have too much venison due to the EAB requirements should check with their local DNR Service Center for the location of Hunt For the Hungry, or similar program, drop-off locations. If you can go online, just log on to www.huntforthehungry.com and click on the "drop-off points" icon. This northeast Wisconsin program relies on the generosity of area hunters as well as farmers and landscape nursery owners enrolled in the Crop Damage Program to donate extra or unwanted venison, or any packaged wild-game meat. These donations provide quality meat for the food distribution program at Paul's Pantry and other food pantries serving thousands of needy families throughout Wisconsin. The program is in its eighth year. If you would like more information on the Hunt For The Hungry Program, contact program coordinator Lee Dudek at (920) 498-1522.

Bowhunters are getting longer seasons than they ever dreamed possible, and there might be more hunting opportunities to come as metropolitan areas, nature areas, university grounds and parks are opened up to archery hunts to thin the local deer herds. Be sure to watch your local newspaper for any announcements on special hunts in your area.

Longer hunting seasons, liberal bag limits and Earn-A-Buck are changes you just have to learn to live with. There are too many deer. If hunters don't bring the population down to a healthy level, nature will, one way or another. Sometimes, when there are changes you don't like, you have to accept them and learn to adapt to them.

The 2004 non-CWD archery season is Sept. 18 through Nov. 18, and Nov. 29 through January 3, 2005. These dates may be expanded or changed. Consult the General Hunting Regulations Pamphlet and any special regulation handouts before hunting. For more information and current updates on CWD, EAB and Wisconsin's deer hunting seasons, log on to www.dnr.wi.gov or visit your local DNR Service Center.

Enjoy your bowhunting season!