Leader Staff
Contributed Photo GOOD OPENING DAY: James Lombardo shot a 15-point buck on opening day of gun deer season just outside of Mattoon.
Hunters registered nearly 30,000 more deer during the opening weekend of the nine-day gun deer season than last year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR reported Tuesday that 119,495 deer were registered on opening weekend, about 16,000 more than in 2014 and the second highest count since 2008.
In Shawano County, hunters registered 3,961 deer, including 2,150 bucks. Last year’s opening weekend total was 3,841, including 2,071 bucks. There was one deer, a buck, registered in Menominee County this year and 4,507 in Waupaca County — 490 more than last year, including 2,296 with antlers.
DNR big game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang said a mild winter last year was good for whitetails, which could contribute to the successes on opening weekend. Also, he said more northern counties are selling tags for antlerless deer.
Last year’s final harvest was 222,588 deer — the fewest on record in more than a decade. The season ends on Sunday.
This year was also the first year for electronic registration, though the DNR left open a handful of registration stations for those who still wanted to register in person.
Lakeview Quick Mart in Cecil received “about half the people” who normally show up to register their deer, according to store manager Char Otto.
The station helped hunters register nine bucks and two doe over the weekend.
“Business isn’t up there like it used to be,” Otto said.
The weekend count included more than 62,800 bucks and almost 57,000 antlerless deer, according to the DNR.
Marathon County had the largest number of registered kills — nearly 4,900.