Gun deer season kicks off Saturday morning in Wisconsin. Half an hour before sunrise, hundreds of thousands of hunters will be spread out across Wisconsin, guns in hand to take down nearly 200,000 deer.
"For the Wisconsin deer season, this is the best time of the year," Bret Owsley, Southern District Wildlife Supervisor for Wisconsin DNR said. "Outside of the Green Bay Packers, deer season is a tradition in Wisconsin."
Owsley says last year during opening weekend, a deer was harvested every other second. He expects more of the same this year.
"We think overall, especially in Southern Wisconsin, it's looking to be a real good deer season," Owsley said. "We've seen our population steadily increase or remain steady for the last few years. We've had mild winters. They usually don't play a big role in Southern Wisconsin with the amount of food but mild winters, lower than normal antlerless harvest with restrictions on some tags."
"It's the best," Greg Goss of Jackson said. "It's what I look forward to. I can't believe it's here already."
Goss enjoys gun deer season both personally and professionally. He runs a taxidermy company out of Jackson called Mounted Just Right. He says thanks to the 9-day gun deer season, he'll make 40 to 60 mounts. It doesn't mean he won't enjoy some time in the stand.
"I just enjoy the outdoors," Goss said. "Being out in the atmosphere, getting away from being inside. I like to sit out there. It's peaceful. I always try to go where it's thick so I'm away from people."
Hunters in the state will be able to go digital this year with their paperwork. Owsley says hunters can download the Hunt Wild Wisconsin mobile app.
The DNR also runs a podcast called Wild Wisconsin. They cover a variety of hunting-related topics.
