NOW HE CAN RELAX. One of the ones that got away. (Photo by Aaron J. Hill)

Hunters in the Chippewa Valley bagged nearly 2,000 fewer deer during the just-concluded gun deer hunt than they did last year, according to just-released figures from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Across Chippewa, Eau Claire, and Dunn counties, hunters registered 8,623 antlered and antlerless deer as of the end of Sunday, Nov. 26. That’s a decline of 17.7% from the 10,472 deer shot during the 2022 season in the same three counties.

The slump was similar statewide, with 17.6% fewer deer taken during the nine-day gun deer season than during the same period last year. Overall, preliminary figures show that Wisconsin hunters registered 173,942 deer this year compared with 211,214 during last year’s gun deer season.

However, the decline in deer harvest totals both locally and statewide were less dramatic when compared with the five-year average: Between 2018 and 2022, for example, hunters in the three Chippewa Valley counties registered an average of 9,354 deer annually, or an average of 731 more than the 2023 preliminary total.

Including deer harvested during Wisconsin’s bow and crossbow seasons, hunters have registered 266,132 deer during 2023.

The regular gun deer season ran from Nov. 18 to Nov. 26, while the statewide muzzleloader season runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 6. This will be followed by a statewide anterless-only hunt (Dec. 7-10) and an anterless-only hunt in select counties Dec. 24 to Jan. 1.

Find more information about the gun deer season on the Wisconsin DNR website.

2,692 vs. 3,218

Total number of deer registered by Chippewa County hunters during the 2023 gun deer season compared with the total registered during the 2022 season.

4,361 vs. 5,353

Total number of deer registered by Dunn County hunters during the 2023 gun deer season compared with the 2022 total.

1,570 vs. 1,901

Total number of deer registered by Eau Claire County hunters during the 2023 gun deer season compared with the 2022 total.