Deer numbers up statewide, down in Douglas County

Opening weekend numbers for the 2011 Wisconsin gun deer hunt are up statewide but down for Douglas County.

The preliminary numbers released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Monday show a 5.6 percent increase in the total deer harvested statewide Saturday and Sunday. Hunters took 112,581 deer, according to call-in registrations.

In Douglas County, harvest numbers were down significantly. Hunters took a total of 1,386 deer on the opening weekend, a 17 percent drop from 2010. The buck harvest was down 6.4 percent, while the antlerless harvest was 29 percent lower than last year.

Statewide, only eight counties saw a decrease in both buck and antlerless numbers. Five of those counties are located in the Northern District, which saw a 1.2 percent overall decline.

Douglas, Washburn, Burnett, Barron and Polk counties — a solid block in northwestern Wisconsin — all saw decreases in both buck and antlerless harvests for 2011.

Washburn experienced the most significant drop-off statewide, with a nearly 50 percent decrease in total deer taken compared to last season. Washburn County hunters took 49.5 percent fewer bucks and 50.3 percent fewer antlerless deer this season.

Preliminary harvest numbers are expected to change slightly as a more complete count is made and all registration stubs are entered into the DNR database.

Tags: douglas county, outdoors, hunting, animals