MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says hunters killed 16% fewer deer during this year’s opening weekend of the state’s nine-day gun season than last year. The department released data Tuesday that shows hunters registered 92,050 deer compared with 103,623 last year. DNR officials attribute the downturn to a lack of snow and warm temperatures that suppressed deer movement. The number of hunters in the woods remained virtually unchanged from 2022. As of midnight Sunday, hunters had purchased 774,369 deer licenses, including 421,525 that grant firearm privileges only. Overall license sales numbers were down 0.61% from the same time in 2022.
