2016 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Harvest

Wisconsin's 2016 nine day gun season for whitetail deer has wrapped up with over 590,000 deer hunters taking part in the annual harvest. Compared to last season overall harvest numbers were down a bit, but buck harvest numbers were up in some zones.

The saturday morning opener was made a bit more challenging than usual with winds gusting to 40 MPH in many areas of the state. High winds make seeing deer more difficult, and hearing them next to impossible. Deer tend to hunker down and not move much in such windy conditions. As a result, harvest numbers for opening day were down. A lack of snow throughout much of the state also made things a bit more challenging.

Sunday morning winds were much more bearable, and more deer were seen moving about on sunday vs saturday in many areas of the state.

Buck harvest numbers were up nearly 6% in 2016 with nearly 100,000 buck tags filled. The northern section of the state produced the highest jump in buck harvest rates.

Numbers for the archery and crossbow hunting seasons are not yet computed. The muzzle-loader season will add numbers to the harvest numbers, as will the doe only season and the holiday hunt which takes place in late December through early January.

2016 was the first year deer hunters were allowed to hunt without back tags displaying their deer hunting licenses during both the gun and archery seasons. Not having to register harvested deer by bringing the carcass to a registration station is welcomed by many hunters.

2016 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Harvest was first published to: HUNTINGLANDWISCONSIN WI Hunting Land For Sale

2016 Wisconsin Pheasant Season Dates & Stocking

The 2016 WI pheasant season is slated to open Saturday October 15th at 9 a.m. This is a change from the traditional noon opening time seen in past pheasant seasons.

The 2016 Wisconsin pheasant season looks promising, at least on stocked public lands. For 2016 the Wisconsin DNR plans to stock around 75,000 pheasants throughout the lower half of the state. This pheasant stocking level is on par with last year.

The majority of stocked birds for the 2016 pheasant season are raised on the Poynette Game Farm which recently saw improvements and upgrades to enhance it's ability to incubate and raise pheasants.

As for wild pheasant hunting in Wisconsin, your best bet will be in the south eastern and south western portions of the state. The number of wild pheasants in Wisconsin continues to dwindle due primarily to habitat loss. The ethanol boom prompted many WI farmers to slash and burn existing hedge rows in an effort to shoe horn corn into every square inch of available land.

Cover for pheasants went up in smoke in addition to many buffer areas around streams and rivers. Coupled with the booming population of raccoons, skunks, coyotes and other predators and the wild pheasant population is dismal at best.

The good news is the 2016 WI pheasant hunting season is looking good on DNR stocked public hunting areas.  Here are some resources to check out:

2016 Wisconsin Pheasant Hunting Stocking Map

2016 Small Game Regulations

2016 Pheasant Stocking Information

Hen pheasants cannot be harvested in most areas, however some Wisconsin public hunting grounds stocked with pheasants in 2016 are open to hen hunting with tags.

2016 Wisconsin Pheasant Season Dates & Stocking was originally published on: HuntinglandWI

Wisconsin Bear Hunting Season Looks Good

With the Wisconsin bear hunting opener Sept 7th, many bear hunters are geared up and ready to hit the woods.

Statewide the success rate in 2015 was about 39%, and hunters in northern WI saw a 61% rate of successful harvest. With an estimated population nearing 29,000 black bears this year, its predicted that this bear hunting season could be a real winner, weather permitting.

Last season just under 110,000 hunters put in for the 11,500 tags that were available for this fall's hunt. Eight years is about the average wait to pull a WI bear hunting tag.

Wisconsin bear hunters can hunt over bait, or with dogs using rifle or bow depending on the section of the season.

Wisconsin’s bear population continues to flourish, and hunters who are fortunate enough to draw licenses can expect good success rates this fall.

Statewide, the hunting success rate is about 40 percent, and last year hunters in Northwestern Wisconsin enjoyed a 60 percent success rate, said Greg Kessler, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist at Brule.

Wisconsin’s bear population is estimated at more than 28,000. The state’s bear season opens Sept. 7, and various time periods allow hunting with bait, with dogs or both.

More than 109,000 hunters applied for the state’s 11,520 harvest permits this year. The wait to get a harvest permit can be as long as eight or nine years, depending on the bear management zone.

Bayfield and Douglas counties are usually among the the leaders statewide for numbers of bears taken each fall.

Average bruin size is expected to be down a bit, but the number of bears is seen to make up for this overall. With several mild winters and plenty of food available, Wisconsin bears are quickly becoming more and more common throughout the state, especially in northern counties where larger tracts of Wisconsin hunting land and forested areas make up there preferred habitat.

Wisconsin Bear Hunting Season Looks Good is available on: HuntinglandWI

Central Wisconsin Hunting Land On Lake WI For Sale

This is a rare chance to own hunting land for sale in Wisconsin right on Lake Wisconsin in Columbia County. This parcel is the perfect mix of woods, crop land and lakefront footage.

Chill out on the pier or beach area, and hunt deer, turkey and waterfowl on the 20+ acres of surrounding forest and farm land. There's ample space to plant a food plot to attract deer and other wildlife with several large trees for tree stands.

This is the perfect WI land for sale which includes great hunting and lakefront property with a cottage and pier. Bring the family and do it all right here. Lake Wisconsin is a beautiful lake located between Madison and the Wisconsin Dells. It's an excellent fishing lake known for walleye, panfish and bass with plenty of room for water skiing, tubing and jet skis.

Plots of land for sale in Wisconsin that are right on the lake like this are becoming extremely rare. There's tons of privacy with a unique "up north" feel to this property.

The article Central Wisconsin Hunting Land On Lake WI For Sale was originally published on: http://ift.tt/2baeUQM

Wisconsin MFL & FCL Land Open To Hunting

The Wisconsin DNR has updated it's list and maps of Managed Forest Lands and Forest Crop Lands open to public hunting in 2016. The maps are designed to provide users with an easy point and click interface to finding hunting land in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin residents can use FCL lands for either hunting or fishing. This includes gun deer hunting, bow deer hunting, waterfowl, turkey, small game and predators. Open class MFL land can be used for fishing, hunting, bird watching and cross country skiing.

Certain counties in WI have more MFL and FCL lands available for use. And it's important to understand that using these lands for other purposes such as timber harvest, ATVing etc is prohibited unless land owner permission has been granted.

With the popularity of gun deer hunting on land in Wisconsin, it's a good rule of thumb to scope out a particular plot of land prior to showing up with your orange on. Much of this land is hunted by the land owners, especially during the gun deer season. Things like stand placement, hunter location etc may need to be worked out with the land owner beforehand in order to avoid any problems during the actual hunting season.

No one wants to show up on their deer hunting land on opening morning to discover another hunter has set up shop 50 yards away in an adjacent tree. Working things out in advance is a great way to ensure a safe deer hunt that everyone can enjoy!

Wisconsin MFL & FCL Land Open To Hunting is republished from: http://ift.tt/2baeUQM

Home On Hunting Land For Sale In Portage WI 53901

Beautiful Portage, Wisconsin hunting land for sale with home on Starr Rd. Gorgeous home in relaxed country setting with horse ready storage building and RV hookup area. Over 20 acres of deer and turkey hunting land with food plots and stands on this hunting land for sale in Portage, WI.

Move in, hunt, ride horses and enjoy the country!

Home On Hunting Land For Sale In Portage WI 53901 was first seen on: http://ift.tt/2b2P9zl

Central Wisconsin Deer Population Looks Good

With September right around the corner many land and hunters are reporting high deer sightings with many does seen followed by fawns. Last year's mild winter in the south was seen as a great chance for the whitetail herd to continue to make a come back.

While concerns of CWD continue to linger with percentages of deer with the disease on the rise in all areas, especially in mature bucks, the overall outlook looks promising for the 2016 deer season.

Blue tongue is also a concern in some areas of the state which saw major impact in several hot zones. Blue tongue is spread by a midge which arises from the soil and infects deer, rendering them feverish and with lingering appetites. In some cases the tongue will hang out and turn blue as the animal dies near water.

Blue tongue seems to hit specific areas quite hard, oftentimes wiping out entire herds of deer. Luckily the disease appears to be rather rare, although increasing temperatures due to climate change seem to be increasing the survival rates of the insects over the winter.

Central Wisconsin Deer Population Looks Good is available on: HUNTINGLANDWISCONSIN WI Hunting Land For Sale