2019 WISCONSIN BIG GAME and TURKEY

HARVEST SUMMARY

Wilma Clemens of Nekoosa displays a wild turkey she harvested at Meadow Valley Wildlife Area, Jackson County, on April 16, 1966. It was one of 20 turkeys estimated to have been harvested that year. After the historic reintroduction of turkeys to Wisconsin in the 1970s, turkey populations have recovered. In 2019, the estimated spring turkey harvest was 38,576. Photo: DNR file.

DEER | BEAR | ELK | TURKEY

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

JUNE 2020

PUB-WM-284-2020

2020 Deer, Bear, Elk and Turkey Seasons

2019 Deer, Bear, Elk and Turkey Seasons

The 2019 Big Game Harvest Summary Volume 30 – Issue 1

Deer, Bear, Elk and Turkey Compiled by Brian Dhuey and formatted by Daniel Adams and Jacob Swanson Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Wildlife Management

2801 Progress Ave., Madison, WI 53716

Sept. 4 – 10 Sept. 11 – Oct. 1 Oct. 2 – 8

Sept. 4 – Oct. 8 Zone C: With aid of bait and other legal methods not utilizing dogs Zones A, B and D: With aid of dogs only With aid of dogs, bait or other legal methods With aid of bait and other legal methods not utilizing dogs

2019 Bear Hunting Season Dates 2019 Deer Hunting Season Dates Bow & Crossbow: Sept. 14 – Jan. 5, 2020 Bow & Crossbow (metro & extended archery & crossbow counties):

Sept. 14 – Jan. 31, 2020 Youth Deer Hunt: Oct. 5 & 6 Disabled Hunt: Oct. 5 – 13 9-day Gun Hunt: Nov. 23 – Dec. 1 Gun Hunt (metro): Nov. 23 – Dec. 11 Muzzleloader: Dec. 2 – 11 Statewide antlerless-only: Dec. 12 – 15 December Holiday Hunt: Dec. 24 – Jan. 1, 2020

Sept. 9 – 15 Sept. 16 – Oct. 6 Oct. 7 – 13

Sept. 9 – Oct. 13 Zone C: With aid of bait and other legal methods not utilizing dogs Zones A, B and D: With aid of bait and other legal methods not utilizing dogs With aid of dogs, bait or other legal methods With aid of dogs only

2020 Bear Hunting Season Dates 2020 Deer Hunting Season Dates Bow & Crossbow: Sept. 12 – Jan. 3, 2021 Bow & Crossbow (metro & extended archery & crossbow counties):

Sept. 12 – Jan. 31, 2021 Youth Deer Hunt: Oct. 10 & 11 Disabled Hunt: Oct. 3 – 11 9-day Gun Hunt: Nov. 21 – 29 Gun Hunt (metro): Nov. 21 – Dec. 9 Muzzleloader: Nov. 30 – Dec. 9 Statewide antlerless-only: Dec. 10 – 13 December Holiday Hunt: Dec. 24 – Jan. 1, 2021

2019 Elk Hunting Season Dates Archery, crossbow, firearm: October 12 – November 10

December 12 – 20

2019 Turkey Hunting Season Dates Youth Turkey Hunt: April 13 & 14 Spring Season: A = April 17 – 23

B = April 24 – 30 C = May 1 – 7 D = May 8 – 14 E = May 15 – 21 F = May 22 – 28

Fall Season: Zones 1 – 5 = Sept. 14 – Jan. 5, 2020 Zone 6 & 7 = Sept. 14 – Nov. 22

2020 Elk Hunting Season Dates Archery, crossbow, firearm: October 17 – November 15

December 10 – 18

2020 Turkey Hunting Season Dates Youth Turkey Hunt: April 11 & 12 Spring Season: A = April 15 – 21

B = April 22 – 28 C = April 29 – May 5 D = May 6 – 12 E = May 13 – 19 F = May 20 – 26

Fall Season: Zones 1 – 5 = Sept. 12 – Jan. 3, 2021 Zone 6 & 7 = Sept. 12 – Nov. 20

Table of Contents

Deer Hunting Summary Season Structure .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Hunting Authorizations .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Bow/Crossbow Seasons ....................................................................................................................................... 5

Firearm Seasons ................................................................................................................................................... 6

Deer Harvest ......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Ag Damage and Tribal Seasons ........................................................................................................................... 9

Hunting Accident Summary ................................................................................................................................... 9

Black Bear Harvest Report Narrative .............................................................................................................................................................. 10

Harvest Authorization Distribution ....................................................................................................................... 12

Harvest by:

Bear Zone .............................................................................................................................................. 13

Historical Harvest ................................................................................................................................... 14

Tribal ...................................................................................................................................................... 15

Wolf Harvest Report NO WOLF SEASON IN 2019

Spring Turkey Harvest Report Narrative .............................................................................................................................................................. 17

Hunting Authorization Distribution ....................................................................................................................... 20

Harvest by Zone .................................................................................................................................................. 20

Historical Harvest ................................................................................................................................................ 22

Fall Turkey Harvest Report Narrative .............................................................................................................................................................. 23

Hunting Authorization Distribution and Harvest .................................................................................................. 25

Historical Harvest ................................................................................................................................................ 27

Elk Harvest Report Harvest ................................................................................................................................................................ 29

Narrative .............................................................................................................................................................. 30

2

mla

The 2019 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Summary By Brian Dhuey and Kevin Wallenfang

2019 Season Highlights

Season Totals Season Antlered Antlerless Unknown Total

Bow 24,238 17,293 1 41,532 Crossbow 29,825 21,357 0 51,182 Youth 3,219 3,531 0 6,750 9-day1 76,849 91,740 7 168,596 Muzzleloader 3,389 4,667 0 8,056 December Antlerless 24 8,360 0 8,384 Holiday Hunt2 16 4,333 0 4,349 Extended Bow2 138 458 0 596 Extended Crossbow2 179 596 0 775 Total 137,877 152,335 8 290,220

1 Includes damage deer 2 In select units

Tribal Harvest Antlered Antlerless Unknown Total

320 308 0 628

10 deer have no zone recorded

Northern Forest Antlered: 27,822 Antlerless: 18,140

Central Farmland

Antlered: 73,115 Antlerless: 94,268

Central For Antlered: 5,587 Antlerless: 3,50

Southern Far nd Antlered: 31,353 Antlerless: 36,420

2019 Deer Harvest by Management Zone and Deer Type

est 5

3

Abstract

This report summarizes the results of the 2019 Wisconsin bow, crossbow, firearm, and Chippewa off- reservation deer harvest. All harvest statistics are from kill registration data. Since 1953, the Department of Natural Resources has required that Wisconsin hunters register all deer harvested. Electronic registration of harvested deer began in 2015 and continues today. All deer harvested must be registered within 24 hours of recovery. This report is possible due to Pittman-Robertson funding.

All ages are legal to hunt in Wisconsin (since 2017), with those under the age of 12 and those who have not completed a hunter safety course, being required to have a licensed mentor of at least 18 years old always within arm’s reach while they hunt.

This report is a brief summary of deer harvest and hunter activities for the 2019 deer seasons. Detailed information on deer harvest, populations trends, deer health, deer impacts, and hunter dynamics can be found on the Wisconsin DNR’s website (www.dnr.wi.gov), keyword deer metrics. This past season’s and historical deer information at a management unit level can be found there.

Season Structure

Since the implementation of the Deer Trustee Report recommendations in 2014, the state has been divided into four deer management zones (DMZ) from north to south and designated as, Northern Forest, Central Forest, Central Farmland, and Southern Farmland (Figure 1). Deer management units in these management zones are based on county boundaries inside the zone. Most counties are now their own management unit with a few exceptions for areas where DMZ’s cross county boundaries or tribal reservation boundaries were used to develop their own units. Metro areas within these new unit boundaries are now sub- units of the larger county management unit. These sub-units were subject to longer seasons and may have been eligible for additional antlerless authorizations that were not valid in the rest of the unit. Zone boundaries were modified for the 2018 deer season, with boundary changes occurring in both the Central and Northern Forest zones, and the modification or creation of metro sub-units.

A continuous bow and crossbow season ran from mid-September through early January. Firearm seasons included a statewide youth firearm deer season in October, a traditional 9-day firearm deer season in November, a 10-day statewide muzzleloader season, a statewide antlerless only 4-day hunt in mid-December, and in select units an antlerless only Holiday Hunt starting the day before Christmas and ending January 1st. Units that had a Holiday Hunt could also extend the bow and crossbow seasons through the end of January.

Figure 1. 2019 Deer Season Structure

4

Authorizations

All hunters could harvest one buck statewide per weapon authority purchased. Bow and crossbow hunters that purchased an upgrade authority to use either weapon were only allowed to harvest one buck with either weapon per season.

Antlerless authorization(s) were issued at no cost with each weapon authority purchased. These authorizations allowed the harvest of antlerless deer in any unit in the farmland DMZ’s. At the time of issuance, the license purchaser had to declare a farmland DMZ, unit, and landownership type (public or private) they wanted the authorization to be valid for. The number of authorizations available for counties in the farmland zones ranged from 1 to 6, depending on the county (Figure 2). Additional antlerless authorizations could be purchased for both the farmland and forested DMZ’s. These authorizations were sold over-the-counter on a first-come, first-served basis at a cost of $12 for residents, $20 for non-residents, and $5 for youth. The purchaser had to designate the zone, unit and land type (private or public) for which they were purchasing the authorization. Authorizations available were limited in many zone, unit, and land types. Deer hunters who were hunting under a youth license were issued an additional antlerless authorization with each license purchased. This allowed the harvest of an antlerless deer in any unit, even if the unit had no antlerless authorizations available to the non-youth hunting public. County Deer Advisory Councils could recommend that even these youth antlerless authorizations not be valid in the unit; no counties did not allow the harvest of antlerless deer on a statewide youth antlerless authorization in 2019.

Select metro sub-units had additional authorizations available both as free metro sub-unit authorizations and as

Figure 2. 2019 Farmland Zone Anterless permit availability.

bonus ($12 resident, $20 non-resident) authorizations. These authorizations were valid only in the portion of the unit that was defined as the metro sub-unit and were valid during any open metro season.

5

Bow/Crossbow Season

The bow and crossbow seasons were held from 14 September - 5 January, 114 consecutive days of hunting. Beginning in 2014, crossbows were legal for all ages of hunters, but required a separate license. Bow and crossbow seasons remained open during all concurrent firearm hunts, and all hunters, regardless of weapon used, are required to wear blaze orange/pink clothing during any open firearm deer season and restricted to the same deer type as firearm hunters.

Bow and crossbow hunters could harvest one antlered deer statewide. Bow and crossbow hunters could harvest additional antlerless deer using Farmland Zone antlerless deer authorization(s) or purchase additional “bonus” antlerless deer authorizations in units that allowed the taking of antlerless deer.

All metropolitan sub-units in the state allowed bow and crossbow hunters additional opportunity to kill deer by keeping the season open until 31 January. Additionally, units that held a firearm Holiday Hunt were eligible to extend the archery season until 31 January; 22 units were extended. Hunters in most sub-units used the same Farmland Zone or bonus antlerless authorizations that were available in the larger deer management unit. Like firearm hunters, bow and crossbow hunters could purchase additional antlerless authorizations throughout the season or until all were sold.

Wisconsin bowhunters killed 42,128 deer (Table 1) and crossbow hunters killed 51,957 (Table 2) in 2019. The combined harvest was 94,085; this is up from the combined harvest of 87,629 killed in 2018. Bow and crossbow hunter pressure is at its highest during the pre-rut and rut and many successful hunts occurred during this period. Harvest by day of the season is contained in Figures 3 & 4.

Table 1. Bow deer harvest by deer management zone and deer type. Deer Management Zone Antlered Antlerless Unknown Total Central Farmland 12,958 10,930 1 23,889 Central Forest 977 375 0 1,352 Northern Forest 3,432 1,752 0 5,184 Southern Farmland 7,009 4,694 0 11,703 Unknown 0 0 0 0 Total 24,376 17,751 1 42,128

45,000

40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

Day of Season Figure 3. All bow deer harvest by day of the season for 2018 and 2019.

2018 2019

Deer

Har

vest

0 3 6 9 12

15

18

21

24

27

30

33

36

39

42

45

48

51

54

57

60

63

66

69

72

75

78

81

84

87

90

93

96

99

102

105

108

111

6

Table 2. Crossbow deer harvest by deer management zone and deer type. Deer Management Zone Antlered Antlerless Unknown Total Central Farmland 15,937 14,040 0 29,977 Central Forest 1,408 579 0 1,987 Northern Forest 6,700 3,294 0 9,994 Southern Farmland 5,959 4,040 0 9,999 Unknown 0 0 0 0 Total 30,004 21,953 0 51,957

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

Day of Season

Figure 4. All crossbow deer harvest by day of the season for 2018 and 2019.

Firearm Seasons

October A statewide youth (under 16) deer hunt was held on the 5-6th of October. All youth were required to be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian and be within visual and voice contact. Those under the age of 12 and those who have not completed a hunter safety course, being required to have a mentor of at least 18 years old always within arm’s reach while they hunt. All youth who were mentored or possessed a Hunter’s Education certification card and a firearm deer license were eligible to hunt. The bag limit was one buck and additional antlerless deer with the appropriate authorization(s). All youth deer license holders were issued a free antlerless authorization, which were valid in all units. A total of 6,750 deer were killed by youth during these two days. A special firearm hunt for disabled hunters was held on sponsor landowners’ properties, and any license valid for firearm hunting could by filled from 5- 13 October.

November Wisconsin held the 2019 regular 9-day firearm deer season during 23 November – 1 December. Rifles were allowed in most of the state, but local governments could restrict their discharge in their jurisdictions. Firearm license holders were issued one antlered deer authorization valid statewide. Like archers, firearm license holders received 1-6 antlerless deer authorizations(s) for use in the Farmland DMZ’s and could purchase additional bonus antlerless authorizations. All units in all DMZ’s offered some amount of additional bonus antlerless authorizations on a first-come, first-served basis.

2018 2019

Deer

Har

vest

0 3 6 9 12

15

18

21

24

27

30

33

36

39

42

45

48

51

54

57

60

63

66

69

72

75

78

81

84

87

90

93

96

99

102

105

108

111

7

December All DMZ’s in the state were open for muzzleloader-only hunting from 2 - 11 December. Any unused harvest authorization valid for use during a firearm season, both antlered and antlerless, could be used during this time. Only hunters possessing or accompanying someone with an unused harvest authorization could take part in the muzzleloader season.

Wisconsin held a statewide antlerless only firearm season from 12-15 December. All hunters with an unfilled antlerless deer authorization could take part in the season. This season allowed hunters who were unable to fill their antlerless authorization during the 9-day and muzzleloader seasons another chance to kill an antlerless deer.

County Deer Advisory Councils had the ability to recommend a Holiday Hunt on a unit-by-unit basis in 2019. Twenty-nine councils recommended a Holiday Hunt, 19 in 2018, 17 in 2017 and 13 in 2016. These units were in the Central and Southern Farmland DMZ. The season was for antlerless deer only and was held from 24 December through 1 January. All firearm deer harvest by DMZ and day of the season is available in Table 3 and Figure 5.

Deer Harvest The 2019 non-tribal deer harvest of 290,220 was 13.4% less than the 335,243 killed in 2018. Antlered deer harvest was down 13.9% while antlerless deer was down 13.0%. Most of these declines occurred during the 9-day firearm deer season (-23.3%). The 2019 9-day firearm season opener was the latest calendar date (23 November) possible under the current season frame work; the 2018 deer season was the earliest (17 November); with rut activity and deer movements being impacted by this difference. Previous years when Wisconsin has gone from the earliest to latest calendar dates for the 9-day firearm season similar declines in overall harvest occurred. Bow (4.3%) and Crossbow (10.0%) seasons saw an increase in total kill in 2019 from 2018 levels. Particularly in the antlered portion of the harvest with increases of 12.5% for bow and 15.6% for crossbow. Other statewide seasons saw mixed results with a decline in harvest for the Youth (-14.1%) and December Antlerless (-11.3%) but an increase in the Muzzleloader (16.6%) season over last year’s levels. Previous year’s harvest data can be viewed in Figure 6.

Table 3 Firearm deer harvest by deer management zone and deer type. Deer Management Zone Antlered Antlerless Unknown Totala

Central Farmland 44,220 69,297 0 113,517 Central Forest 3,202 2,551 0 5,753 Northern Forest 17,690 13,094 0 30,784 Southern Farmland 18,385 27,686 0 46,071 Unknown 0 3 7 10 Total 83,497 112,631 7 196,135

8

0 3 6 9 12

15

18

21

24

27

30

33

36

39

42

45

48

51

54

57

60

63

66

69

72

75

78

81

84

87

90

93

96

99

102

105

108

111

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0

Day of Season Figure 5. All firearm deer harvest by day of the season

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

Year

Figure 6. Total deer harvest by weapon type, 1966-2019.

Crossbow Total Bow Total Gun Total

Total Kill by Weapon Type 1966-2019

2018 2019

Deer

Har

vest

Kill

1966

19

68

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

9

Deer

Kill

1983

19

85

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

Agricultural Damage Shooting Program Wisconsin's agricultural damage deer shooting program was in effect for 2019. Agriculture damage deer shooting permits allow the harvest of deer outside the state deer hunting season for the protection of commercial agricultural crops. In 2019, the Department issued 567 agriculture damage deer shooting permits. The number of deer shooting permits issued in 2019 increased from 2018 when 561 permits were issued. Damage authorizations were primarily valid for harvesting antlerless deer using a firearm (occasional exceptions are made to harvest antlered deer or to use archery equipment for harvest). All damage deer harvest is tallied in the 9-day deer harvest totals as they are primarily firearm harvest.

Chippewa Deer Harvest Deer hunting in the off-reservation portions of the ceded territory by the tribes of the Lake Superior Chippewa took place from 1 September to 31 December. The Tribes harvested 628 deer in 2019 (Figure 7). Tribal totals are not included in the statewide firearm harvest totals in this report but used in calculating population estimates for each of the units that have tribal harvest. The total Tribal deer harvest by year is in Figure 5. Other off-reservation treaty harvest information can be obtained by contacting the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, P.O. Box 9, Odanah, WI 54861.

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

Antlered Kill Antlerless Kill

Year Figure 7. Ceded territory tribal deer harvest 1983-2019.

Hunting Accidents There were 4 hunting accidents during the 2019 deer seasons, 2 fewer than occurred in 2018. All accidents occurred during the 9-day firearm season. None of the accidents were fatal; 2 self inflicted, 1 where the shooter and victim were in the same party, and 1 where the victim was struck by a stray bullet. Details of the accidents can be found in Table 4 Table 4. The 2019 Hunting accident synopsis.

#

Date/Time

Location

Injury Description

Fatal Self Inflicted (SI) or Same Party (SP)

Shooter Age / Sex / Hunter Safety

Certified

Victim Age / Sex / Hunter

Safety Certified

Type of Firearm

1 11/23/2019 5:40am

Oneida Private

Bullet pass-through the left foot. No SI- Self Inflicted 38yr M Yes Same as

Shooter 30-06 Caliber Semi-

Automatic Rifle

Synopsis: The Victim had just climbed into their ladder stand and was readying themselves to sit down after loading their rifle. The victim had the firearm pointing down when it discharged twice, once striking the victim in the foot with the second round missing the victim.

2 11/23/2019 11:45am

Fond du Lac Public

Slug fragment to finger of left hand. No SP- Same Party 54yr M No 19yr F Yes 12 Gauge Pump Action

Shotgun Synopsis:

Victim and Shooter were standers in a deer drive. A deer ran towards them, the victim shot once while the deer was in front of them. As the deer continued to run in-between and then past them, the shooter shot twice and then the victim shot a second time. After the victim’s second shot, they realized they had been shot in the forefinger of their left hand.

3 11/23/2019 1:28pm

Marathon Public

Gun shot wound to big toe of left foot No SI- Self Inflicted 29yr F Yes Same as

Shooter 30-30 Lever Action Rifle

Synopsis: Victim was walking along a trail/access road holding their firearm when it discharged, striking the victim in the big toe of the left foot.

4 11/24/2019 11:22am

Washburn Public

Gun shot wound to left chest, exiting left back. No Neither Unknown 31yr M Unknown Unknown

Synopsis: Victim was walking through brush after climbing down from elevated stand and was struck by one round under left armpit and exiting out the left back.

10

Abstract

Wisconsin Black Bear Harvest Report 2019

By Brian Dhuey, Matt Gross and Brad Koele

Wisconsin bear hunters killed 3,679 black bears during the 2019 season. This was 1% lower than the 2018 kill of 3,717 bears. The 2019 kill was comprised of 52% males and 48% females. Harvest during the first 2 weeks of the season accounted for 65% of the total bears harvested.

Background

Wisconsin requires non-Chippewa hunters to obtain a bear harvest authorization to kill a bear. The state is divided into four Bear Management Zones (BMZ, Figure 1), and hunters are required to apply for an authorization within one of those zones. Kill authorizations are distributed through a preference point system giving unsuccessful applicants who applied but did not receive an authorization in previous years the first chance to receive a kill authorization the following year. Each kill authorization allows the taking of one adult bear not accompanied by a cub or cubs in the specified zone.

Wisconsin’s bear season has opened on the first Wednesday after Labor Day since the 2000 season. The 2019 bear season ran from 4 September through 8 October (35 days). In the northern 1/3rd of the state (BMZ A, B and D), hunting with the use of dogs was allowed during 4 September- 1 October while the use bait was allowed 11 September – 8 October. Hunters in the southern 2/3rds of the state (BMZ C) could hunt the entire 35-day season with the use of bait and all legal methods not utilizing dogs.

Methods

Wisconsin requires non-Chippewa bear hunters to register all bear within 24 hours of recovery. All bear were registered through an automated telephone system or through the WDNR registration website. To complete legal registration, all hunters were required to submit via mail two upper first premolar for age and genetic analysis for population modeling. Data on bear harvested by Chippewa tribal members on ceded lands were obtained from the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC). All kill data are summarized using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS).

Results

A total of 120,926 people applied for 11,595 black bear harvest authorizations in 2019. The number of applicants decreased by 2.5% and the number of authorizations decreased 10.6% between 2018 and 2019 (Tables 1 and 10). A total of 11,595 authorizations were offered to hunters prior to the season. While bear numbers have been lowered in parts of the state to reduce conflicts and damage, the bear population has remained strong in the Northwest and Southern areas of the state (Zone C and D). Quota and authorizations have remained high in these areas.

11

During the 2019 season, 11,595 hunters killed 3,679 black bears (31.7% success rate), compared to 3,717 taken in 2018. Males comprised 52% (1,920), females 48% (1,759) of the harvest (Table 2, Figure 2).

Most bears were taken in Zone D (1,175) followed by Zones A (946), C (900), and B (658) (Table 2 and Figure 1). This was the 11th highest bear harvest since the inception of bear registration in 1957. The prior 10 years have provided the state with the 10 highest bear harvest totals.

The number of bear taken over bait alone (2,260; Table 3) was greater than the number shot over dogs (1,314; includes bear shot over dogs and bait). Eighty-one bear were taken without the use of dogs or bait. Gun hunters took a total of 3,243 bear, while archers killed 261; 151 bear were killed with a crossbow (Table 6). Table 7 and Figure 5 summarize the historical Wisconsin black bear kill from 1957 through 2019.

Chippewa hunters killed 24 bear in 2019 (Tables 5); this was less than the 32 killed in 2018. More information on the Chippewa bear kill can be obtained by contacting the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), P.O. Box 9, Odanah, WI 54861.

A total of 650 black bear complaints were filed from January-December 2019. This was slightly more than the number of complaints (625) filed in 2018. As a result, 483 bear were captured and relocated from problem areas. This was more than the 309 that were moved in 2018.

Five nuisance bear shooting permits and twenty-six agricultural damage bear shooting permits were issued in ten different counties during the spring, summer, and fall of 2019. One hundred seventy-seven bear harvest authorizations were issued to these permit holders, the number of harvest authorizations issued with each permit ranged from 2 to 31 tags. Fifty-eight bear were registered under the agriculture damage shooting permits and four bear were registered on nuisance permits in 2019. In 2018, twenty-one agriculture damage bear shooting permits were issued with forty-three bear being registered. Five nuisance bear shooting permits were issued in 2018 with one bear being registered under those permits.

The Wisconsin corn crop was behind normal crop development in 2019, with some areas having milk stage corn late in August and early September. This along with an abundance of natural foods were available for the start of the bear season. These conditions may have led to reduced visits to bear bait sites during hunting hours. Even with the abundance of natural foods, bait stations continued to be visited by bears with at least some degree of activity throughout much of the hunting season. Hunting conditions during much of September saw above average temperatures, and above average precipitation, particularly in the southern 2/3rds of the state, through much of the heart of the bear season. Wet weather continued later in the season, but temperatures returned to more normal levels and may have been more conducive to hunters pursuing bears. The 2019 bear kill of 3,679 was below the WDNR harvest goal of 3,835 bears. Hunter success in 2019 was 32%, higher than the 28% of 2018 but below the long-term average of 51%.

The WDNR Black Bear Advisory Committee, with support from GLIFWC, USFS, Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and the Wisconsin

12

Conservation Congress established a harvest goal of 3,650 bears for the 2020 season. A total of 11,535 Black Bear harvest authorizations will be available to hunters to achieve this goal.

Table 1. Harvest goal, number of authorizations available, bear kill, and percent of quota, by zone for the 2019 black bear season.

Zone Harvest

Goal Authorizations

Available Black Bear

Kill % of

Quota A 900 1,590 946 105.1% B 785 1,255 658 83.8% C 850 6,310 900 105.9% D 1,300 2,440 1,175 90.4%

Total 3,835 11,595 3,679 95.9%

Table 2. Black bear kill by zone and sex, 2019. Zone Females Males Unreported Total A 462 484 0 946 B 337 321 0 658 C 360 540 0 900 D 600 575 0 1,175

Total 1,759 1,920 0 3,679

13

Figure 1. The 2019 black bear kill by zone.

Figure 2. The 2019 black bear harvest by sex.

Zone D 1,175

Zone A 946 Zone B

658

Zone C 900

Bear Kill by Sex Unknowns Killed

0%

Females Killed 48%

Males Killed

52%

Females Killed Males Killed Unknowns Killed

14

Table 3. The 2019 black bear kill by hunting method and weapon type (does not include Chippewa harvest of 24 bear). Weapon

Method Bow Crossbow Gun Total Dogs 12 13 845 870 Bait 233 136 1,891 2,260 Dogs and Bait 10 1 433 444 None 6 1 74 81

Total 261 151 3,243 3,655

Figure 5. Black bear kill, 1957-2019.

0

1000

2000

3000

Total 4000

Female 5000

Male

6000 Black Bear Harvest History, 1957 - Present

15

Table 4. Black bear kill by sex, 1957-2019. Year Male Female Unk Total Year Male Female Unk Total

1957 --- --- 460 1989 584 375 19 978 1958 --- --- 811 1990 705 501 41 1,247 1959 --- --- 665 1991 715 480 24 1,219 1960 --- --- 675 1992 789 631 54 1,474 1961 --- --- 337 1993 715 494 49 1,258 1962 ---- --- 617 1994 781 513 34 1,328 1963 --- --- 579 1995 953 735 49 1,737 1964 --- --- 511 1996 1,288 955 82 2,325 1965 --- --- 308 1997 1,165 950 63 2,178 1966 --- --- 475 1998 1,727 1,378 79 3,184 1967 --- --- 541 1999 1,456 1,301 124 2,881 1968 --- --- 613 2000 1,543 1,376 156 3,075 1969 --- --- 752 2001 1,632 1,336 18 2,986 1970 331 341 672 2002 1,290 1,143 38 2,471 1971 444 347 791 2003 1,613 1,288 4 2,905 1972 --- --- 878 2004 1,618 1,433 12 3,063 1973 376 230 606 2005 1,537 1,107 1 2,645 1974 224 166 390 2006 1,615 1,448 5 3,068 1975 344 195 539 2007 1,528 1,261 8 2,797 1976 373 206 579 2008 1,616 1,324 15 2,955 1977 375 256 631 2009 2,135 1,828 46 4,009 1978 426 436 10 872 2010 2,519 2,602 12 5,133 1979 449 288 737 2011 2,171 2,047 39 4,257 1980 469 386 855 2012 2,287 2,275 84 4,646 1981 624 610 1,234 2013 2,005 1,888 59 3,952 1982 797 636 1,433 2014 2,255 2,210 61 4,526 1983 539 395 934 2015 2,198 2,000 0 4,198 1984 617 480 1,097 2016 2,310 2,371 1 4,682 1985 No Season 2017 2,163 1,996 0 4,159 1986 308 195 503 2018 2,027 1,690 0 3,717 1987 533 304 837 2019 1,920 1,759 0 3,679 1988 601 494 30 1,125

Table 5. The 2019 Tribal black bear kill by bear management zone and sex1. Zone Female Male Unknowns Total A 1 1 2 B 3 3 6 C 0 2 2 D 8 6 14 Total 12 12 24

1 These data are included in the statewide totals.

16

Table 9. The number of black bear harvest authorizations issued and the number of applicants, 1974-2020.

Year

Residents

Non-residents

No. Authorizations Issued

No. of Applicants

1974 3,459 3,459 3,459 1975 4,116 4,116 4,116 1976 4,899 4,899 4,899 1977 5,025 5,025 5,025 1978 6,283 6,283 6,283 1979 5,612 179 5,791 5,791 1980 6,352 171 6,523 6,523 1981 7,247 241 7,488 7,488 1982 8,142 224 8,366 8,366 1983 7,077 218 7,295 7,295 1984 6,439 320 6,759 6,759 1985 Season Closed 1986 840 8,289 1987 1,730 10,203 1988 1,663 10,208 1989 2,020 13,734 1990 2,825 15,988 1991 2,560 17,668 1992 2,620 19,415 1993 2,110 22,555 1994 2,175 25,799 1995 2,710 30,086 1996 4,570 35,356 1997 4,700 41,969 1998 5,860 44,928 1999 6,014 50,938 2000 6,598 50,601 2001 5,681 53,508 2002 4,985 54,879 2003 4,710 56,944 2004 4,741 61,726 2005 4,549 66,777 2006 4,277 68,821 2007 4,405 80,213 2008 4,660 86,138 2009 7,310 95,384 2010 8,910 97,467 2011 9,005 103,854 2012 9,015 104,391 2013 8,560 106,573 2014 10,340 108,271 2015 10,690 109,088 2016 11,520 109,221 2017 12,850 112,983 2018 12,970 124,053 2019 11,595 120,926 2020 11,535 119,436

17

Abstract

Spring Turkey Harvest Report 2019

By Brian Dhuey and Mark Witecha

A total of 38,576 turkeys were harvested during the 2019 spring turkey hunt. The spring season was comprised of 6 hunting periods in 7 Turkey Management Zones, and Fort McCoy. The uncorrected success rate for authorization holders was 18%, based on a total of 213,078 authorizations issued. Hunter success rates of 20% or above occurred in one of the 7 major hunting zones. Highest success rates per hunting period occurred in the first period of the season. Eighty-four percent of the harvested males were adults, down from 88% in the 2018 harvest. One hunting incident occurred during the spring season. The incident involved the shooter and victim being in the same hunting party and was not fatal.

Methods

Harvest information was obtained through mandatory registration of harvested turkeys. All turkey hunters are required to register their bird by 5:00pm the day after harvest via phone-in registration or via the WDNR website. All registered birds are given a confirmation number upon completion of registration. Registration records were then compiled and summarized using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS).

Results

Hunting Zones Wisconsin is divided into 7 Turkey Management Zones (TMZ) with similar timber, agriculture, ownership, and hunter and turkey densities (Figure 1). All State parks in a turkey zone were open to all hunters who possessed a valid turkey tag for that zone and time period. Fort McCoy still allowed limited access for turkey hunting on the military base. New in 2019, Fort McCoy issued its own access permit and turkey harvest authorization and registration process.

Harvest Authorizations Authorization levels in each TMZ are recommended by the WDNR Turkey Committee and decided upon by the Wildlife Leadership Team. Consideration is given to the following when authorizations levels are set: previous hunter success rates, turkey population and distribution within a zone, square miles of turkey range (i.e., square miles of timber), recruitment, winter severity, and hunter interference rates (Table 1).

Authorization Selection All applicants were required to pay a $3 spring turkey authorization application fee to enter the preference drawing. Preference for authorizations was given first to resident landowners (up to 30% of authorizations available per zone/time period combination), followed by residents with preference points, other residents, and finally non-residents. Applications were randomly selected, but applicants within each preference category were issued available authorizations for their first-choice zone and time period before their second or, third choices.

A total of 213,078 authorizations were issued in 2019 compared to 212,721 in 2018 and 212,456 in 2017. A total of 133,370 applications were received for the spring hunt. Most of these applicants received an authorization via a drawing process. A small number of applicants did not get an authorization through the drawing process. These applicants either applied for

18

oversubscribed zones or restricted their choices to the first 3 hunt periods where there were more applicants than authorizations. No zones were oversubscribed in 2019.

As has been the norm for over a decade, leftover authorizations were sold ($10 for resident, $15 for non-residents) over the counter (OTC) at WDNR license sales locations on a first-come, first- served basis at a rate of one authorization per customer per day. This continued until all authorizations available for a zone and period were issued or the season closed. A total of 77,657 authorizations were issued this way.

Harvest and Success Rates The 2019 spring turkey harvest was 38,576 birds taken (Figure 1, Table 2). This is very similar to the 38,885 killed in 2018. The hunter success rate of 18% was the same as last year’s 18% but below the long-term average of 22.3%.

Good hunter success rates (defined as above 20%) occurred in one of the 7 main turkey zones open to spring hunting (Table 3). The highest success rates per period occurred in the first period of the season, at 24%, and generally goes down for each following period. The winter of 2019 was normal through much of the January through March period. A normal weather pattern occurred for much of the spring hunting periods. Hunter harvest and success rates should not have been too adversely affected by any weather events.

A statewide youth (under 16) turkey hunt was held for the thirtieth time in the spring of 2019. There is no minimum age to hunt in Wisconsin (started in 2017). All youth were required to be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian and be within visual and voice contact. Those under the age of 12 and those who have not completed a hunter safety course, being required to have a mentor of at least 18 years old always within arm’s reach while they hunt. All youth had to hold a valid turkey authorization and license to hunt. Youth were restricted to the zone of their valid turkey authorization, but the authorization could be from any time period. The hunt occurred on the 13-14th of April, with 1,953 turkeys being harvested (Table 2). All unfilled authorizations were still valid for the zone and time period of issuance.

Age Ratio Adult gobblers comprised 84% of the 2019 spring turkey harvest (Table 4). This proportion is higher than the 2018 level of 88%. Turkey recruitment and hunter selection are factors that can affect this ratio. There was no weather events in the recent brood rearing seasons that should have caused significant changes in production.

Accidents There was one hunting accident during the 2019 spring turkey hunt; 1 in 2018, 3 in 2017, 2 in 2016, 1 in 2015, 1 in 2014, 2 in 2013 and 3 in 2012. The accident involved the shooter and victim being in the same hunting party and occurred when shooter did not properly handle their firearm. Turkey hunting continues to be a very safe sport in Wisconsin with less than 3 accidents per 100,000 authorizations.

19

Figure 1. Spring Turkey harvest by zone, 2019.

Zone 6 966

No turkeys were registered with zone of kill unknown

Zone 7 467

Zone 4 5,978

Zone 5 1,901

Zone 3 9,500

96 FM

Zone 1 10,335 Zone 2

9,333

20

Table 1. Total number of spring turkey authorizations issued, 2010-2019. Zone 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

1 68,806 67,152 59,875 66,061 62,903 61,030 61,960 61,777 59,839 59,735 2 34,344 34,198 40,797 41,999 45,000 45,055 47,942 48,059 51,076 51,028 3 56,273 54,611 48,898 54,430 51,826 50,063 50,570 49,872 48,854 48,439 4 35,295 34,908 31,974 34,914 31,287 31,727 31,860 32,267 32,139 32,289 5 12,087 11,994 11,654 11,998 11,132 12,001 12,016 12,011 11,915 11,933 6 4,510 4,495 4,499 4,500 4,327 4,501 4,502 4,500 4,975 5,400 7 2,400 2,400 3,602 3,600 3,348 3,583 3,602 3,602 3,607 3,900

FM 351 325 392 296 324 290 320 368 376 354 Total 214,066 210,083 201,691 217,798 210,496 208,250 212,772 212,456 212,781 213,078

Table 2. The 2019 spring turkey harvest by zone and time period. Success rates are uncorrected for nonparticipation.

Zone

A B C D E F Special Hunts Total

Kill %

Success

Kill %

Success

Kill %

Success

Kill %

Success

Kill %

Success

Kill %

Success Learn to

Hunt Youth Hunt

Kill

% Success

01 2,942 24% 2,064 17% 1,922 15% 1,469 12% 900 14% 493 15% 84 461 10,335 17% 02 2,005 24% 1,695 20% 1,350 16% 1,220 14% 1,289 15% 1,061 12% 133 580 9,333 18% 03 2,682 26% 1,941 18% 1,799 17% 1,461 14% 672 17% 408 17% 66 471 9,500 20% 04 1,415 24% 1,094 19% 838 14% 944 16% 776 13% 582 18% 19 310 5,978 19% 05 440 22% 359 18% 311 16% 212 11% 281 14% 211 11% 14 73 1,901 16% 06 243 27% 190 21% 140 16% 137 15% 98 11% 105 12% 4 49 966 18% 07 130 20% 104 16% 71 11% 58 9% 45 7% 47 7% 3 9 467 12% FM 21 30% 29 42% 17 29% 14 15% 7 19% 8 27% 0 0 96 27%

Unks 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0 0 0%

Total 9,878 24% 7,476 18% 6,448 16% 5,515 13% 4,068 14% 2,915 14% 323 1,953 38,576 18.1%

Table 3. Hunter success rates (percent successful) for 2010-2019. Zone 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

1 22% 18% 20% 17% 19% 19% 22% 20% 19% 17% 2 28% 25% 26% 21% 23% 23% 23% 22% 19% 18% 3 19% 18% 21% 17% 20% 20% 20% 20% 18% 20% 4 23% 18% 19% 15% 18% 18% 21% 21% 19% 19% 5 20% 18% 19% 17% 18% 17% 17% 16% 16% 16% 6 19% 18% 17% 14% 13% 16% 18% 18% 18% 18% 7 17% 16% 16% 12% 11% 14% 14% 14% 14% 12%

FM Total 26% 20% 28% 33% 22% 24% 35% 24% 20% 27% Statewide 22% 19% 21% 17% 20% 20% 21% 20% 18% 18%

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Table 4. Percent of the harvest composed of adult gobblers, 2010-2019. Zone 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

1 80 77 82 73 90 76 84 83 89 83 2 81 78 84 76 89 80 84 83 88 83 3 77 76 81 72 91 80 83 80 86 84 4 83 79 81 69 93 80 79 81 88 86 5 81 75 82 76 91 86 83 80 90 85 6 80 75 78 76 90 82 82 82 91 88 7 83 77 81 75 86 83 79 79 89 85

FM 85 88 79 87 90 90 79 90 89 83 Statewide 80 77 82 73 91 80 83 82 88 84

Figure 2. Spring turkey authorizations issued and harvest, 1983-2019.

250,000 Spring Turkey Authorizations Issued and Harvest, 1983 - 2019

Harvest

Authorizations

200,000 150,000 100,000

50,000

0

1983

19

84

1985

19

86

1987

19

88

1989

19

90

1991

19

92

1993

19

94

1995

19

96

1997

19

98

1999

20

00

2001

20

02

2003

20

04

2005

20

06

2007

20

08

2009

20

10

2011

20

12

2013

20

14

2015

20

16

2017

20

18

22

Table 5. Historical number of authorizations issued, harvest, and success for spring turkey hunting, 1983-2019.

Year Authorizations Harvest Success 1983 1,200 182 15.2% 1984 1,950 303 15.5% 1985 2,025 496 24.5% 1986 3,675 793 21.6% 1987 6,040 1,478 24.5% 1988 11,070 2,486 22.5% 1989 21,280 4,400 20.7% 1990 29,877 6,465 21.6% 1991 37,414 6,846 18.3% 1992 43,925 8,798 20.0% 1993 61,767 12,316 19.9% 1994 71,420 12,637 17.7% 1995 68,588 15,323 22.3% 1996 75,812 18,000 23.7% 1997 92,734 20,992 22.6% 1998 101,141 28,338 28.0% 1999 112,256 33,168 29.5% 2000 132,318 38,686 29.2% 2001 151,522 39,211 25.9% 2002 160,101 39,336 24.6% 2003 169,277 42,970 25.4% 2004 186,608 47,477 25.4% 2005 193,826 46,183 23.8% 2006 200,869 46,662 23.2% 2007 205,306 52,428 25.5% 2008 208,972 52,880 25.3% 2009 218,133 52,581 24.1% 2010 214,356 47,722 22.3% 2011 210,384 40,133 19.1% 2012 201,984 42.612 21.1% 2013 217,798 37,804 17.4% 2014 210,496 41,815 19.9% 2015 208,250 40,975 19.7% 2016 212,772 45,501 21.4% 2017 212,456 43,305 20.4% 2018 212,781 38,885 18.3% 2019 213,078 38,576 18.1%

23

Fall Turkey Harvest Report 2019

by Brian Dhuey and Mark Witecha

Abstract

The 2019 fall turkey season was open from 14 September through 5 January 2020, 114 consecutive days in Turkey Management Zones (TMZ) 1-5. Turkey Management Zones 6 and 7 had a 70-day season running from 14 September through 22 November. New in 2018, hunters were no longer required to apply for a fall turkey authorization but were issued a single authorization for the zone of their choice with the purchase of a turkey or Conservation Patron license. Select zones allowed the purchase ($10 for residents, $15 for non-residents) of additional bonus harvest authorizations. Total authorizations issued through using these methods was 74,775. Authorized hunters harvested 3,792 turkeys; 10 more than in 2018, for a success rate uncorrected for nonparticipation of 5.1%.

Methods

Harvest information was obtained through mandatory registration of harvested turkeys. Starting in the fall of 2011, hunters were no longer required to take a harvested bird to a registration station, but instead register their bird over the phone or on the DNR website. Information collected at the time of registration was the same as in the past with hunters required to inform the WDNR of the zone, county, date of kill, sex and age of each turkey killed. Registration records were summarized using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS).

Results

Season Structure The whole state was open to fall turkey hunting from 14 September – 22 November in 2019 (Figure 1). The fall hunting season structure was changed in 2018, with a continuous season through the 9-day gun deer season and through the first full weekend in January in TMZ’s 1-5 (in previous years the turkey season was closed during the gun deer season but reopened on the Monday following through the 31 December). This allowed most fall turkey hunters 114 days afield to pursue turkeys. This was done to allow hunters to enjoy an extended season, increase their chances of bagging a bird, and simplify regulations by having coinciding season closing dates with other species. Past modern fall hunts have ranged from 7-106 days.

Harvest Authorization Issuance The need to apply for a fall turkey harvest authorization was done away with in 2018. All turkey and Conservations Patron license holders were issued an authorization to harvest one turkey of any age or sex in the TMZ of their choice. In addition, TMZ’s 1-4 offered a limited number of bonus turkey harvest authorization for sale on a first come-first served basis in late August. The cost of these bonus authorizations was the same as it had been in past years with residents paying $10 and non-residents paying $15 per authorization. Hunters could purchase an unlimited number of these bonus authorizations at a rate of one per day until all authorizations were issued or the season closed.

A total of 74,775 fall turkey harvest authorizations were issued in 2019; 70,084 to license holders and an additional 4,691 sold as bonus authorizations (Table 1). This was more than the 73,915 issued in the fall of 2018.

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Harvest and Success Rates Fall turkey hunters registered 3,792 turkeys in the fall of 2019 (Figure1, Table 2). This is slightly more than the 3,782 registered in the fall of 2018. Data on the historical fall turkey harvests are summarized in Table 3 and Figure 2.

The fall turkey season overlapped several statewide firearm deer hunts, all hunters are required to wear blaze orange during any statewide firearm deer season. While turkeys can be harvested during these deer seasons, the blaze orange requirement probably had the effect of eliminating days of fall turkey hunting.

The fall hunter’s success rate (percent of authorizations that harvested a turkey) was 5.1%, the same as in 2018. Since all turkey and Conservation Patron license holders were issued a fall authorization in 2019, it is likely that they may have fallen into the hands of less devoted fall turkey hunters. Any comparisons of success rates pre and post drawn fall turkey authorization process should be down with caution.

As in 2018, having no cap on the number of fall turkey harvest authorizations did not dramatically change the number of birds harvested in the state in 2019. TMZ 2 saw the largest increase in harvest (15%) from 2018 levels. This was probably due to 2 factors, an increase in the available number of bonus turkey authorizations by 1,000 additional authorizations, and a slight increase in the hunter success rate. TMZ 1 saw the largest decline (-18%), with all other TMZ’s being within 10% or less of last year’s harvest levels. While continued evaluation of the elimination of a cap on the number of harvest authorizations available will surely be justified, it appears that the two years of this new method of harvest authorization issuance went as predicted.

Age and Sex Ratios The percentage of the harvest composed of adult turkeys (76%) was like 2018 (72%). Females comprised 48.6% of the harvest while males accounted for 51.4%. Adult females comprised 35.0% of the fall harvest, juvenile hens 13.6%, gobblers 39.1%, jakes 10.4%. The percentage of adult males in the harvest was higher than in 2018 (34% gobblers). Adults are generally believed to be less vulnerable to fall hunting than juveniles, particularly for hens. There are probable prestige biases at work also, where hunters are reluctant to admit to killing a juvenile bird. Hunters could also be confusing “young of the year” jakes and juvenile hens as adult hens or using hunting methods and selectivity toward adults. These all could be factors affecting adult to juvenile ratios.

Accidents There were no fall accidents during the 2019 hunting season. There have been no accidents in fall turkey hunting for eleven of the last thirteen years. Since fall hunting of turkeys began in 1989, there have been one fatal, and 27 non-fatal hunting accidents with an average of one per year.

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Table 1. Fall turkey harvest authorizations by Turkey Management Zone, 2019

Zone

2019 Fall Turkey Authorizations by Turkey Mgt. Zone

Bonus Authorizations

Available

Turkey Authorizations

Issued w/ License

Purchase

Bonus Authorizations

Sold

Total Authorizations

Issued

Unissued Bonus

Authorizations 1 5,000 14,952 809 15,761 4,191 2 2,000 20,674 2,000 22,674 0 3 5,000 14,322 1,096 15,418 3,904 4 2,000 9,172 786 9,958 1,214 5 4,580 4,580 6 3,533 3,533 7 2,719 2,719

FM 132 0 132

Totals: 14,000 70,084 4,691 74,775 9,309

Table 2. Turkey kill by zone, age and sex, authorizations issued, and harvest success rate for 2019.

Zone

Hens

Juv. Hens

Toms

Jakes

Unks

Total Harvest

Authorizations Issued

% Success

1 159 84 186 43 0 472 15,761 3.0% 2 422 156 487 128 0 1,193 22,674 5.3% 3 332 120 363 101 0 916 15,418 5.9% 4 197 64 225 57 0 543 9,958 5.5% 5 70 31 113 26 0 240 4,580 5.2% 6 89 29 104 19 0 241 3,533 6.8% 7 51 30 72 18 0 171 2,719 6.3%

FM 9 0 3 4 0 16 132 12.1%

Totals

1,329

514

1,553

396

0

3,792

74,775

5.1%

26

Figure 1. Fall turkey harvest by zone, 2019.

Zone 6 241

No turkeys were registered with zone of kill unknown

Zone 7 171

Zone 4 543

Zone 5 240

Zone 3 916

FM

16

Zone 1 472 Zone 2

1,193

27

Table 3. Historical number of authorizations issued, harvest, and success for fall turkey hunting, 1989-2019.

Year Authorizations Issued Harvest Success 1989 7,260 1,570 21.6% 1990 12,465 3,433 27.5% 1991 16,668 2,904 17.4% 1992 24,997 5,024 20.1% 1993 31,449 5,625 17.9% 1994 17,889 3,896 21.8% 1995 28,555 6,241 21.9% 1996 30,779 6,305 20.5% 1997 32,569 6,004 18.4% 1998 41,131 8,845 21.5% 1999 55,479 10,825 19.5% 2000 69,566 11,263 16.2% 2001 71,601 11,029 15.4% 2002 75,040 10,860 14.5% 2003 78,831 12,554 15.9% 2004 79,178 10,362 13.1% 2005 85,678 10,650 12.4% 2006 78,782 12,108 15.4% 2007 80,382 12,010 14.9% 2008 76,448 10,698 14.0% 2009 68,796 8,281 12.0% 2010 61,567 7,394 12.0% 2011 54,949 5,433 9.9% 2012 55,099 7,054 12.8% 2013 65,101 4,631 7.1% 2014 62,708 4,228 6.7% 2015 65,705 4,864 7.4% 2016 68,055 4,992 7.3% 2017 66,816 3.971 5.9% 2018 73,915 3,782 5.1% 2019 74,775 3,792 5.1%

28

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

Figure 2. Fall turkey authorizations issued and harvest, 1989-2019.

Fall Turkey Authorizations Issued and Harvest, 1989-2019

Harvest

Authorizations 19

89

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

The 2019 Wisconsin Elk Hunting Summary By Kevin Wallenfang and Brian Dhuey

2019 Season Highlights

State Total Date County Weapon Total

12 Oct Sawyer Rifle 1 13 Oct Ashland Rifle 1 24 Oct Bayfield Rifle 1 27 Oct 8 Nov

Ashland Sawyer

Rifle Rifle

1 1

Total 5

Tribal Totals Date County Weapon Total

13 Sept 14 Sept 14 Sept

4 Oct 9 Nov Total

Bayfield Bayfield Bayfield Sawyer Bayfield

Rifle Rifle Rifle Rifle Rifle

1 1 1 1 1 5

29

30

Abstract

This report summarizes the results of the 2019 Wisconsin elk hunting season for state hunters, and the off-reservation portions of the ceded territory by the tribes of the Lake Superior Chippewa. All harvest statistics are from in-person registration data. The Bureau of Customer and Outreach Services of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provided authorization information. The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) provided all Chippewa elk harvest data. This report is possible due to Pittman-Robertson funds.

Harvest Quota

A harvest quota of 10 bulls was established by the Wisconsin DNR elk management advisory committee and approved by the Natural Resources Board. In accordance with Federal tribal treaty rights, half of the total elk harvest quota within the Ceded Territories of northern Wisconsin is available for Ojibwe harvest. The Clam Lake elk range falls within the Ceded Territories, and five of the 10 bulls were available for tribal harvest.

Registration Requirements

During both the state and tribal elk hunting seasons, successful hunters were required to contact DNR personnel (state hunters) or GLIFWC personnel (tribal hunters) within 24 hours of harvest to arrange to register their elk in-person. Once completed, DNR staff entered state hunter harvest details into the GameReg electronic registration system on behalf of the hunter.

State Hunt:

Harvest Quota and Authorizations A total harvest quota of 5 bull elk with at least one antler a minimum of 6 inches was established for state hunters. The anticipated success rate for hunters was 100%, and so 5 bull authorizations were offered. All interested hunters were required to pay a $10 application fee for a chance to draw an authorization. Only state residents were eligible to receive a harvest authorization. The application period was open from 1-31 May. A total of 23,036 applications were received. Four winners were selected in the random draw in June. In addition, one harvest authorization was awarded through a raffle drawing conducted by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Only state residents were eligible to win. Approximately 2,500 raffle tickets were sold at a cost of $10 per ticket, and the winner was drawn in August.

Season Structure The hunting season ran from 12 October to 10 November, and from 12-20 December. While not restricted by rule, at the request of the department, hunters voluntarily restricted their hunting to the area that makes up the original Clam Lake elk range and avoided hunting in the “expanded range” that includes the Flambeau River State Forest where elk had been translocated in 2017 and 2019. The Black River elk range was off limits to elk hunting. All weapon types legal for deer were allowed for elk.

Results A total of five bull elk were killed. All were harvested using a modern high-powered rifle during the first segment of the hunt. No elk were harvested during the later hunting season.

31

Off-reservation Tribal Hunt:

Harvest Quota and Authorizations

Of the 10-bull quota, five bulls were harvested in community tribal hunts that included members of 10 tribes. Group hunting was allowed for tribal hunters.

Season Structure

Elk hunting in the off-reservation portions of the Ceded Territory was allowed from 3 September (the day after Labor Day) to 5 January (the first Sunday after New Year’s Day). Intertribal hunting groups hunted only within the Clam Lake elk range north of State Highway 70. All legal weapon types allowed for deer could be used for elk. Tribal members were allowed to group hunt, and most hunting efforts were conducted in this way. Individual participants, hunting group size, authorization distribution, and hunt logistics were determined by the tribes.

Results

Five bull elk were killed using modern high-powered rifles.

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