Living
Al Brown | Tracking the Seasons
New rules allow opportunity to appreciate wild game
Considering it was opening day of the 2011 gun deer season, something was missing from our corner of Lake Country, where the counties of Dodge, Jefferson and Waukesha join borders.
The absence of snow was obvious, but that's not unusual at this time of the year. Generally, we can expect some before the season ends.
As for deer, trail cameras proved there are plenty around, and successful bow hunters confirmed it.
Add to this the fact that nearly all the farm crops have been harvested, and many fields reseeded already means the majority of the remaining deer have been compressed into the woodlots and dry marshes.
The missing ingredient this year within earshot of where we hunt in southern Wisconsin was the sound of gunfire throughout the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone (CWD-MZ).
Shooting an antlerless deer before shooting your first antlered buck (antlers 3 inches or longer) was no longer required.
On opening morning, I sat in my stand watching a pair of fawns, a button buck and a doe, casually feeding within 30 yards of me.
Knowing that I didn't have to tag one of these fawns before I could shoot a buck made watching the pair a pure joy.
Later in the day, I had another "shoot or don't shoot" choice to make when a small doe with a pair of fawns at her side stepped out of the brush about 40 yards from my stand.
With the fawns tight against her opposite side and the possibility of hitting two or maybe all three with a single shot, I put the safety back on and watched the three disappear in a patch of honeysuckle brush.
Just watching the trio wave their flags as they bounded away without a shot being fired was rewarding enough. One more deer season image I'll long remember.
Thanks to the EAB rule, group hunting, and a blue buck sticker from last year, everyone in our group of five ended up with a deer.
According to Michelle Fortmann of Detjens North Trails Meats & Country Market of Watertown, the number of buck deer brought in opening weekend was very high but dropped off sharply after that.
"There were a lot of big bucks this year, including a pair with locked horns" she said.
There were a few deer still being brought in Monday afternoon, according to Fortmann.
Following the close of the regular nine-day gun season, the muzzleloader season began. It will end Dec. 7. This will be followed by a four day antlerless hunt, which runs Dec. 8-11 statewide except in state parks and Menominee County.
As with all gun deer hunts, blaze orange clothing requirements are in effect.
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- How new concealed carry law affects hunters
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- Overlapping seasons create color conundrum
- Hunting calendar is upon us
- Weary anglers getting their chance
- Passing down knowledge of the hunt
- Appreciating the gifts of Mother Nature
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