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More hunters, more deer taken in Wisconsin this fall

But harvest down in Florence, Forest, northern Marinette counties for 2020

MATT KAISER, 11, of Pembine, Wis., shot this 10-point buck on the final day of Wisconsin’s gun deer season Sunday while sitting with his dad. (Submitted photo)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — More Wisconsin hunters took to the field this fall, and they brought home more deer during the just-completed gun season.

The state Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday that deer licenses of all kinds were up 3.5% from the same time last year, with female hunters remaining the fastest-growing demographic — up 12% from last year.

The state said hunters registered 188,712 deer during the nine-day gun deer hunt. That was up almost 16% statewide.

The DNR said hunters fared better in southern farmland zones compared with some northern forest zones.

That was evident in Florence, Forest and northern Marinette counties.

In Florence County, 548 bucks were harvested, down 1.5% from 601 in 2019. The antlerless total was 240 deer, down 7% from 258 a year ago. In all, 788 deer were registered, down 8.3% from 859 in 2019.

A total of 631 deer were taken in Forest County, including 540 bucks and 91 antlerless. That compares with the 711 deer, including 548 bucks and 163 antlerless, in 2019; the antlerless number was down 44%, according to the DNR.

For the northern forest zone of Marinette County, the harvest total was 1,058 deer, with 934 bucks and only 124 antlerless, down 21.7% from 1,352 deer in 2019, which included 1,016 bucks and 336 antlerless.

The harvest in the farmland zone in southern Marinette County was up by 2.1% at 3,878, of which 1,533 were bucks and 2,345 antlerless, a 5.8% rise from the previous year. In 2019, southern Marinette County recorded 3,047 deer taken, including 1,570 bucks and 1,477 antlerless.

The state reported nine gun-related injuries and one death during the gun season.

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The Daily News contributed to this report.

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