FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 3, 2024
Contact: Jeff Pritzl, DNR Deer Program Specialist
[email protected] or 920-336-3450

2024 Gun Deer Hunt License Sales And
Harvest Totals Now Available

Preliminary deer harvest and license sale totals for the 2024 gun deer season are now available. / Photo Credit: iStock/Karel Bock

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) celebrates the conclusion of the 2024 nine-day gun deer hunt, which kicked off the holiday season in Wisconsin with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, harvest food for the table and create memories with family and friends. Preliminary license sales, harvest registration and hunting incident numbers are now available.

Preliminary License Sales Data

Preliminary figures indicate the number of deer hunters in Wisconsin slightly increased compared to 2023. As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, sales for deer hunting privileges (which include gun, archery, crossbow, conservation patron and sports licenses) reached 791,023, up from 788,697 for the same time period last year. Of those, 553,652 were for gun privileges only, up from 553,479 in 2023.

Deer hunting license and harvest authorization sales will continue throughout the remaining deer hunting seasons. Final license sales figures will be available in January, when DNR staff will perform a thorough analysis and interpretation.

Preliminary Harvest Totals

Preliminary figures show hunters registered 189,622 deer during the 2024 gun deer season, including 89,787 antlered and 99,835 antlerless deer. Compared to 2023, the gun season harvest total is up 5.2% statewide, with the antlered harvest up 3.6% and the antlerless harvest up 6.6%.

Since the opening of the bow and crossbow seasons, Wisconsin hunters have registered 289,361 deer. This harvest is 8.7% ahead of the same time last year.

Adams County in the Central Farmland Zone led the state with 12.4 deer registered per square mile. Vernon County led the Southern Farmland Zone with 7 deer registered per square mile. Adams County also led the Central Forest Zone registering 4.2 deer per square mile. Finally, Florence County led the Northern Forest Zone with 2.9 deer registered per square mile.

The regional harvest breakdown by deer management zone compared to the five-year average was as follows:

The DNR’s Wisconsin Deer Harvest Summary webpage contains more information regarding preliminary harvest registration totals, including county-level numbers.

The regular gun deer season ran from Nov. 23 through Dec. 1 and is followed by the statewide muzzleloader season (Dec. 2-Dec. 11), the statewide antlerless-only four-day hunt (Dec. 12-Dec. 15) and the antlerless-only holiday hunt in select farmland zone counties (Dec. 24-Jan. 1, 2025).

First Harvest Certificates Available

Hunters of all ages who harvested their first deer are encouraged to highlight this significant occasion with a first harvest certificate.

2024 Gun Deer Season Hunting Incidents

At the publication time of this news release, the DNR reports only one nonfatal firearm-related hunting incident during the 2024 gun deer season.

• Vernon County, Wheatland Township: On Nov. 29, 2024, at approximately 4 p.m., a 14-year-old male was sitting in an enclosed tower stand with his father, hunting on private property. The victim’s father heard what sounded like a gunshot in the distance. Shortly after, the victim felt pain in his feet and found that he was shot through both the left and right foot. The victim was transported privately to the hospital and received medical treatment for his injuries. The shooter has been identified, and an investigation is pending.

With various hunting seasons continuing through January of next year, the DNR reminds hunters to always practice the four primary rules of firearm safety, known as TAB-K:

• T – Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
• A – Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
• B – Be certain of your target, what’s before it and what’s beyond it.
• K – Keep your finger outside your trigger guard until you are safe to shoot.

DNR VIOLATION HOTLINE: Anyone with information regarding natural resource violations may confidentially report by calling or texting 1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trained staff relay the information to conservation wardens. File a report online.