http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/ Washburn County, WI News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/a9eaa0c736856ab942418b4771af4932.html The opening day of the state's annual nineday gundeer hunt went without incident but things changed on SundayAdvertisement: BRAD'S CORNER LIQUOREamp;J Brandy 175 Ltr 1699Eamp;J Brandy 175 Ltr 1699 Brad's Corner Liquor Ellsworth Wis http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/7dd2423458ede07d822f6558aeb11f7e.html WAUSAU Five hunters were shot and one died during the opening weekend of Wisconsins deer hunt a number that one state safety expert described Monday as fairly typical http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/338aa07c8666a3fe37ab7d3df9403687.html Deer kill down by over 1000 opening weekend in Barron County http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/74d9faa8543fb7d07a925db23aef620a.html Hunters registered 22 percent fewer deer statewide for the opening weekend of the gun deer season compared with last year according to a preliminary survey of registration stations by the Department of Natural ResourcesThe statewide registrations included 25 percent fewer bucks and 20 percent fewer antlerless deer according to DNR figuresIn the 19county West Central Region registrations were down 18 percent In the 18county Northern Region opening weekend registrations were down 34 percent compared with last yearThe drop in westcentral Wisconsin probably reflects the cumulative effects of liberal deer hunting seasons in area management units that encourage hunters to shoot does said Kris Belling DNR wildlife supervisor in Eau ClaireBelling said she expected to see a drop in registration numbers but was surprised by the size of the drop in many area unitsThere may be other factors playing into this she saidShe said those factors include the cool weather Saturday morning which caused some hunters to leave the field early; an abundance of standing corn which provided additional cover for deer; and a laterthanusual opener which meant deer were more likely to be finished with the rut and less likely to be active Some hunters did report seeing rutting activity despite the apparent late startIt may also be that with the cool weather fewer hunters were bringing deer in to be registered she saidBut the lower registrations probably mean the deer population locally and statewide is getting closer to management goals she saidHunters to some extent are going to have to get used to seeing fewer deer she saidGoing into the fall the DNR's statewide estimate for the deer herd was slightly down from last year In 2007 the DNR estimated the high end of the population at 18 million This fall state biologists estimated the deer herd at 15 million to 17 millionBiologists said a hard winter in northeastern Wisconsin and a return to more conservative hunting rules there contributed to low registration numbersBelling said it was too soon to say whether earnabuck restrictions would be lifted in any area counties next year as the result of apparent low deer populationsWe're going to need to wait until we get all the harvest figures in from all the seasons and try to make some sense out of it she saidHunting accidentsFive hunters were shot and one died during the opening weekendA 48yearold Appleton man died after a member of his hunting party shot him in the chest during a deer drive in Outagamie County on Sunday morning said Tim Lawhern DNR safety administratorTwo victims shot themselves in the foot Lawhern said One was a 45yearold Minnesota man who shot himself inside a vehicle while hunting illegally in Washburn CountyThe other was a 13yearold boy in Shawano County who shot himself when he pulled his shotgun up to aim at a deerA year ago one shooting incident occurred on opening weekend with one hunter killed The only season in history with no shooting fatalities was in 1973 Lawhern saidThe first two days of the gun season usually produce half of the hunting accidents Lawhern saidThree of the five incidents last weekend involved deer drives in which groups of hunters walk forward pushing deer toward other hunters Often a hunter will shoot at running deer and another hunter ends up in line with the shot Lawhern saidMore deer drives occur as the season progresses; they historically cause half of the hunt's incidents and injuries he saidThe Washburn County incident was troubling because the wounded hunter did not have a license and was hunting illegally from the passenger side of a vehicle Lawhern said Charges are expectedThe other deerdrive shooting incidents were: In Shawano County a 24yearold man was shot in the shoulder by 51yearold hunter who fired three shots at a deer that ran between them In Washington County a 61yearold hunter was shot in the lower right leg by a 62yearold hunter who shot at a running deerThe safest deer hunt on record was in 2004 with five shooting accidents and one fatality the DNR said It measures safety based on the number of shooting incidents not the number of fatalitiesThe DNR reported 631223 hunters bought licenses for 2008 gun deer season License sales will continue this week and during late bow muzzleloader and December antlerless hunts http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/212394aa1c51152eff98111a434447a6.html Five hunters were shot one of them fatally during the opening weekend of Wisconsins gun deer season and the deer kill was down 22 percent from a year ago http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/43f2366d8c9da21cd6e059fcd5e67c0d.html Wisconsin hunters killed an estimated 133828 deer opening weekend of the gun deer hunt down 22 percent from last year according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Buck harvest was down 25 percent and antlerless declined 20 percent The numbers are preliminary and could go up in the coming weeksIn Portage County 2746 deer 1200 bucks and 1546 antlerless were registered compared to 3738 deer 1436 bucks and 2302 antlerless the year beforeCold weather in some parts of the state a later start to the season lower deer numbers in some part of the state and a tough cold winter in 2007 were all cited as contributing factors to the low countAnother possible reason is herd reduction strategies that were implemented several years ago are starting to bear fruitApproximately 631223 hunters bought licenses for opening weekend up 1633 from last year Out of state license sales were down 162There were five shootings Sunday with one fatal A 48yearold Appleton man was shot in the chest in Outagamie County during a deer drive A 24yearold man was hit in the shoulder in Shawano County by a shotgun slug and a 61yearold man was hit in the leg in Washington CountyA 45yearold Minnesota man shot himself in the foot in Washburn County as did a 13yearold in Shawano County http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/347bab27f61d224ad807efb7f4b40112.html Wisconsin wildlife authorities say five hunters were wounded and one died in shooting incidents during the first two days of the deer hunt http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/washburn-county/content/7cf8d324e89a583f70df9d9b4ed48634.html Associated Press November 24 2008 1:35 PM ET WAUSAU Wis AP Wisconsin wildlife authorities say five hunters were wounded and one died in shooting incidents during the first two days of