Hunting Season-The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

For dedicated hunters, the most wonderful time of the year is not the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but is hunting season which begins in earnest on September 14th. For the impatient hunting crowd, there is an early teal and goose season which began on September 1st. Hunting gets serious on September 14th when squirrel, northern zone rabbit, Zone A grouse (northern 2/3rds of the state}, turkey, and archery/crossbow deer seasons begin. Bear hunting began on September 4th for the bait hunters and on September 11th for the dog hunting crews. There is a short two-day youth duck season on the 14th and 15th of September and then duck season opens for real on either September 21st in the north or September 26th in the south. Woodcock season kicks off on September 21st, and pheasant hunting begins on October 19th. For hunters, it is truly the most wonderful time of the year. On any given day, hunters can go afield and try to put two of the major food groups on the table - furred or feathered. And fall fishing is pretty good also, so the intrepid outdoors man or woman can also add the third major food group to the larder - finned. 

What will the upcoming season look like and how many critters will be out there for hunters to attempt to harvest? How will last year’s non-winter and the very wet spring affect game populations?

The WI DNR fall deer hunting forecast is very promising for the West-Central District, which includes Dunn County. The forecast states one benefit of the non-winter was an early spring green-up. So the lack of cold and snow, plus the early green-up meant winter had no negative impact on the deer herd. The wet spring delayed crop planting in some areas, but the resulting vegetation growth from the rains provided abundant food for the deer. Hence, the does were able to successfully raise their fawns and the bucks should have been able to work on growing dat der thurdy point rack. The DNR report notes that last year the acorn crop was very abundant so it is expected to be smaller this year. Acorns were falling in August, but that ended a week or so ago. Since Dunn County is also in the

Central Farmland Zone (Yes the DNR has multiple deer hunting management areas which overlap) hunters will receive 2 bonus antlerless permits with their license purchase. Additional bonus permits can be on a first-come basis. One permit can be purchased per day for $5.00. Currently, there are 355 public land, and 2,876 bonus permits available. Dunn County is a CWD-affected county hence baiting and feeding of deer is prohibited in the county. CWD self-service sampling kiosks are located at the Menomonie DNR office and at Bridge Stop in Wheeler.

The non-winter is also good news for upland game bird hunters. The DNR reports that the nesting and brood rearing season was above average and that the turkey, grouse, and pheasants should be abundant this fall. Dunn County is in turkey zone 4. A fall turkey tag is automatically issued with every turkey license purchase. Bonus turkey tags are also available. Currently, 1115 bonus tags are up for grabs in zone 4. Fall turkey hunting success is limited. In 2023, 11,744 fall turkey tags were issued and only 677 turkeys were harvested. The limited turkey harvest numbers, I think, are due to two factors. First, the calling hunting techniques that hunters use in the spring due to mating season do not work in the fall. Hunters have to track down a very elusive bird that travels in flocks. Hunters do not have to fool just one critter like they do when hunting most woodland animals. They have to outsmart multiple birds with excellent hearing and vision. Definitely not an easy task. Secondly, many hunters who get the fall tag consider a turkey to be a secondary target of opportunity while hunting other game like deer or squirrels. Despite the challenges, having a meal of wild turkey for Thanksgiving is worth the effort.

The DNR forecast is for a robust grouse population. Grouse tend to hang out in young forests. So finding a place that was recently logged will often produce good opportunities for missing a few flying grouse. In my meanderings around the woods in Dunn County the last few years, I observed grouse in many new places. It seems that grouse are expanding their range here, making for new hunting opportunities.

The DNR’s spring breeding survey counted an estimated duck population of 502,058 birds which is a 3.7 percent decrease from 2023, but still above the long-term average. Mallards make up 32 percent of the duck population. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the continental mallard population is down 18 percent from the previous year. Wood duck populations are similar to last year's numbers. The lack of rain in the late summer has lowered river levels and shrunk wetlands in the county. It may take some scouting to find a good place to hunt ducks.

There are an estimated 153,402 Canada geese in Wisconsin and millions of geese nationally. So both the early season when hunting local geese, and the late season when hunting migrating geese should be very productive. The goose season is 92 days long with splits occurring so hunting can occur over Christmas and New Year's Holidays in the Southern and Mississippi zones. During the Holiday Hunt portion of goose season, the bag limit will be raised from 3 to 5 geese per day in the Southern and Mississippi zones. The limit for the northern zone is 3 geese per day. With all the split seasons, it's best to check the regulations book before planning hunts. 

The DNR does not issue a small game forecast so I will share a few observations from my summer meanderings. The squirrel populations seem to be up this year which concurs with the mild winter and last year's abundant acorn crop. Squirrel and squirrel sign are everywhere when I hike in the woods. The rabbit population is also up. I have seen a lot of rabbits out in the boonies and they are really numerous in town. The number of rabbits in my neighborhood is a fairly reliable indicator of the number of rabbits, albeit a smaller population, in the boonies. I have observed and heard many reports of a rabbit disease being widespread in the county. The viral disease results in black spiky growths usually on the rabbits head. The disease is caused by a papillomavirus known by several names including Shope papilloma virus (SPV), a cottontail rabbit papilloma virus (CRPV), or Kappapapillomavirus. The virus will not infect humans or dogs, but it's good to bury or double bag the critter and dispose of it in the trash to prevent further spread of the disease. 

Overall it looks like a productive hunting season is upon us. As always, it's best to spend some time on the shooting range before heading out to the woods and wetlands. And always follow the four rules of hunter’s safety:

• 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 and beyond it.
• K = Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.

Have a most wonderful time of the year in the woods and wetlands this fall.