Pre-rut scrapes on the ground and increasing rubbing of antlers on trees are signs that the annual whitetail mating season is about to kick off.
A few hunters have already reported bucks tailing unreceptive does. While the peak rut occurs the first two to three weeks of November, some individuals can definitely come into heat before the end of the month.
State hunters added more than 7,000 whitetails to the season harvest totals in the past week. Marinette County’s central farmland totals climbed to 889 (419 bucks) while Oconto County’s central farmland was up to 858 (400 bucks).
Those numbers don’t include chunks of deer management units 125 and 126 in the northern forest zone portions of Marinette and Oconto counties. In those two units, a combined 622 more whitetails were registered, including 363 bucks.
Other area county totals reported the first five weeks of the hunt include 1,158 (572 bucks) in Shawano County; 499 (186 bucks) in Door County; 503 (239 bucks) in Outagamie County; 476 (212 bucks) in Manitowoc County; 465 (218 bucks) in Brown County; and 299 (160 bucks) in Kewaunee County.
As of early Tuesday, the statewide total of 37,232 included 16,939 antlered bucks and 20,293 antlerless whitetails.
Updated preliminary numbers through Oct. 19 included 5,574 (2,799 bucks) in the youth gun hunt; 12,589 (5,171 bucks) with bow and broadhead-tipped arrow; and 18,673 (8,856 bucks) with crossbow and broadhead-tipped bolt.
Meanwhile, low water on the upstream sections of many bay and lake tributaries is impacting the annual spawning runs of salmon and brown trout. The best action has been in deeper holes downstream.
Thanks to increased flow from water pumped through the ponds, more than 4,500 Chinooks were processed at the Strawberry Creek egg collection site near Sturgeon Bay. More than three million eggs were collected from the healthiest 735 females.
The Kewaunee and Root rivers are producing Chinooks, cohos and a few browns. More than 2,200 cohos have already been handled at the state facility in Racine.
If you want a chance at harvesting a Lake Winnebago sturgeon next February, you must purchase your license between now and Halloween.
While the number of licenses is unlimited for Lake Winnebago, a quota system ensures that there’s not an overharvest. The season runs a maximum of 16 days, or until any of the predetermined harvest caps are met.
Those who applied for and had enough points for an upriver system lakes tag have already been notified.
That annual draw is limited to 500 spearers for lakes Poygan, Butte des Morts and Winneconne, collectively.
Department of Natural Resources fisheries crews have done annual spawning surveys on the rivers since 1975. The population model consistently estimates that there are about 40,000 adult sturgeon in the Winnebago system.
Learn more at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/sturgeon/WinnSysSturgeonSpear.
Elk hunting for the 16 lucky hunters drawn for a Wisconsin tag began Oct. 17. This is the state’s ninth season, and new this year the tags are unit-specific, allowing more harvest in areas where elk herds have been damaging crops.
More than 34,000 residents applied for the tags. The DNR received 13,970 harvest applications to hunt bull elk in the Northern Elk Management Zone and 20,728 combined bull and antlerless applications for the Central Elk Management Zone. An eight-bull quota was established for the Northern Zone, with four licenses being awarded to state hunters and four to tribal members. In the Central Zone, six antlerless and six bull licenses were issued to state hunters.
Seven dollars out of the $10 application fee goes to fund elk management for collar purchases, habitat enhancements and research. The elk program is nearly 100% funded through application fees, external grants such as those acquired through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and tribal gaming.
To learn more about elk in Wisconsin, visit, https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/elk.
The DNR is seeking comments on an initial draft of its next turkey management plan now through Nov. 20. The agency will review and consider feedback while preparing the final draft for the state Natural Resources Board.
The public is encouraged to review the draft plan and share their thoughts online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2026TurkeyMgmtPlan. Learn more about Wisconsin turkey hunting at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/turkey.
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