Time to turn back the clock

Whitetail bucks are on the move, searching for the first does that come into estrous. And they’ll continue to put on the miles for the next three weeks or so.

If you’ll be hunting Sunday morning, be sure you set your alarm for an hour earlier than you have been lately. Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. Fall back an hour the night before, and you’re good to go.

Through Oct. 28, Oconto and Marinette county hunters area hunters had both registered more than 1,100 whitetails, including more than 500 bucks in each. You can check for the totals anywhere in Wisconsin online at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/harvest/deerharvest.

Statewide, hunters had registered more than 47,000 deer through the first six weeks of the 2025 Wisconsin deer hunting season, a nearly equal mix of bucks and antlerless. That included nearly 16,000 antlered bucks and more than 18,000 antlerless whitetails were registered in the archery, crossbow and youth hunting seasons statewide. The crossbow count was 23,574 (12,156 bucks), archery deer at 14,589 (6,871 bucks) and youth gun hunt totals at 8,437 (4,373 bucks).

Department of Natural Resources assistant deer and elk specialist, Brooke VanHandel, said there were also more than 300 deer registered during the disabled gun deer hunt and 29 during Learn to Hunt events. The remaining difference is from hunters who put a date outside of the season and need to be sorted out before assigning a category.

Drivers should be extra alert the next few weeks as vehicle-deer collisions are on the rise. If you hit a deer or find one that’s been hit, check out what you need to do to claim the carcass here: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/cardeer.html.

Opening day(s)

Three weekends remain to finalize preparations for “opening day” in Wisconsin (Nov. 22). Minnesota’s gun opener is Nov. 8 and Michigan’s Nov. 15. As always, sighting in firearms, gathering the gear and prepping stands and blinds is important, but it’s also a good idea to get with your crew to discuss plans and review rules for a safe hunt.

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, must have a hunter education certification to purchase a hunting license unless doing so under the Mentored Hunting Law (https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/Education/OutdoorSkills/mentor).

If you haven’t done so yet, beat the last-day rush and purchase your license, ammo and other essentials as soon as possible.

Hunters need permission of the landowner to hunt private property (posted signs are necessary only when the land is adjacent to public lands) as well as to track or retrieve a deer that crosses into another property. It’s best to have those conversations with adjacent landowners prior to the season.

Find more deer hunting resources at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/GoHunting.

Got ‘em, now what?

All deer shot by hunters must be registered no later than 5 p.m. on the day after recovery. You can do it online at https://gowild.wi.gov/wildlife/harvest or by phone at 1.844.GAME.REG (1.844.426.3734). You’ll need the harvest authorization number located on your printed permits.

Hunters who don’t butcher their own deer can expect to pay somewhere between $75 and $125 for processing, depending on whether the hide is on or off and what you want for cuts. Cost can easily double or triple if you want sausage, hot dogs, jerky and other treats made from some of your venison.

If you’re looking for a place to dispose of carcasses, there are some businesses that accept them for a fee and some sportsmen club-sponsored dumpsters. There’s a list of many at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/landfillmap.

Finally, trophy bucks can bring out the worst in some individuals. If you know or suspect any poaching violations, call or text 1-800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367) or submit a tip online at https://dnrx.wisconsin.gov/rav/.
Street fishing on Fox

A select group of shore fishing experts from 10 countries were in Green Bay last week for the 2025 Street Fishing World Championship on the Fox River.

A team from Hungary placed first, Romania second and France third. The U.S. entry was sixth out of 10 teams. It was tough fishing with no live bait (and no hair or feathers), and sunny, calm weather in the allowed hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday). The anglers were allowed to pre-fish all week prior, and the fish in the limited shore area had likely seen everything by the time the competition started.

It was the first time the competition was held in the United States. Learn more at https://usangling.org/street-fishing-2025-world-championship/.