Photo By Scott Sturkol | Hunter Logan Skeens has his photo taken with an 8-point, 172-pound buck he harvested...... read more read more
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Lots of hunters found success on opening weekend during the Fort McCoy gun-deer season at Fort McCoy on Nov. 18-19.
Fort McCoy personnel were busy taking measurements of harvested deer at the data collection/registration station at Fort McCoy, and hunters were also continuously rolling in with the deer they harvested.
The station was where all hunters brought their deer to be registered.
Hundreds of deer were harvested on the opening weekend of the 2023 gun-deer season at Fort McCoy, officials said.
Wildlife Program Manager and Biologist Kevin Luepke with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch said there were many healthy, large bucks taken during the 2022 season and was looking for the same in 2023.
“Overall, our herd looked very healthy — we saw high fat measurements which shows an ability to make it through the winter months, and good body weights, which means the deer are getting ample food throughout the spring, summer, and fall,” he said in a separate news article. “We will continue to look at the data closer and see if any areas showed lighter weights and lower fat measurements and focus some habitat work into those areas over the next couple years.
The 2022 harvest was above recent years, Luepke said, and the 2023 harvest goal is higher than previous years at approximately 600-650 deer.
“We have had a deer herd that has been slightly increasing over the past four to five years due to mild winters and limited issuance of antlerless bonus harvest authorizations. But with chronic wasting disease (CWD) found within 7-8 miles of the installation, it has lent itself in the decision to reduce the overwinter herd size slightly.”
Overall, Luepke said he hopes all the hunters have a successful 2023 season.
“It should be a great season,” Luepke said. “We are seeing a lot of deer that made it through last winter. Fawn production has been good. There have been reports of a lot of does with twin fawns and a few with triplets. We are also receiving observations of some good bucks on the property as well. Acorn production has seemed to be good to great throughout the installation this year, as well. Good luck to everyone.”
To participate in the gun-deer hunt at the installation, hunters must apply for a Fort McCoy gun-deer permit through the Fort McCoy iSportsman site, https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net, and then also purchase their permits through iSportsman if selected, Luepke said. Applications for the gun-deer hunt generally become available in late June every year and the application period has closed for this year. There are still a limited number of permits available on a first-come first-serve basis, and anyone interested should contact the Permit Sales Office for more information at 608-388-3337.
In addition, hunters coming to the installation must also have an annual Wisconsin gun-deer license. The Wisconsin licenses are sold through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) GoWild system at https://gowild.wi.gov or a designated WDNR GoWild agent.
The cost of a Fort McCoy gun-deer permit is $21, and a Wisconsin gun-deer license for an adult resident is $24. Wisconsin offers some reduced pricing for gun-deer or combination permits based on categories such as first-time permit purchasers, for minors, for Purple Heart recipients, etc. See the Go Wild system for additional details.
Learn more about deer hunting at Fort McCoy by visiting the installation iSportsman page at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 11.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2023 13:40 |
| Story ID: | 458452 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 679 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hunters find success on opening weekend at 2023 gun-deer season at Fort McCoy, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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