The regular archery/crossbow archery season and cantonment archery season resumed Nov. 27 at Fort McCoy and will continue through January 2024, said Wildlife Biologist Kevin Luepke with the Natural Resources Branch (NRB) of the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division.
“The archery harvest so far has been very good,” Luepke said. “We were up to 185 deer harvested for regular archery and 31 for cantonment archery through the start of the gun-deer season. We are well ahead of our regular archery season, and right on track with the cantonment archery season as compared to the five-year average.”
The archery season is a non-quota season, so permits are available through iSportsman at https://mccoy.isportsman.net at any time during the season, Luepke said.
“The cantonment archery season is a quota hunt and applicants have been selected and notified,” Luepke said in September. “Cantonment archery is the urban deer management program, and I would like to remind hunters that it is a Earn-a-Buck program that requires the harvest of two (antlerless or spike bucks) deer before hunters are allowed to harvest a forked antler buck.”
A Fort McCoy archery permit and a Wisconsin bow or crossbow hunting license are required to hunt on Fort McCoy for regular archery/crossbow, NRB officials said. Harvest is limited to one deer (antlered or antlerless) with the appropriate deer harvest authorization supplied with the Fort McCoy archery permit. Fort McCoy archery permits can be purchased on iSportsman at https://mccoy.isportsman.net or at the Permit Sales Office during normal business hours.
Archery hunters also must remember that when hunting with both bow and crossbow, they must have the appropriate Wisconsin bow/crossbow license upgrade. The upgrade allows for use of either, otherwise hunters must choose between just using a bow or just using a crossbow.
Regular Wisconsin archery licenses are $24 for resident archery and $24 for resident crossbow. An upgrade is an additional $3. The Fort McCoy regular archery/crossbow permit is $17. Wisconsin hunting licenses are sold on the Wisconsin GoWild web site for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at https://gowild.wi.gov.
People who have more questions on appropriate licensing requirements for Fort McCoy can get answers by visiting the Fort McCoy iSportsman page at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net or by calling the Permit Sales Office at 608-388-3337. For Wisconsin archery rules and regulations, visit https://widnr.widen.net/s/chhtkdmjsh/wm0685-2021_small.
NRB officials said annually approximately 800 archery permits are purchased for Fort McCoy, and hunters have had a success rate of about 15-20 percent. On average about 90-100 deer are harvested on post each year during archery season.
Archery hunters are reminded that use of any tree stands or blinds must be temporary and must be taken down each day. Also, if hunters succeed in harvesting a deer, that deer must be registered on Fort McCoy’s iSportsman website.
“Fort McCoy offers hunting, fishing, and trapping opportunities to military (active and retired) and their dependents, government employees, and the general public,” Luepke said. “Revenue generated from the sale of hunting, fishing, and trapping permits is used for the management of fish and wildlife habitat and populations on Fort McCoy.”
For more information about the installation’s hunting, fishing, and other outdoor opportunities, go online to the Fort McCoy iSportsman page at https://mccoy.isportsman.net or call the Permit Sales Office at 608-388-3337.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
(The Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch contributed to this article.)
Date Taken: | 12.05.2023 |
Date Posted: | 12.05.2023 12:34 |
Story ID: | 459154 |
Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
Web Views: | 34 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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