Deer success rate

In light of the archery season question at this year's spring hearing I decided to break down the success rate based on licenses sold vs harvest numbers.

Numbers are for 2017-18 season

Gun deer (includes regular, youth, muzzleloader and all antlerless)

License sold 582,281

Deer killed 227,645

Kill Rate 39%

Regular Archery

License sold 152,660

Deer Killed 45,166

Kill Rate 29%

Cross bow

Licenses sold 82,660

Deer killed 47,228

Kill Rate 57%

With the current season frame work a hunter using a crossbow has a 18% higher success rate than any other form of weapon.  Almost 2x the success rate over a verticle bow.

Redhook,  Yeah I gottcha.  

I still agree with you 100% on your fishing issue.  I fish the mighty miss as well.  Every year I wonder when those big perch will dry up.  I see exactly what you explained EVERY year.  I release those big females and try to take the males or the fish between 8.75 and 10.  Those big old girls have no meat on them with that giant belly.  I've cleaned them before years ago,  I felt bad.  never again.

The idiocracy of that statement doesn't even warrant any type of reply, but I couldn't resist because I actually feel a bit sorry for you after reading that.

Oh Come on Fish hound,  where's the love?  Maybe it's just the guys I know that shoot Xbows,  that are absolute tools.  They couldn't kill a deer if their live depended on it with a Vbow.  Whined during Earn a buck,  whine cause they can't bait,  now whining cause the season could be reduced.  Poor Xbow guys,  here's a tissue.  I'm not saying all,  but i'd have to think a vast majority are clueless and had to pick up a different weapon to increase their odds.   

Make no mistake though,  there are PLENTY Vbow hunters in that same boat.

 .L B if you type in the definition of Good that is my understanding of the term. We may disagree on the numbers of deer harvested by which weapons and why we hunt but we should be able to agree that people have different reasons for what they do and how they do it and your opinion is just that, it is just how you perceive the facts. Modern  Crossbows are just a new technology just as compound bows were when they were introduced. We can agree to disagree on what crossbows will do to deer hunting but the fact is they open archery deer hunting to many that could not be introduced to the sport in the past which in my opinion is a great thing. Have a great day 

Increased buck harvest is going to further lower the average age of animals harvested and will negatively affect the quality of the deer herd. Those of us who target mature deer are going to see fewer of them. No question. 

We have had buck only deer hunting (or at least 90+% buck only) in the majority of northern and central forest zone counties for going on 4, 5, 6+ years now to build the herd. Is that negatively affecting the deer herd? May be we should just do away with buck only hunting then?

In the issue of an Outdoor News:  In 1897, a resident hunting license cost $1, a nonresident cost $30.  In 1899, a resident hunting license cost $1, a nonresident (with a deer tag) cost $50.

A little food for thought..

Some of the biggest slobs I know have taken to the woods with crossbows the last couple years. Am I naive enough to think slobs don't hunt with a vertical bow? No, but we found three nice bucks and a couple does that had crossbow bolts mixed in with the bones this winter/spring. The neighbor bragged up and down how on a calm day he can shoot a beer can at 75 yards with his crossbow...that is the kind of hunter you seem to draw with crossbows. Gun hunters who want to hunt the rut. The vertical bow guys already have/had their vertical bow setups before that law was passed. Again, I have met the guys that pull their 15 year old vertical bow out 2 days before the season and as long as they can hit their 18" block target at 20 yards, it's "good enough" and they go hunt...and lose the first 3 deer that they shoot at 30 yards, which they have never practiced at. I think too many guys think of a crossbow as a rifle and take poor shots. Manufacturers don't help when they advertise 'rifle-like accuracy at 100 yards'...people honestly buy their $1500 crossbow and shoot at deer at 60, 70+ yards. Madforlabs, I agree that license sales are a big driving force behind seasons and legislation regarding hunting and fishing. I've said for years that Wisconsin is the best bargain for nonresident hunters...good numbers in the southern half of the state and good trophy potential in a lot of that same area. I just got kicked between the legs by Montana FWP...$642.12 for a nonresident deer license in a DRAW...not even guaranteed a license! Nonresidents are guaranteed no more than 10% of the licenses in a given unit. Meanwhile, 100,000+ nonresidents show up annually the day before the opener here in Wisconsin and are guaranteed a license. And we wonder why our public land is over pressured and we don't have any revenue? I get that some nonresidents own land up here, but a lot hunt public land. Wisconsin has nowhere near the public land that western states have and yet nonresident tags are 2-4 times more expensive and some states you still have to draw. I would like to see nonresident deer licenses be in the $250 range here. People will still pay it, and maybe, just maybe will take it a little more seriously. It burns my arse having to pay 4 times as much in another state as a hunter from that state would pay to come here to hunt the same animal. The extra revenue would help hire wardens and biologists to help ensure our kids and grandkids will have the chance to hunt in the future.

So.... what if we look at this from a trending standpoint? Moving forward, I see the following:

- The number of x bow hunters and the number of deer ( both does AND bucks) harvested will continue to increase at a rapid pace.

- The number of vertical bow hunters will remain the same or possibly decrease somewhat. Harvest numbers and ratio's will remain approx. what we are seeing today.

- The number of gun hunters will likely decrease, and will do so at a more rapid rate than they have been in recent years.

- The number of hunters harvesting two bucks in a season will increase substantially. This will be due to the rapidly increasing number of xbow hunters along with their dramatically higher success rate compared to vertical bow hunters. I'd wager that nearly all xbow hunters also hunt with a gun so it stands to reason that a big increase in 2 buck/season harvests is forthcoming.

Now, this is only speculation on my part, but I think it makes sense given the trending we have seen since xbows were legalized for the masses.

Increased buck harvest is going to further lower the average age of animals harvested and will negatively affect the quality of the deer herd. Those of us who target mature deer are going to see fewer of them. No question.

This brings us back to assertions made by numerous others including myself. Namely, that as seasons are liberalized in terms of both weapon choice and duration, it makes sense to go to a one buck/season harvest strategy. This provides hunters an opportunity to hunt with the weapon(s) of their choice and (perhaps) gets people to think a bit more selectively about what they harvest, be it buck, doe or both.

All this being said, I highly doubt the Wisconsin DNR would ever go for a one buck rule. They seem hell bent on managing based upon two criteria; 1. Maximal harvest that hunters are willing to accept, and 2. Maximum revenue that can be sustained thru license sales.

I know of three from one crossbow (hunter),I helped track.He is just a gun hunter .

I wish there were a way to determine failure rates. How many deer are lost due to lack of a pass through .How many vertical bow archers are using light arrows and expandable broadheads resulting in lost deer. Maybe they need to put a speed limit on both weapons which would force many to use a heavier arrow/bolt resulting in more kinetic energy and better penetration. I don't know of any xbow deer shot and lost but I know many are shot and lost with vertical bows.  Just a thought. 

Oh my lord, a catastrophic drop in the deer kill. Or, someone shot my buck.