Nick87
Well-known member
My setp dad said he heard less than 15 shots total for the weekend. 10 years ago there's no way you could of kept count.
2023 IL Gun Deer Season
- Thread starter TheGreek
- Start date
Gellar
Well-known member
I am curious what do you attribute that to? Less hunters? More selective? Lower deer numbers?
Nick87
Well-known member
In all honestly I think it's all 3 from what in seeing. Less hunters being the smallest contributing factor.
seeth07
Well-known member
Seems to be getting quieter and quieter up here in WI.
I think its quite a few things. First, there are more deer taken in the archery seasons. Second, there is less hunters, they post the WI firearm sales every year and it keeps going down with the exception of 2020. Deer numbers I think generally have stayed the same. Not many hard winters as of late where its both cold and lots of snow. If it's only one or the other, they fair well.
I think a little of all the above.
I know where I am at most of the land has been purchased or leased by outfitters so those guy's clients are certainly being selective. 900 acres was just purchased to the south of me from some outfit from Wisconsin from an IL based outfitter and I maybe heard 2 or 3 shots over there all weekend. Could be they just don't have a big client list since they just purchased the property. Of course that 900 acres was hunted by locals prior to being outfitted and more deer were killed from those properties back then. Peak herd numbers in my county were in the early 2000's and I believe the IL record kill happened in the year 2005. We had a really bad EHD year in 2013. Found 7 dead deer alone on my 52 acres. The herd has recovered from that.
This year has been fantastic for large buck sightings (trail cameras, driving down the road, kills, etc). I've had more pics of nice deer on cameras this year in a very long time. Pics sent to me by buddies confirms that this is a good year for bucks, numbers and quality.
seeth07
Well-known member
Holy crap were sales super low this year. From the same news source reporting around the firearm opener:
2022: "As of midnight Sunday, Nov. 20, sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and patron licenses reached 779,123. Of that total, 421,474 were for gun privileges only. The year-to-date sales for all deer licenses are down 2% from the same time last year."
2023: "As of 10 a.m. Nov. 17, year-to-date sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and patron licenses reached 659,302. Of that total, 309,520 are for gun privileges only."
Same in IL I wonder?
2022: "As of midnight Sunday, Nov. 20, sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and patron licenses reached 779,123. Of that total, 421,474 were for gun privileges only. The year-to-date sales for all deer licenses are down 2% from the same time last year."
2023: "As of 10 a.m. Nov. 17, year-to-date sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and patron licenses reached 659,302. Of that total, 309,520 are for gun privileges only."
Same in IL I wonder?
Wow, that's drastic. Was that due to a reductions of available tags or does WI issue tags to anyone that wants one (like Illinois)?
seeth07
Well-known member
Same as IL. The number is at 10am on Friday and I'm sure lots still buy that afternoon and evening from Fleet on their way up north so hold until I see the news channel report a new number!
Gellar
Well-known member
Last 5 years in Iowa the harvest has been
18’- 108k
19- 100k
20- 109k
21-102k
22- 109k
So that is pretty steady and probably the biggest factor in the fluctuations would be weather.
18’- 108k
19- 100k
20- 109k
21-102k
22- 109k
So that is pretty steady and probably the biggest factor in the fluctuations would be weather.
Illinois is similar. Bow tags can purchased over the counter all the way until the last day of season I believe. Archery tags are unlimited in Illinois and the tag is good statewide. Firearm is county specific and there are limits on the number of permits sold per county. Its a policy that needs revisited because Archery accounts for about half the kill now. Firearm permits can be purchased over the counter if there are any left over from the spring draws.
One of the problems with selling archery permits over the counter through the season is that when you buy an archery permit, you get an either sex and antlerless only permit. Guys will kill their buck and keep hunting (legally because of the doe permit). Shoot another buck and run to walmart and buy another set of permits and tag the buck. CPO's are busting those guys all the time because they would buy the permit at 7pm and be checking the deer in at 7:30 (Illinois Outdoor News - Cuffs and Collars section). Of course some guys are smarter than that and will wait to check in the deer hours later which would be tough to prove based only on the time of purchase and checkin.
seeth07
Well-known member
In WI I know plenty of bucks shot by the husband on the wife's tag...and the wife has never shot a gun
lol. I remember the days of "party" hunting. My dad and i belonged to a hunting/fishing club of 50 members. I know during the eighties by the last day of the firearm season (back then only 6 days) guys would start saying "if you see a buck, any buck, shoot it and I'll tag it". Dad always told me not to do it on the way to the stand. That was back in the days where you got 1 gun tag and guys didn't bowhunt like they do now. A deer back then was pretty special. Hell they'd put your name and deer specifics in the local newspaper. I still have the clipping for my first deer in 1985, just a doe.
Since we're telling old stories, my dad got me started deer hunting in 1975. I had 10 slugs and a pump shotgun. I saw several deer 75-80 yards or so away and commenced shooting. Reloaded. Shot all my slugs and then sat in my tree when 5 minutes later they filed under me. The next year I was back in the same tree and I had a buck walk in maybe 30 yards away. I shot, it went about 20 yards and tipped over. Almost stepped out of the tree without climbing down! It was a little basket racked 7 point and I was sent off to school while dad took care of it. Made it before class started! Years and years later the story came up with someone and my dad pulled out a picture of me and that buck from his wallet. Back in 1976 the deer hunting was nothing like today. Not sure who was prouder of that deer kill.
Gellar
Well-known member
Excellent story, Dave! I think all fathers probably know the answer to that question!
trackerbacker
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- Jun 30, 2023
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Link(s) for reading or breakdown of that by season if ya have it?
Gellar
Well-known member
Iowa DNR Harvest Report | Go Outdoors Iowa
gooutdoorsiowa.com
Gellar
Well-known member
@trackerbacker im sure there is a breakdown by season, somewhere. The dam dnr website is almost unnavigable and it’s worse on a phone.
trackerbacker
Well-known member
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100% agree. The app is designed by blackberry, I swear to God.
"Let's take the website, and cover 60% of it in banner bars and pdf links"
Gellar
Well-known member
I think that’s exactly how the conversation went! But the final decision person added the same pop-ups to get email addresses every time you go to a new page.
trackerbacker
Well-known member
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No f#ck!ng $h!t...like..why.....super God damn annoying and elementary when it comes to website ui/ux
....or their 'regulations book' that 70% ads. Cut that shit out, just regs, send it out with fishing/hunting license purchase, and iowadnr.gov just becomes a calendar, a map page and a contact us page.
Alas...government....take something easy and mess it up..
