9-Day Gun Deer Season 2024

It’s almost time for hunters across Wisconsin to head out for the 2024 nine-day gun deer season, opening Saturday (Nov. 23) and running through Sunday, December 1. This is the latest nine-day window within which the season may occur, as established by state law.

Wisconsin is a nationally recognized state for hunting white-tailed deer with an abundant herd and a proven reputation for producing some of the largest bucks in the world. As of midnight November 18, year-to-date sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and patron licenses reached 560,256. Of that total, 205,075 are for gun privileges only. In Richland County the Deer population is plentiful. John Cler is the chairman of the County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC).

With this year’s season starting further removed from the peak of breeding activity, fewer deer may be on the move relative to recent years with earlier openers. Still, there is reason for optimism, as other factors like colder temperatures and snow cover could still create excellent deer hunting conditions. Furthermore, last year’s mild winter means fawn production and antler development will likely be better than in recent years.

Deer are still being tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and hopes are the numbers will be reduced during this year’s hunt. Doug Duren is a Cazenovia land owner.

If you plan to hunt, see what you need for resident and nonresident hunting licenses.

Review season dates, hunting hours, how to register deer, CWD information and where to hunt on the DNR’s Deer Hunting webpage. If you have questions about regulations or specific public lands, call the DNR’s customer service staff or email DNRPress@wisconsin.gov.

All harvested deer must be registered electronically by 5:00 PM the day after the deer is recovered. Hunters will need the unique harvest authorization number associated with each permit. Proper registration provides accurate harvest data for DNR wildlife managers and County Deer Advisory Councils for the management of Wisconsin’s deer herd. The three options to register a deer are: Online with GameReg; by phone at 1-844-426-3734; or electronically at a participating in-person registration station.