Deer hunting licenses for Wisconsin children up from 2016

MADISON, Wis. — Deer hunting licenses for Wisconsin children were up by more than 1,000 from last year by the end of opening weekend for the nine-day gun season.

The Stevens Point Journal reports that the mentored license allows children to participate in the hunt as long as they're accompanied by an adult. This was the first hunting season since the state's minimum age to hunt deer was eliminated. Children had to be at least 10 years old to hunt with an adult until Gov. Scott Walker signed the measure into law earlier this month.

State hunters had purchased 17,267 mentored hunting licenses for opening weekend, up from 16,139 bought by about the same time last year.