Hunters kill more Wisconsin deer on opening weekend

MADISON — New data from the state Department of Natural Resources shows hunters killed thousands more deer on the opening weekend of this year's nine-day gun hunt than in 2017.

Hunters killed 118,670 deer over the weekend, up nearly 13 percent from 105,216 deer last year.

They killed 65,388 bucks, up 8.3 percent from last year, and 53,282 does, up nearly 19 percent from last year.

The higher harvest totals came despite fewer hunters in the woods. DNR license sale data show about 774,300 people bought some form of deer license before midnight Friday, down 2.5 percent from 2017. About 547,500 people bought some form of gun deer license, down from about 589,600 last year.