deer

Wisconsin hunters bagged 5 percent more deer during the nine-day gun deer season compared to last year, capping off the safest hunt in 40 years.

State wildlife regulators say a warm winter and dry weather this fall could improve hunters’ chances during the nine-day gun deer season, but they’re expecting a similar harvest to last year due to a late start.

Northern counties could manage deer based on habitat rather than county lines for the first time in a decade under changes proposed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

State and county authorities are investigating a large deer poaching scheme that’s left behind dozens of headless deer carcasses across several counties in eastern Wisconsin.