MADISON, WI (AP)— The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says hunters killed 16 percent fewer deer during this year's opening weekend of the state's nine-day gun season than last year.
The department released data Tuesday that shows hunters registered 92,050 deer, compared with 103,623 last year.
DNR officials attribute the downturn to a lack of snow and warm temperatures that suppressed deer movement.
As of midnight Sunday, hunters had purchased 539,811 licenses that permit the holder to kill a deer with a gun. That's down about 3 percent from the number of licenses sold by the same point last year.
