MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Hunters couldn’t ask for better conditions when Wisconsin’s annual nine-day gun deer season opens Saturday. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that temperatures in the 20s and 30s along with snow-covered ground will allow hunters to sit in one area comfortably if they choose and make deer more visible. State Department of Natural Resources officials told the radio network that they expect to sell about 555,000 licenses this year. The agency sold 564,440 licenses last year. License sales have been slipping about 1.5% annually since 2000. Dwindling participation has translated to fewer deer killed. Hunters took 182,783 deer during last year’s nine-day season, down about 7% from 2020.
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