If anyone wants to add to this please do so...


Through The Efforts of Wisconsin Bowhunters....

• We have gone from a five day, buck only, season in two counties of the state in 1934, to our 85 day bow hunting for either sex deer.
• In 1942 the first bear season with bow and arrow was established.
• In 1943 the first open season for does or bucks was established.
• In 1945 the law required a bowhunter to have 50% of his clothing in RED. It took until 1951 to have this law repealed so camouflage could be worn.
• In 1947 it was illegal to have a strung bow in an automobile. In 1952 this law was repealed and replaced with the law allowing a strung bow within a case to be carried in an automobile.
• In 1953 the December bow season was established.
• In 1965 a separate bow & arrow license was implemented, which firmly established the very large number of bow and arrow hunters.
• In 1971 Portable Tree Stand use was legalized in Wisconsin.
• In 1989 obtained an additional 15 minutes hunting time.
• In 1989 Bowhunters no longer had to case their bows until they returned to their vehicle.
• In 1990 Bonus tags were made available to bowhunters in deer management units that were substantially over goal and under-subscribed by gun hunters choice applicants. Hunters Choice tags can be filled during archery season.
• 1991 - 1994 WBH financially supported Professor Ray Anderson's Black Bear study, which compared the health of a hunted vs. non-hunted bear population. This data will be valuable in defending bear hunting against unwarranted attacks.
• In 1994 Legal to bowfish from a boat with motor running. If not bowfishing, bow must be in a case.
• Since 1995 has sponsored participants in the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program.
• In 1997 Bowhunters able to hunt up until the Friday before the gun season in "T" zones (4 extra days).

I'm a member and as of late, some of the actions by a few officers/directors is really making it difficult to re-up my member ship.... I'll just leave it at that!

I hear ya...

In 2000-2008 the wisconsin dnr mowed down the deer population so low in the northeast part of the state that a bowhunter is now lucky if he sees a deer.

wis_hunter08 i hear ya man.... I live in Ashland county, i've had my trail cam out for about 6 months now, i have 5 different deer on camera..... thats it! There is NO deer out there anymore...

I hunt in ****** County and I was in EAB, T-ZONE, And prime AG Tag Area. I went out and sat last Thursday and seen 22 does and fawns in a seven acre hay field at the same time. Then I had one buck and five does fifteen yards behind me in a corn field. I don't think there is deer shortage. I was asked to go shoot some does off our local golf course. So a buddy and I scouted it from the truck and seen over fifty plus deer in one field and they were still coming out. Bucks, does, turkeys, golfer's. There is so many deer, they have to rake the sand traps three times a day. Don't think there is a shortage just a lot of public hunters chasing everything into private.

dude, i go small game hunting in the south kettle moraine often and not a single deer in sight.. havent tried the NE regions yet

that sucks for us public guys then

what do you guys think of the proposal of the 16 day gun season and starting it a week earlier than normal? I personally think that proposal is a bunch of s***

I totally agree. Make sure you attend the DNR hearings in October to give them an earfull.