Archery deer hunters should see more deer in the woods this fall compared to 2023, but these sightings will not necessarily translate into more deer kills in 2024.
This likely won’t happen until bow season in 2025, when this year’s deer begin to grow antlers. Those were the words of Jeff Pritzl, DNR’s deer program leader, during a press conference held virtually last week.
So will 2024 bow and crossbow deer numbers exceed the 2023 harvest, which followed a harsh winter and one of the craziest acorn drops in history?