In what is being touted as a once in a lifetime opportunity, the Wisconsin DNR has greenlit a controlled archery hunt as part of their on-going research study on deer density.
Having been underway since 2021, the study, set to run until 2025, aims to provide accurate small-scale deer population estimates using the Snapshot Wisconsin camera network. Comprising of a statewide network of trail cameras, the volunteer program allows residents to both use their trail cameras and report their sightings for the betterment of wildlife conservation.
The primary study area of the project is in the Sandhill Wildlife Area, a fenced-in area located in central Wisconsin.
Expanding the program, officials are now allowing hunters to shoot with a little more than a camera lens inside the ‘gated community’. The DNR announced a limited archery hunt in Sandhill beginning this fall as part of the research project.
The hunt will be open to all licensed archery hunters and includes the use of both crossbows and vertical bows. The new hunt will mark the first time in 55 years that hunting was allowed in the Sandhill Wildlife Area.
“The last time an archery hunt was held in Sandhill was 1968, so we are looking forward to offering this opportunity to archers this fall,” said Darren Ladwig, DNR Wildlife Biologist at Sandhill.
Successful applicants will be awarded two tags for use on the limited hunt, an either-sex permit and an antlerless-only harvest authorizations. These harvest authorizations are only valid at Sandhill during the two-day hunt.
The hunt is set to take place between September 30 and October 1, 2023 with applications due by August 14, 2023. Hunters are encouraged to read the specific regulations with regards to hunting inside Sandhill.
