2003 Deer Hunting Season License Sales Report
Deer hunting license sales and supporting activity for the 2003 deer season has come to a successful close. What follows are the highlights of sales data and customer service efforts:
Gun Deer Sales License Type Comparisons
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | % Change from 2001 Sales | % Change from 2002 Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Resident Patron |
81,314 |
81,895 |
81,076 |
-0.33% |
-1.00% |
|
Resident Sports |
86,134 |
75,122 |
72,536 |
-15.80% |
-3.40% |
|
Resident Gun Deer |
480,078 |
428,724 |
455,967 |
-5.00% |
+6.35% |
|
NR Patron |
25 |
38 |
38 |
+52.00% |
no change |
|
NR Sports |
279 |
277 |
313 |
+12.19% |
+13.00% |
|
NR Gun Deer |
40,710 |
32,889 |
34,888 |
-14.30% |
+6.00 |
|
Total |
688,540 |
618,945 |
644,818 |
-6.35% |
+4.18% |
History of Gun Deer License Sales 1993-2003
| License Type | 1993 Sales | 1994 Sales | 1995 Sales | 1996 Sales | 1997 Sales | 1998 Sales | 1999 Sales | 2000 Sales | 2001 Sales | 2002 Sales | 2003 Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gun Deer Resident Nonresident |
487,485 24,228 |
504,531 26,016 |
512,799 28,398 |
497,990 30,512 |
495,998 30,628 |
491,062 32,270 |
492,423 36,387 |
483,419 41,604 |
480,078 40,710 |
428,724 32,889 |
455,967 34,888 |
|
Sports Resident Nonresident |
128,535 N/A |
115,663 N/A |
108,820 N/A |
104,655 N/A |
95,027 8 |
91,720 14 |
94,061 130 |
92,014 232 |
86,134 279 |
75,122 277 |
72,536 313 |
|
Conservation Patron Resident Nonresident |
12,243 N/A |
24,566 N/A |
34,927 N/A |
43,915 N/A |
50,043 2 |
53,891 1 |
67,172 21 |
77,415 28 |
81,314 25 |
81,895 38 |
81,076 38 |
|
Total |
652,491 |
670,776 |
684,944 |
677,072 |
671,706 |
668,958 |
690,194 |
694,712 |
688,540 |
618,945 |
644,818 |
Archery License Sales
Archery license sales were substantially higher in 2003 with a total of 165,122 compared to 144,162 in 2002, a rebound of 15% compared to the 19% decline seen last year from the 178,269 sold in 2001.
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | % Change from 2001 Sales | % Change from 2002 Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Resident Archery |
169,811 |
137,521 |
157,744 |
-7.11% |
+14.71% |
|
Nonresident Archery |
8,458 |
6,641 |
7,378 |
-12.77% |
+11.10% |
|
Total |
178,269 |
144,162 |
165,122 |
-7.37% |
+14.54% |
An analysis of data shows that slightly more than one-third of resident deer hunters had both archery and gun license privileges.
Licensing Facts
- The continuing interest in the impact of CWD prompted frequent requests from the media for updated license sales numbers. Sales were monitored and reported on a weekly basis from September through mid-November and on a daily basis during the week just prior to the opening of the season.
- Data was quickly made available to address the interests of outdoor writers and others in the media who were covering Wisconsin’s deer hunting season. Queries to the ALIS database were launched once sales ceased at midnight on Friday, November 21 and summary data was available for Saturday press information.
- We continue to provide a high level of customer support to address questions and concerns about hunting regulations and tagging requirements and options. There was a notable increase in the number of contacts from hunters with cell phones asking last minute questions.
- One valid tag for Zone T hunting was included with every deer hunting license privilege that was sold. In addition, hunters purchased 195,011 bonus tags (as of December 1). Almost 30,000 of these were additional tags for Zone T units, and 4,119 were issued to farmers who qualify for free bonus permits. Bonus sales will continue through the remaining deer hunting seasons. The vast majority, 77% of bonus permits were sold over-the-counter. Twenty-three (23%) percent were sold by mail as part of the Hunter’s Choice/Bonus application process.
- Waiting until the last minute to buy a gun license continues to be a tradition for Wisconsin hunters. A record thirty-four percent (34%) of all deer licenses issued in 2003 were sold within the last week before deer season.
- ALIS performed flawlessly in the days leading up to the hunt, processing 2.4 transactions per second at the peak of sales on Friday, November 21 when 10% were processed.
- In addition, more than 3,300 permits were issued to approximately 6,500 landowners owning 5 acres or more in our two Deer Eradication Zones; 217 were issued to Richland DEZ landowners, 67 to Rock DEZ landowners and the balance to landowners primarily in the Iowa/Dane/Sauk DEZ.
- Deer sales will reopen on December 11th and remain open through January 31. Military stationed in Wisconsin or military residents home on leave; as well as children who turn 12 during the season were able to purchase a license during the season.
Who are our deer hunters?
The data that is captured in the ALIS system helps us better understand our customers and their buying patterns and helps leverage our ability to expand and shape future services. Of the 644,818 hunters this gun deer season, 94 percent are Wisconsin residents, 74,562 are juveniles (under the age of 18) and represent 11.6% of the hunting population; and 44,468 or 6.9% were Senior Citizens (65 years of age and older). Hunters range in age from 12 to 81-years- old. Octogenarians account for 3,437 deer hunters. Nearly 100,000 are teenagers. Hunters in their thirties and forties account for nearly half of those afield.
Once the season opened on Saturday, November 22, there were 80 new 12 year olds that purchased a license and 160 military personnel returned to Wisconsin to hunt this year.
Female hunters represent 7% of the total number of Wisconsin deer hunters; a total of 43,016 compared to 39,100 women in 2002 purchased a patron, sports or gun deer license (number includes residents and nonresidents) compared to 565,973 licenses purchased by men. A more specific breakdown by gender follows:
Gender of Deer Gun License Purchasers
*Data entry required to complete customer records
Nonresident Licensed Deer Hunters
There were 35,239 nonresidents who gun deer hunted in Wisconsin this year (up 6% from last year's total of 33,204). Hunters came from every state in the country. Attached is a breakdown by state identifying where our nonresident hunters reside.
The highest numbers of nonresident purchases came from residents of Minnesota (13,734); Illinois (7,815); Michigan (857); Florida (684); Iowa (671); Indiana (469); California (449); and Texas (432).
Conservation Patron Customers
The popularity of the Conservation Patron license continues with resident sales at 81,076, which is slightly lower than the 81,895 mark reached last year. In 1984, the first year of the Conservation Patron license, 217 were sold.
Thirty-eight (38) non-resident Conservation Patron licenses were sold in 2003, the same number as sold in 2002.
Over 4.5% of Resident Conservation Patrons and 31% of Non-resident Conservation Patrons purchased their license via the Internet.
Where Licenses Were Purchased
More than 91% of gun deer licenses were sold at non-DNR locations. The internet proved to be the most popular spot for purchasing a deer hunting license this year, nearly doubling from last year. Mills Fleet Farm in Appleton took the next spot on the list, representing the highest volume of sales at a retail location for gun deer-related purchases.
The internet was a particularly popular option for non-resident hunters. More than 7% of non-resident license sales for deer hunting were done via the department's online sales site. Beginning last year, hunters were given the option to complete and submit their Hunter's Choice/Bonus application online. Over 20% (21,303 out of 106,740 customers) used this service to submit 2003 applications.
Among Wisconsin counties (71 of 72 excluding Menominee), the highest numbers of gun deer licenses were sold in: Dane (29,887); Brown (28,139); Waukesha (22,810); Marathon (22,733); Washington (22,133); Outagamie (21,375); and Milwaukee (21,224). A breakdown of sales by county is attached.
2003 County License Sales Comparisons
| County Name | Resident Patron | Resident Sports | Resident Gun Deer | NR Patron | NR Sports | NR Gun Deer | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADAMS | 350 | 298 | 2117 | 1 | 3 | 125 | 2894 |
| ASHLAND | 354 | 524 | 3513 | 1 | 177 | 4569 | |
| BARRON | 818 | 1427 | 9184 | 6 | 540 | 11975 | |
| BAYFIELD | 194 | 511 | 2309 | 5 | 367 | 3386 | |
| BROWN | 3481 | 3187 | 21290 | 181 | 28139 | ||
| BUFFALO | 227 | 290 | 2526 | 1 | 4 | 393 | 3441 |
| BURNETT | 332 | 609 | 3064 | 10 | 1221 | 5236 | |
| CALUMET | 561 | 506 | 4129 | 17 | 5213 | ||
| CHIPPEWA | 780 | 1395 | 9512 | 1 | 193 | 11881 | |
| CLARK | 241 | 578 | 4583 | 125 | 5527 | ||
| COLUMBIA | 1156 | 642 | 5091 | 1 | 89 | 6979 | |
| CRAWFORD | 438 | 567 | 3038 | 1 | 3 | 248 | 4295 |
| DANE | 7714 | 3801 | 18011 | 2 | 6 | 353 | 29887 |
| DODGE | 2009 | 1327 | 7859 | 1 | 76 | 11272 | |
| DOOR | 692 | 388 | 2755 | 1 | 44 | 3880 | |
| DOUGLAS | 356 | 658 | 5501 | 8 | 822 | 7345 | |
| DUNN | 756 | 759 | 6581 | 3 | 235 | 8334 | |
| EAU CLAIRE | 2004 | 1541 | 11600 | 3 | 334 | 15482 | |
| FLORENCE | 78 | 178 | 1320 | 1 | 163 | 1740 | |
| FOND DU LAC | 1937 | 1374 | 8725 | 1 | 81 | 12118 | |
| FOREST | 130 | 413 | 2020 | 62 | 2625 | ||
| GRANT | 595 | 1085 | 6366 | 2 | 264 | 8312 | |
| GREEN | 465 | 305 | 2587 | 1 | 95 | 3453 | |
| GREEN LAKE | 589 | 463 | 2743 | 2 | 61 | 3858 | |
| IOWA | 514 | 300 | 2003 | 46 | 2863 | ||
| IRON | 85 | 202 | 1196 | 2 | 144 | 1629 | |
| JACKSON | 532 | 434 | 3956 | 1 | 240 | 5163 | |
| JEFFERSON | 1096 | 944 | 5373 | 1 | 42 | 7456 | |
| JUNEAU | 473 | 414 | 3071 | 1 | 204 | 4163 | |
| KENOSHA | 710 | 805 | 4671 | 1 | 7 | 818 | 7012 |
| KEWAUNEE | 298 | 320 | 2366 | 22 | 3006 | ||
| LA CROSSE | 1890 | 1679 | 10442 | 1 | 3 | 455 | 14470 |
| LAFAYETTE | 219 | 116 | 1167 | 2 | 36 | 1540 | |
| LANGLADE | 568 | 872 | 5543 | 3 | 130 | 7116 | |
| LINCOLN | 490 | 938 | 5613 | 1 | 161 | 7203 | |
| MANITOWOC | 1310 | 1108 | 6931 | 37 | 9386 | ||
| MARATHON | 2111 | 2680 | 17533 | 3 | 406 | 22733 | |
| MARINETTE | 708 | 1052 | 8230 | 1 | 3 | 357 | 10351 |
| MARQUETTE | 466 | 356 | 2263 | 3 | 143 | 3231 | |
| MILWAUKEE | 2583 | 2461 | 16054 | 1 | 125 | 21224 | |
| MONROE | 737 | 660 | 6997 | 2 | 193 | 8589 | |
| OCONTO | 371 | 824 | 5115 | 2 | 85 | 6397 | |
| ONEIDA | 1005 | 1602 | 6499 | 8 | 352 | 9466 | |
| OUTAGAMIE | 2449 | 2633 | 16179 | 3 | 111 | 21375 | |
| OZAUKEE | 425 | 385 | 2626 | 23 | 3459 | ||
| PEPIN | 235 | 263 | 1863 | 166 | 2527 | ||
| PIERCE | 530 | 557 | 3593 | 2 | 400 | 5082 | |
| POLK | 883 | 1142 | 7037 | 13 | 1005 | 10080 | |
| PORTAGE | 1283 | 1463 | 8492 | 3 | 132 | 11373 | |
| PRICE | 378 | 723 | 3728 | 2 | 199 | 5030 | |
| RACINE | 1883 | 1189 | 7830 | 1 | 1 | 89 | 10993 |
| RICHLAND | 279 | 303 | 3030 | 110 | 3722 | ||
| ROCK | 2742 | 1572 | 9976 | 2 | 6 | 936 | 15234 |
| RUSK | 267 | 422 | 3373 | 2 | 251 | 4315 | |
| SAUK | 1502 | 1134 | 7576 | 1 | 2 | 291 | 10506 |
| SAWYER | 398 | 762 | 3242 | 11 | 459 | 4872 | |
| SHAWANO | 495 | 610 | 4806 | 1 | 52 | 5964 | |
| SHEBOYGAN | 2223 | 1171 | 7795 | 1 | 92 | 11282 | |
| ST CROIX | 1709 | 1390 | 8948 | 1 | 12 | 1332 | 13392 |
| TAYLOR | 310 | 1020 | 4597 | 130 | 6057 | ||
| TREMPEALEAU | 444 | 430 | 4753 | 1 | 156 | 5784 | |
| VERNON | 269 | 368 | 3779 | 1 | 125 | 4542 | |
| VILAS | 297 | 818 | 2696 | 7 | 255 | 4073 | |
| WALWORTH | 500 | 620 | 3546 | 2 | 97 | 4765 | |
| WASHBURN | 436 | 753 | 3715 | 7 | 544 | 5455 | |
| WASHINGTON | 3674 | 2853 | 15473 | 4 | 129 | 22133 | |
| WAUKESHA | 4160 | 2775 | 15708 | 1 | 1 | 165 | 22810 |
| WAUPACA | 1409 | 1283 | 10576 | 3 | 151 | 13422 | |
| WAUSHARA | 507 | 302 | 2780 | 3 | 84 | 3676 | |
| WINNEBAGO | 2471 | 1811 | 10496 | 2 | 87 | 14867 | |
| WOOD | 1841 | 2176 | 12005 | 1 | 169 | 16192 | |
| Z-OUT OF STATE | 4654 | 1015 | 4302 | 18 | 122 | 16886 | 26997 |
| County Name | Resident Patron | Resident Sports | Resident Gun Deer | NR Patron | NR Sports | NR Gun Deer | Total |
| Total | 81076 | 72536 | 455967 | 38 | 313 | 34888 | 644818 |
Map of Residence for 2003 Gun Deer Hunters in Wisconsin: 2003 Residence Map PDF (69KB)
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