With youth gun hunt just around the corner as well as the archery and crossbow seasons in full swing, hunters are sighting in rifles and setting up trail cams. However, bad weather and fewer people buying tags could mean fewer people enjoying the hobby.

Youth gun hunting this year starts October 5-6, and the weather is expected to be cold with the lowest temperatures all week. According to The Weather Channel, the weekend’s forecast has a high of sixty-five and a low of forty-five with a thirty-five percent chance of it raining on Sunday. As one young hunter said, ”Because of the rain we will have to get a deer Saturday.” That’s the determination evident in a young hunter.

Also this year, the state is on track to having fewer deer hunting tags sold than in previous years. The DNR said only 173,942 deer tags were sold in the 2023 gun deer season, including 85,390 antlered and 88,552 antlerless deer tags. Compared to the 2022 season, the amount of tags sold was down 17.6 percent statewide, with the antlered tags down 14.7 percent and the antlerless tags down 20.3 percent. If the trend continues, this could mean the fewest hunters in years.

Whether dealing with sharp arrows or deadly firearms, either way it’s important to be safe.  Be sure to treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Always keep whatever you are using pointing in a safe direction. Always make sure that you’re staying on the land where you’re able to hunt. Wear blaze orange when you go out to make sure that other hunters can recognize you.
Whether you are seated with a bow or a rifle, the most important thing is to have fun and be safe.