In just the third season of legal use for all, crossbows have overtaken vertical bows in deer harvests in Kewaunee and Door counties.

Through Sunday, Kewaunee County archers reported harvesting 187 bucks and 159 antlerless, 346 total. Crossbow users were at 205 bucks and 195 antlerless (400), or a county “broadhead” total of 746.

Door County archers reported 217 bucks and 191 antlerless (408), while crossbow users were up to 239 and 236 (475), for a total of 883.

Combined with the youth gun hunt (118 in Door and 100 in Kewaunee County) and continued bow/crossbow kills since Sunday, nearly 2,000 Kewaunee/Door whitetails have already been packaged and put in the freezer heading into opening day. Add road kills, and you’re looking 2,500-plus fewer deer on the landscape come opening morning.

Since the deer herd has been growing in recent years, gun hunters should still have a very successful season overall. A new buck harvest record locally is possible, in fact.

A lot depends on the weather, though, which is expected to be windy and cold opening day, with the possibility of some rain or snow showers.

Statewide, the bow total (40,321, including 24,662 bucks) through Sunday is still ahead of the crossbow numbers (31,531, including 19,819 bucks). Add the youth hunt numbers (8,799) and state hunters had already registered more than 80,000 deer through Nov. 13.

Last-minute details

If you haven’t yet purchased your gun deer hunting season license and don’t plan to do it from your mobile device or computer, you could be waiting in line today.

Historically, more than half of the 600,000-plus licenses allowing gun deer hunting are sold the week prior to opening day, including 100,000 or so the Friday before alone.

New for 2016, hunters can print their own carcass tags, back tags have been eliminated and the use of blaze pink clothing is legal (along with the traditional blaze orange, which has been a state law since 1980).

There are no colorful, glossy tags to attach to the carcass. Instead, public and private land permits are printed on plain white paper. Validated tags must be attached to the carcass if the hunter leaves it for any reason.

If hunters already have their license but haven’t printed their tags, there’s no charge if done at home or a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Service Center. All other licensing agents charge $2.

This season, local hunters get three free antlerless deer tags along with their buck tag. It is recommended they be put inside a zip-lock bag for protection.

County Deer Advisory Committee members encourage hunters with access to large numbers of deer to reduce the population.

Deer can be registered from a smartphone or tablet at gamereg.wi.gov, or dial 1-844-GAME-REG (1-844-426-3734) and follow the prompts.

Deer donation

You must donate the entire deer to receive the processing for free (head and/or antlers can be removed on site); if you pay for processing, you can choose to donate some venison and keep some.

The following businesses in the area are listed on the DNR website as accepting whitetails this season:

• They’s Venison Processing, Casco: 920-609-0309.

• Marchant’s Foods, Brussels: 920-825-1244.

• Easy Street Meats, New Franken: 920-866-2461.

• Haberli’s Deer Processing, Sturgeon Bay: 920-743-5736.

• Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay (drop-off only).

Hides for Lions

The Wisconsin Lions Foundation can put your deer hides to good use. Donated hides are used to fund its Lions Camp.

Hides can be dropped off at Blue Water Services in Kewaunee, Bradley Gun Sales in Denmark, Uni-Mart in Forestville, Charlie’s Pumps & Well Drilling in Brussels, Q-Mart in Sturgeon Bay and Citgo in Baileys Harbor.

Kevin Naze is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be reached by emailing [email protected] or calling 920-883-9792.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin: More than 2,500 deer ‘missing’ from Kewaunee, Door