Deer harvest vs. Sturgeon harvest

GREEN BAY - More than 1800 sturgeon were tagged, which was a 17 percent success rate for some 10,000 spearers. Meantime, more than 201,000 deer were registered, which was a 32 percent success rate for some 638,000 hunters. So why are spearers happier with their outcome compared to hunters?

Sturgeon spearing and deer hunting are the two most popular outdoors sports in Wisconsin. Both seasons are overseen by the DNR, they have thousands of participants, extend several days, and test one's accuracy and patience. But now that both seasons are over, the comparisons are nothing alike.

"Opening day I didn't see anything. The next day I didn't see anything in the morning, but then I saw a small buck and a doe that night, and that's the only thing I've seen all year, and I've been hunting every single day. It has been probably the worst year I've ever had hunting," said deer hunter Wes Munson last year.

"Deer hunting has never been stable over the long haul in Wisconsin. We've gone through years of low numbers and years of high numbers. We're coming off a period of higher deer numbers. So, it's expected that there's a relative level of frustration," said DNR regional wildlife Biologist Jeff Pritzl last year.

Unlike the frustration a lot of deer hunters felt over the nine day season, the sturgeon spearing season was a huge success, despite the odds against spearers.

Winnebago Sturgeon Biologist Ron Bruch says, "I would have to say this is the best season. I'm not surprised given the water clarity that we had coming into the season. People are taking a lot of nice sized fish, a nice number of fish but get it's not an excessive number and given all these factors this is probably the best season I've experienced."

Sturgeon spearer Paul Schneider agreed. "I think this is probably one of the better seasons, or even the top number one season as far as 100 plus pounders go, years ago, 100 plus pounders use to be a darn nice fish, and now it seems to be getting more of the norm."

Considering there are many more deer in the Wisconsin woods than there are sturgeon in the Lake Winnebago system, expectations clearly differ. Regardless, tagging that big buck or spearing that trophy size sturgeon is what keeps outdoors enthusiasts coming back for more.