Hunters registered just under 277,000 deer during Wisconsin's regular nine-day gun season that closed Sunday, according to a preliminary call-in from the nearly 600 deer registration stations across Wisconsin.

State wildlife officials say that while the call-in tally is down 20 percent from last year, the number is preliminary and is expected to change before final figures are compiled in late winter. This does not include harvest totals from the archery, muzzleloader, or October and December antlerless seasons.

Wildlife biologists say many factors could have affected this year's hunt, including winter conditions lasting longer into spring than estimated and a late, cool spring which caused lower fawn production than average. Fawn production statewide was the lowest it has been in 15 years.

A statewide muzzleloader season is now open and runs through Dec. 10, followed by a statewide antlerless deer only hunt Dec. 11 to 14. Blaze orange is still required clothing for all hunters, except waterfowl hunters, during any gun deer hunt.

Snow cover currently ranges from just a trace in some areas, to up to 10 inches in a few isolated areas near Hurley in Iron County and in the Washington County area. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism Snow Conditions Report is now available on their Web site, with conditions for downhill and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Counties or local municipalities determine when snowmobile trails open, and only Hurley was reporting any open trails this week.

Most trail easement don't begin until mid-December, and using snowmobile trails before they are officially open is trespass and may result in the loss of trail easements as well as damage to trails. Most state parks and forests will not start grooming cross-country ski trails until there is at least 6 inches of snow, and often not until after all deer hunting seasons have closed, if the property is open to hunting. However, some properties are already reporting good to excellent skiing, including the Lapham Peak and Northern units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Call parks or forests directly for the most current conditions.

Some lakes across the Northwoods now have from 3 to 6 inches of ice, but many lakes have less, and larger lakes like Trout in Vilas County are still open. Ice is forming along some lakes in the south and a few smaller lakes have frozen over, but only with minimal ice. A few early ice anglers have been creeping out onto northern lakes, mostly targeting walleye with some fair catches of 12- to 15-inch walleye made, with the best action coming in the hour before dark. Thin ice is now covering most of Lake Winnebago and Lake Butte des Morts. A few brave anglers have been jigging for panfish.

Along Lake Michigan, cold nighttime temperatures have been causing ice to form in slow moving stretches of tributaries, but warmer daytime temperatures have melted some of what forms overnight. Anglers fishing off the piers and at harbors have been catching a few brown trout and some steelhead.

Hunters have until Dec. 10 to apply for a permit for the 2009 Wisconsin spring turkey hunting season or for the 2009 Wisconsin black bear hunting season. Preliminary permit levels for the spring turkey season are set at 221,000, an increase from 211,425 permits last spring. As of the fall 2008, Wisconsin turkey management zones were consolidated into seven large zones instead of the previous 46 zones. Based on the results of a two-year black bear population study that found the Wisconsin population is likely more than two times larger than previously thought, the DNR bear committee has recommended a total of 6,950 permits for the 2009 season, an increase of 50 percent over the number available in 2008.

Applications and the required $3 permit application fee can be purchased: over the Internet through the Online Licensing Center; by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236); at license sales locations; or DNR service centers during their regular business hours (check service center link for hours of operation, which vary by service center; service centers are closed Saturdays).

A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling 608-266 2277.