With another early dagwaagin waawaashkeshi hunting season marked by warm temperatures in the 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territories, the deer harvest has gotten off to a relatively slow start in 2025. From the season opener on September 2 through October 29, Ojibwe off-reservation hunters registered 161 whitetails. Over the same period, 29 black bears, or makwag, were harvested. Tribal hunters have the option of registering their deer and bear in- person at tribal registration stations, with a GLIFWC conservation warden, or remotely using the online registration system. GLIFWC’s phone registration system is no longer available. Having an accurate measure of off-reservation tribal harvest helps to identify and prioritize important places for protection.
Harvest registration is required by tribal conservation codes for many species. Of the 161 deer that were registered as of October 29, approximately 70% were recorded remotely using the online registration system. The remaining 30% of deer were registered in person at tribal registration stations or with GLIFWC wardens. Approximately 48% of the waawaashkeshi total were bucks and 52% were antlerless deer. The peak of off-reservation tribal deer registrations typically falls over the second, third, and fourth weeks of November. Of the 29 bears tallied, 28 were registered remotely using the online system. Fourteen (48%) makwag were males (boars) and 15 (52%) were females (sows). This year’s bear kill of 29 is down from the 48 bears registered at this time in 2024. —T. Bartnick