You're probably already aware that tomorrow (Saturday) is the opening day of Wisconsin's annual 9-day gun deer hunting season.  But did you know these fun facts about our state's hunting heritage?

• The number of deer hunters in Wisconsin holds pretty steady each year, usually a little north (pardon the pun) of 600,000 people.  If Wisconsin's population of 600,000+ licensed deer hunters got themselves organized, they would be the seventh-largest army in the world!  (Canada and the other 49 states probably need not worry, though; I'm not too sure of our hunters' ability to get all that organized.)

• The first time that deer hunting was regulated in Wisconsin was 1851, when the hunting season was closed for the spring months of each year to all hunters except Native Americans.  The Governor appointed our first two game wardens in 1887 (who earned salaries of $50/month).  A resident deer hunting license cost $1 in 1897; for a nonresident, the fee was $30.  In the 1920s, the legislature temporarily cancelled deer season every other year because the deer population had dropped to the point that only 7,000 deer were harvested in 1924.  For a similar reason, deer season in 1937 was just three days long, but by 1941 (by which time timberwolves in Wisconsin were nearly extinct), the harvest had rebounded to more than 40,000 deer.  Wearing red clothing become mandatory in 1945; wearing blaze orange became mandatory in 1980.

• No matter what way you cut it, responsible hunting is actually one of the safest recreational activities a person can choose.  The Department of Natural Resources investigates all reported firearms accidents during hunting; Wisconsin hunters average about 1.3 such incidents per 100,000 participants.  In contrast, 12 people out of every 100,000 get hurt camping; 19 (somehow?) get hurt playing pool; 70 get hurt running or jogging; 227 get hurt fishing; and 5,608 get hurt playing football.

Holiday Reminders

Have a great time enjoying the outdoors, visiting with family, traveling and shopping as the holiday season approaches!  But keep these things in mind:

Slow down; move over!  The Department of Transportation says that Wisconsin drivers experience approximately 116,000 traffic crashes each year.  Of these, 200 crashes involve an emergency vehicle that is traveling to help somebody.  That's more than once every two days!  When you see flashing lights, remember that somebody is having a worse day than you are.  Slow down and give them room!

Beat the heat.  I love real Christmas trees; I love Thanksgiving dinner; and I love holiday decorations.  But you have to be careful!  Unattended cooking is by far the leading factor in home cooking fires.  This video is as good a reason as you'll ever need to remember to water your live Christmas tree regularly.  And overloaded electrical circuits (think Christmas lights) are a huge factor in fires as well.  This season, stay in the kitchen while you're working; keep that tree watered and throw it away after no more than 4-5 weeks; and use your head (and read product labels) when stringing together those lights!

Shop wisely.  Unfortunately, the holidays are a scam artist's best friend.  The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has a package of consumer-friendly alerts aimed at keeping you up-to-date on the latest schemes to beware.  Of special note: don't be fooled by fake charities; only give to charities that you know and trust, or whom you approach to make a gift.  E-mail scammers especially like to use fake shipping alerts to try to induce you to download files or click links that will compromise your device and/or steal your identification.  Buyer beware!