Youth ages 10 though 15 are invited to take part in the annual statewide gun deer hunt October 8 and 9. Under Wisconsin's Mentored Hunting Law, hunters as young as 10 years of age may participate with or without hunter education certification.

Changes to this year’s youth gun deer hunt include the fact that junior antlerless gun deer carcass tag will now be valid statewide for youth hunters, allowing them to use it in 'buck only' units. A separate, unit specific, antlerless tag will not be required in these units.

The hunt will be held in all deer management units statewide, except state park units, Ft. McCoy, Chambers Island, Menominee County and the Apostle Islands other than Madeline Island.

Qualified youth hunters may harvest one buck deer using their gun buck deer carcass tag and additional antlerless deer with the appropriate carcass tag valid in the unit in which they are hunting.

According to the DNR website, one adult may not accompany more than two youth hunters. If one youth is under the “mentored hunter” rules, the adult may “accompany” no more than one other youth at the same time and only if the second youth is at least 12-15 years of age and has completed hunter education