Wisconsin deer gun hunters once again face ammo shortage

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin kicked off its 170th deer gun season on Saturday and for the second straight year some hunters were feeling ill-equipped.

A nationwide ammunition shortage due to the supply chain issues affecting other products has left hunters searching far and wide for ammo in the first place and then shelling out more money if they do find it.

Randy and Tiffani Rogness, who own Paddock Lake Sporting Goods in Salem, had empty ammunition shelves on Friday. When a new supply is delivered it lasts two to three hours, even at one box limit per customer, they said.

“We search everywhere. We’ve ordered so much, and it’s just not coming in,” Tiffani Rogness said

One of the nation’s biggest ammunition manufacturers, Vista Outdoor in Anoka, Minnesota, said it’s “ramping production ahead of schedule at its Remington facility to meet unprecedented demand.”

The price of is almost any caliber ammunition is double what it was a year ago if you can find it. Manufacturers say the pandemic created new gun buyers along with more hunters looking for something to do outside, WISN-TV reported.

More than 570,000 deer hunters from around the world are expected to try their luck in this year’s nine-day season, Department of Natural Resources officials said. Wisconsin has more than 7 million acres of land open for hunting.