MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's traditional nine-day gun deer hunt is set to begin next month.

The season will begin on Saturday, November 18, and run through Sunday, November 26.

Four counties — Ashland, Iron, Vilas and a portion of Eau Claire — will be buck-only. That's down from 10 counties last year, a sign that the herd is growing.

Hunters killed 196,785 deer during last year's traditional nine-day season, down 6 percent from 2015. The state Department of Natural Resources sold 598,867 gun deer licenses through the end of the nine-day season last year, down about 13,510 licenses from the previous year.