Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

Im wondering if this is just me or if others have the same problems.Do you feel like theamount of deer on public land has taken a big decrease in the last 5 years.I just think the DNR with this Earn a buckidea isjust killing the population. Because every person that walks into the woods needs to shoot a doe. All the does are gone.... I hunt the same places that i did 5 years ago and see less than half the deer than i use to. And the DNR keeps saying that there is to many deer in this State. I dont know were they get there numbers from but i wonder how much the insurance companies have to do with this!!

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

Not sure how things are in Wisconsin, but in NY and PA the mentality seems to be: In order to reduce the deer population on private and non-huntable land, eradicate the deer on public land. (ie issue agazillion permits) That way the numbers even out... :-(

Also of course are the doe permit fees...

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

I don't know about where you are, but all the baiting up north near us makes them more nocturnal. i have seen more deer in the last 5 years than the 5 years before that, but I have also changed my tactics. I see many deer in the middle of the day rather than early am. I stil see deer just before dark, but not always. Best times for me have been 12-3PM the past few years. Maybe the deer in your area are doing the same. Good Luck.

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

And this is on pubic land/timber company land?

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

Well, I do technically hunt on private land (80 acres) but we're surrounded by hunting groups too large for the amount of land they have (8 people per 40) and a lot of public land, and I've seen a huge drop in our deer numbers. We're not earn-a-buck--and I don't think we should be. It doesn't help that we've got neighbors that shoot anything and everything that moves, and other neighbors that poach...so I guess I can't necessarily blame the poor population on the DNR.

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

The biggest reason is because of private land. There is far more private than public and thats just the way it is. More hunters on public per acre than private so there is gonna be less deer.

I do hunt on some public though for gun season but its kinda secluded and I've seen alot more deer in the last two years compaired to about 5-6 years ago.

This isnt public but just one exaple throughout the state. This is on about a 500 acre farm. Through all the seasons last year 96 deer where killed off that farm by all of us and only 6 were bucks, all quality management bucks. Mostly mature does were taken but some fawns as well. There is such a deer problem the farmer cant deal with em. 1/4 mile down the road on neighbors farm45 deer taken of which 4 were bucks and quality managemnet bucks as welland most all big does. Between all the neighbors in that 1-1.5 mile radius there was an estimated 175 deer taken last year of which 15 or so were bucks. Then up the road the other way not included in the 1.5 square mile the famer has crop damage controll so people can shoot does all year round and I don't know how many they shoot a year but I know its quite a few. Every year the deer just come back like normal after we've tried shooting more and more every year. Last year on the 500 acre farm killed 75ish year before 60ish, before 70ish, before 55is.....Its like these deer have genes to breed like rabbits. haha. We've shot about 15 on the year so far and dont know what the neighbors are shootin yet.All of us can go sit in a stand every night and see 20-30 deercome outin the field and usually get a shot at atleast one mature doe if we want too. So just takin a wild guess here but I'm bettin this season in this 1-1.5 square miles there are about 400-500 deer or better based on shining and how many we see in the fields hunting.WCL

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

Yes but thats on a private farm. I understand why the people who hunt public land need to shoot every thing they see because the DNR is making them. It just seems like all the deer quotas are coming from private land and not the public. It just kills the people who hunt the public land because 75% of the people hunt on public land, which isfine with me but when the DNR tells them to kill everyone ofthe breeders how can they repopulate? And all the places that i have hunted my whole life have taken a HUUUUGE drop.

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

It may seem the quotas are coming from the private lands but really its coming from both its just that there is so much less public out there and more private with more deer. The DNR doesnt just go out and pick onl private farms and say this is how many deer we have per square mile for htis unit......There really isnt any better way to control the deer of private lands because the public land makes up such a small percentage of land in the units. The only way to do it would be make public land their own units and we all know that with how many small parcels of public there is that is just not possible and would not work. I understand that most public areas are losing their deer numbers and it only seems right because deer arent stupid. They are gonna stay off those public areas when thye can go a half mile and live on a farm where they have a 1 in 100 chance of being shot at and good food sources. I'm not sayin the program is perfect but really there is no better way to deal with all the deer in WI right now. On a whole deer numbers are way higher than they have ever been. I understand how public hunters feel and complain about the EAB system but I dont see to many other ideas bein thrown on the table that can be as effective as a program like EAB. Another problem is just the growing number of indiviuals on public lands. Its just something we all have to deal with on public land. No differnet than duck hunting getting more and more over crowded on public waters or trapper numbers on public lands. More and more people every year means less to go around. Deer hunting in WI has proven to be a huge source of families food income every year so witht he growing number of hunters even without the EAB system I think you would still see a drop in the deer heards on those public lands. More and more hunters looking for meat is gonna mean less and less deer. WCL

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

i took a trip in the spring to Minnesota and drove thru WI....i have never seen so many deer on the side of the road than in WI. Every coupleof miles therewas a dead deer on the side of the road. It looks to me you guys have alot of deer up there.

RE: Public land hunters in Wisconsin
 

Umm isnt that what the dnr wants is to thin the herd...well it seems to be working.