wisconsin deer count
10-28-2009, 05:34 AM
#11
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: St. Cloud, WI
Posts: 34
I dont c half of the deer i used...that may be due to a herd shift or they r just not there. either way i think they need to look at the sak method and c if any environmental factors are beginning to make this inaccurate
10-29-2009, 12:55 AM
#12
Bartender
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 6,634
Umm a lot of nothern zones for gun season this year are buck only. I hunt unit 43 and they say deer numbers are at least 20% down. As for your statement on antler counting that is a farce age structure is the main key my friend. Good luck!
Northern Wisconsin... I went for a walk through my woods. I had a fresh snow ( four inches the other day ) and I figured I could judge tracks better. The trouble is other then two small (and I mean small) sets of tracks, it was all I saw on the property.
On my usual hunting areas across my property I saw zero rubs, zero scrapes, and the trails leading through the cedar/balsam/alder marsh. The trails in the marsh where in past years would be walked to a mud path, were hardly used.
I talked to locals, neighbors and friends about deer sign on their property. They usually answer, what deer sign? And many of them are not hunting this year. Anyone hunting my property this year will be told... shoot a doe and you never hunt here again!!
Yet the DNR is claiming record deer numbers again. (Just like in past years of course) They are full of you know what. All they are doing is selling license, trying to make money. They have no problem telling lies to Wisconsin Hunters. They've been doing it for years. They want to expand the number of days we can hunt also. Why.. kill more does.
How worried are they about license sales you ask? Well they are allowing children now to hunt. And of course they have to be with an adult. This is so the young person can share a hunting heritage with his/her family they claim. BS alert!!! Where was this concern in past years? They want to sell junior a license, and the DNR wants more hunters in the woods and more deer harvested. And don't forget, then junior can insist that they hunt. That means Dad (or Mom) gets a license also.
When we were young, we always went with Dad and the uncles into the woods. We sat on stands with them. We were taught tracking, sign reading, making drives, and patience. We just did not have a license or shoot anything. And when deer were shot, we carried rifles out, or helped drag so we learned the work aspect of deer hunting. That was and still is hunting heritage.
For the people that claim they have record number of does and bucks in their area, they are lucky. There are other parts of the State that are really dry. And if you keep shooting all the does for the DNR your area will go dry sooner or later. As Dad used to say, go in the barn and shoot all the cows and your calf crop next year stinks...
Big bucks would be better managed through antler point counting. We have private areas up here that have signs posted explaining about point counts. My friend hunts private land where it must be a eight or bigger. I have no problem in that.
On my usual hunting areas across my property I saw zero rubs, zero scrapes, and the trails leading through the cedar/balsam/alder marsh. The trails in the marsh where in past years would be walked to a mud path, were hardly used.
I talked to locals, neighbors and friends about deer sign on their property. They usually answer, what deer sign? And many of them are not hunting this year. Anyone hunting my property this year will be told... shoot a doe and you never hunt here again!!
Yet the DNR is claiming record deer numbers again. (Just like in past years of course) They are full of you know what. All they are doing is selling license, trying to make money. They have no problem telling lies to Wisconsin Hunters. They've been doing it for years. They want to expand the number of days we can hunt also. Why.. kill more does.
How worried are they about license sales you ask? Well they are allowing children now to hunt. And of course they have to be with an adult. This is so the young person can share a hunting heritage with his/her family they claim. BS alert!!! Where was this concern in past years? They want to sell junior a license, and the DNR wants more hunters in the woods and more deer harvested. And don't forget, then junior can insist that they hunt. That means Dad (or Mom) gets a license also.
When we were young, we always went with Dad and the uncles into the woods. We sat on stands with them. We were taught tracking, sign reading, making drives, and patience. We just did not have a license or shoot anything. And when deer were shot, we carried rifles out, or helped drag so we learned the work aspect of deer hunting. That was and still is hunting heritage.
For the people that claim they have record number of does and bucks in their area, they are lucky. There are other parts of the State that are really dry. And if you keep shooting all the does for the DNR your area will go dry sooner or later. As Dad used to say, go in the barn and shoot all the cows and your calf crop next year stinks...
Big bucks would be better managed through antler point counting. We have private areas up here that have signs posted explaining about point counts. My friend hunts private land where it must be a eight or bigger. I have no problem in that.
10-30-2009, 01:56 PM
#13
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: West Central Wisconsin
Posts: 162
If the DNR thinks the herd is too large, they'll structure the season/tags to force hunters to shrink the herd. Hunters can participate willingly (taking does, filling bonus tags) or grudgingly (Earn-a-Buck) but if they keep (legally) hunting, they'll do the DNR's bidding.
As far as wanting a larger herd so that hunters see more deer, the issue is not as much about season structures--the DNR can simply regulate how many tags are issued regardless of season length/timing.
The issue isn't even the DNR's ability to count--their herd size guess will be consistent from year to year unless they frequently and radically change counting methods.
The issue is the size of the herd that the DNR sees as desirable. They want a smaller herd than many of the hunters want. (Keep in mind that they have factors other than hunter preference and monetary income from hunting regulation including crop damage, safety, herd health, etc.)
The long-term solution for most of the WI hunting population (if you want more deer walking around) is to persuade the DNR that their target herd size should be larger.
Thoughts?
10-30-2009, 02:20 PM
#14
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 46
PY what unit do you hunt? I'm not seeing much of anything in 73D and 74B in Grant and Crawford counties. I've seen 4 deer in 16 trips bowhunting. I'd love to see 10 to 12 deer per outing.
As far as IA goes I live right across from it and work in IA. I have a lot of freinds over there that hunt and some will see 50 to 100 plus deer per day during shotgun season. I saw a total of eight deer in 6 days of hunting last year during the gun season here. As far as IA managing the herd so it's 75% bucks I don't buy it. I can go over and drive around a few miles and see plenty of deer and 75% to 80% are does/fawns. You may be seeing quite a few more bucks if you're hunting the rut and they're moving more. I can and do drive around my areas in WI and not see a single deer period. And if I do I have to stop and take a better look to make sure it's real.
My wife drives 50 miles one way to work Prairie du Chien to Platteville 5 days a week and does not see more than 20 deer or so year. It's rare for her to see deer and if she does she tells me. On the other hand I get to listen to my IA co workers talk about dodging deer most days coming to work. Many of them are seeing 20 or more per day. That's quite a difference.
Here's something else to think about I've heard plenty of WI hunters complaining about not seeing deer but I don't hear that complaint from IA hunters.
The WI DNRs version of a large herd in WI is a doe with 2 fawns.
As far as IA goes I live right across from it and work in IA. I have a lot of freinds over there that hunt and some will see 50 to 100 plus deer per day during shotgun season. I saw a total of eight deer in 6 days of hunting last year during the gun season here. As far as IA managing the herd so it's 75% bucks I don't buy it. I can go over and drive around a few miles and see plenty of deer and 75% to 80% are does/fawns. You may be seeing quite a few more bucks if you're hunting the rut and they're moving more. I can and do drive around my areas in WI and not see a single deer period. And if I do I have to stop and take a better look to make sure it's real.
My wife drives 50 miles one way to work Prairie du Chien to Platteville 5 days a week and does not see more than 20 deer or so year. It's rare for her to see deer and if she does she tells me. On the other hand I get to listen to my IA co workers talk about dodging deer most days coming to work. Many of them are seeing 20 or more per day. That's quite a difference.
Here's something else to think about I've heard plenty of WI hunters complaining about not seeing deer but I don't hear that complaint from IA hunters.
The WI DNRs version of a large herd in WI is a doe with 2 fawns.
11-01-2009, 07:05 AM
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: N/W WI.
Posts: 814
I have'nt seen 10-12 deer per outing, ever. That is an unreasonable request. If there is that many deer, then the herd needs to be reduced.
11-02-2009, 04:14 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MN
Posts: 1,260
This is absolutly funny to me. The state has a wide range of ecosystems. SE crop fields, SW bluffs and crops, central swamps and some crops, northern swamps, no crops, wolves, and BIG woods. Why argue about deer numbers the SE is gonna have more along with the SE. I hunt in Vilas county. The herd hasn't shifted or the count isn't off. There isn't any deer. The darn wolves have run them to death literally, and the yrs of over harvesting of does in vilas, and onieda has desimated the herd. You can walk 10 miles down logging roads and see, guess how many tracks 1. No rubs or scrapes. See my pic to the left MN. Thats where I'll be again. At least I don't half wait a bow season hoping to see 1 deer.
11-02-2009, 04:21 PM
#17
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 46
PY says he sees that all the time. I don't expect it MC54. On the other hand seeing a total of 4 deer in 16 trips bowhunting is outright a joke and proves that the herd is way below where it should be. I saw far more deer 15-20 years ago than I see now yet we're supposed to have more deer now than ever. I'm in the major AG area of WI the SW corner and the deer numbers aren't here like the DNR says they are.
To me seeing an AVERAGE of 2 to 4 per outing would be fair.
To me seeing an AVERAGE of 2 to 4 per outing would be fair.
Last edited by Trapper22; 11-02-2009 at 04:24 PM.
11-03-2009, 04:49 AM
#18
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: N/W WI.
Posts: 814
Trapper; All I need to see is a deer or two on my hunts. I know where your comming from. The herd is way down from, oh, four or five years ago. For a hunter ,to go out and see four deer in 16 trips is crazy. I remember going a whole season and seeing maybe one deer, so it's better than back then. I really don't ever want to have the deer numbers we had in the 60's again. Every area in the state is different, also private land will hold more deer than public land. I think most hunters just want to see deer when in the woods!
11-04-2009, 02:42 PM
#20
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mid West
Posts: 591
I hunt in the southern part of unit 56. The northern part of 56 is the meadow valley area, and the herd there is down, for a couple of reasons. The southern part of 56 is private farm ground and cranberry marsh's, and we have to many deer. And when I say deer I mean does. On my property we shoot 4-6 does a year trying to maintain a better ratio. Any bucks shot on our land has to be at least an 8 point wider than his ears. Yes, I have it better than alot of other hunters out there, but we manage the deer the way we feel it should be, for quality