Hot off the press!!

3/8 11:43 am State deer population too high, officials say State wildlife officials estimate that Wisconsin had 1.14 million deer after the 2011 hunting seasons, a figure essentially unchanged from last year but 44 percent higher than the state's goal. The state Department of Natural Resources is required to manage the deer herd to a population goal of 796,000. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report says the DNR will hold meetings throughout the state this month to gather public input on deer management.

Hope my pic comes through, cause it says it all. Been planting the same 4-5 acres of standing corn and soybeans for the last 20 years. There have been other mild winters like last year, and once again this was the only hot food source for miles. It is usually picked clean by January, Last year it made it to March. This year 75% of it is getting tilled under!!!!!! There is truly not the deer to eat it and I will surrender to their "GOALS" and save my money from now on, cause their data is surley more accurate, then my (40years x 365) 14,600 consecutive daily observations! Quick facts: My unit is stated at 142% over goal ! My land is 20 acres away from unregulated public land where unlimited antlerless permits cost less than a cheeseburger. Every Tom, Harry, Kidd, and Yang compete with each other to take every shot opportunity, ethical or not due to hunter pressure. During gun season I saw no less then 3 adult does with arrows sticking out of their head, butt, and back legs. There are 1/3 of the deer that there were just a decade ago, and even less than that in comparison to 1982! Yes in 1982 we had exponentially more deer around here then today although that is in direct dispute with population estimates. I am fustrated and their goals make me severly anti-government. MOST OF ALL: I have three boys all at or getting to age, and I want them to experience the amazing sleepless nights prior to opening day and at least a fraction of the action that hooked me for life.

Now imagine how many deer there are if they say your unit is at goal. Then go further and think what it means if they say it's 51% under goal. That's what my unit is at, the lowest in the state LOL! If it's true that they see double or triple, I don't think there are any deer left by my cabin. I can't believe it doesn't come back, it's been no doe with any weapon for the past 3 years for sure I think, maybe longer. I've only been up there for 2 deer seasons.

Catchin. Let me clarify. I'm not stating that I will limit on 7 inch Gills or just go out to shoot something. What I am stating is, I know a local lake that produces whatever size fish, I accept that size and take what I need. Deer hunting I am restricted to public land, all I ask for is a clear shot and do not wound the animal. If I find a place with rabbits I hunt rabbits, no dog just me and the bunny and a .22. Trophy hunting and fishing is not my thing, never has been never will be. If your waiting for that 18 pointer, sorry, it died to one shot as a fork-horn on public land. As far as going outside, the avitar is my backyard.

lectrotech, I suggest you step out of the house ,sit on the porch..to enjoy your outdoor experiance.. so maybe less greedy future generations will have some nature/game/fish to observe/enjoy/harvest with self imposed restraint

As a math teacher for close to 20 years, I can honestly say, there is no new math that would describe the bungling effort the DNR makes every year to "estimate" the deer population. My algebra students could do a better job. At least they would be objective and willing to try different approaches. What really turns my crank is that fact that the DNR can't come up with a method to address over-population on private farm land and under-population on the public lands. The unit by unit approach to issuing anterless tags is broke.

Doesn't matter to me. I take what the land and water in my area happens to offer at the time. If the lake produces 7 inch gills I take 7 inch gills. If the land produces rabbits I take them. If a deer comes by and offers a clear shot I take a deer. I just like to be outdoors, enjoy nature then kill something. Doesn't matter, large, small, flies, swims, crawls, or grows off a stump. Honey I went hunting for fuzzy little critters but came back with some beautiful mushrooms.

VIN, I see from your profile that you live in Milwaukee. How much hunting is going on around your house?

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/es/science/pdf/fawnrecruitmentstudy.pdf They have not published recruitment rates since the mid-1980s, so your comment is correct about 'before the wolf invasion'. It will be interesting to see what numbers they come up with in 2013.

'before the wolf invasion'. They have to drop the fawns before the wolves can get them. That is what I was saying. It depends when you do the count or estimate. Do the wolves eat all the fawns on the same day? It is a discussion about numbers.

2 fawns per doe. Almost as amazing as the DNR official. Southern recruitment 1.6. Northern recruitment .6 and that was before the wolf invasion.

Let’s say they are off by 12.3 percent. 1,140,000 times .123 = 140,220. That would put the number right around 1 mil. If half the deer are does and they all breed 2 fawns that would add 1 mil more fawns to the population. Does can drop 0-3 fawns, but 2 is an acceptable means. Tally the estimates and the population is 2 mil. Play with the numbers. But wait! There is predation, car kills, natural selection to factor in. Does it all happen in the same day? For what day shall we make our estimate? How many by the 3rd Saturday in September, opener for bow hunting? How many by the 3rd Saturday in November, opener for gun hunting? How many by June 15 after most fawns are born? The wolves and coyotes will keep the northern herd in check. But further south there will be more with this weather pattern. We just had a mild winter followed by a very early spring. There WILL be more deer this year. If we get an El Nino to follow this La Nina, we will be back to the good ol days for some.

That's the DNR being mad because we took EAB away from them. Honestly, I don't necessarily blame them for being mad about that.... like it or not, EAB was a good management tool and kinda binds the hands of the DNR. Having said that, we saw way, way more deer on our chunk of land back in the early 90s when there were 1/3 less deer, supposedly. Our bunch of 5 has gone two years straight w/o seeing a deer. FIVE people, zero deer. You'd think if there was one behind every bush, that ONE of the overpopulated creatures would make a mistake and come walking past one of them occasionally. -Eric

LOL VIN! They should just use your yard to estimate the population of the whole state, or maybe they do already?

There's to many deer. Was just out on the deck having a smoke and there were 3 deer behind the garage. Very common for us to have 7 to 10 deer in the yard every day. Not to mentin the 16 turkeys in the front yard this morning. Wife can't plant a decent garden because as the stuff grows the deer eat it. VIN

Hunters need to be the ones to manage the herd, not the DNR. History points to the fact that their ''estimates" are about as useful as a fart in a spacesuit. I think the DNR needs to manage hunting season more for QUALITY rather than just for QUANTITY of licenses sold to generate revenue. Common sense points to the fact that if we shoot less does and more predators (bears, yotes, wild sheep dogs), that there should be more deer. Yes?