Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

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matt1336
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby matt1336 » Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:28 pm

Jmitch wrote:
Dewey wrote:WI deer kill history not including the 2019 results.

https://dnr.wi.gov/wideermetrics/DeerSt ... estHistory

Looks like we’re back to 1980’s numbers and down almost 60% since the 2000 peak just before CWD was discovered.

Things have changed that's for sure. I think cwd changed things more than people will admit. I remember hunting the western dane county area before cwd and it always sounded like a war zone. Multiple large groups all driving almost every day and tons and tons of shooting. Lots of multiple shot volleys and clip emptying too. Cant even imagine how many deer died that way. Also that area in particular was insane with the amount of deer before the eridaction stuff hit. Like 75 to 100 deer per square mile. They were everywhere but it's not like that anymore. Every one of the groups i used to know of that drove doesnt hunt that way anymore. Most never hunt in that group setting or drive anymore at all.

I hunt a different area now but still see the same changes. People quit driving and the properties that used to account for a ton of dead deer may only see a few die now. I can think of 2 large groups that used to hunt together as recently as 5 years ago. That would account for 15 to 25 kills within a mile of two of each other now those same properties may kill 5 combined but not because the deer arent there just the people hunting them hunting differently and are waiting for a big buck instead of killing anything. Not sure where we go from here but I dont think it's a sky is falling situation either. Personally I'm looking forward to a good 2020 because I know locally atleast lots of bucks made it thru rifle season successfully and most people are done for the year now.




Jmitch- this is exactly what I’m seeing in my home area of Washington and Dodge counties. My group is a great example. For the most part we’ve disbanded. Mostly because the older guys don’t want to get into the muck and cattails anymore and the young guys don’t want to work that hard for a buck. I have no idea why...but that’s what it is. We used to kill some great bucks and a good 12-15 deer a year. This year the small group that was able to get together shot one 3 year old buck off a drive. Meanwhile at the home farm, my uncle is seeing 20-30 deer a day on a 50 acre piece of woods, grass and corn. There have been hundreds of deer killed out of that property alone over the years...now does are off limits and only mature bucks get shot.
Gone are the days of listening to hundreds of shot on opening morning. Hunting is changing. I think that the deer are there in this area, people just hunt differently. It’s different in what’s shot and how hunters pursue the deer. There are still groups that drive, but not like it use to be.
I could understand the numbers of deer being close to what they were in the 80s. The one thing that I’m pretty sure is different are the amount of mature bucks. I don’t remember us killing many big bucks until the 90s. We really started killing some good ones staring in the early 2000s.


lyndon57
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby lyndon57 » Thu Dec 12, 2019 1:58 am

Very telling graph. Wait until they add this season kill total. Keeps going in one direction.
I hunt public & private. I would have to go back to the early 2000's to remember a sit
were I saw 20-30 deer...private or public. And we had a "record" deer population this year.

Times have changed. Between bow and gun I now have a total of 10 tags. Add that with
fragmentation of private lands ( smaller parcels ) and its not uncommon to have 2-4 hunters
on a private 40 acres x 5 tags or 10 if they bow & gun. Thats alot of pressure = nocturnal, regardless
how clean you believed you entered your stand site.

As a bow hunter, not a bad deal. I remember fondly the days of eab.
If a hot doe went by, you knew it would be a string of bucks following up.
Best rut hunting I have ever experienced.

Gun hunters with another late opener in 2020.....xbow sales will keep climbing.
No problem with that. Everyone wants that nice weather, and the sounds of chasing.
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Dewey
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Dec 12, 2019 5:07 am

lyndon57 wrote:Very telling graph. Wait until they add this season kill total. Keeps going in one direction.
I hunt public & private. I would have to go back to the early 2000's to remember a sit
were I saw 20-30 deer...private or public. And we had a "record" deer population this year.

Times have changed. Between bow and gun I now have a total of 10 tags. Add that with
fragmentation of private lands ( smaller parcels ) and its not uncommon to have 2-4 hunters
on a private 40 acres x 5 tags or 10 if they bow & gun. Thats alot of pressure = nocturnal, regardless
how clean you believed you entered your stand site.

As a bow hunter, not a bad deal. I remember fondly the days of eab.
If a hot doe went by, you knew it would be a string of bucks following up.
Best rut hunting I have ever experienced.


Gun hunters with another late opener in 2020.....xbow sales will keep climbing.
No problem with that. Everyone wants that nice weather, and the sounds of chasing.

Those were the good ole’ days in my eyes for buck hunting. 2005 to about 2012 were just incredible for quality and numbers of bucks. I hated killing does early on for a buck tag but can’t deny how much it improved buck hunting when they were allowed to grow a few more years. It was the perfect storm of great deer numbers along with a very good buck to doe ratio.
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peteherbst
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby peteherbst » Thu Dec 12, 2019 5:24 am

Dewey wrote:
lyndon57 wrote:Very telling graph. Wait until they add this season kill total. Keeps going in one direction.
I hunt public & private. I would have to go back to the early 2000's to remember a sit
were I saw 20-30 deer...private or public. And we had a "record" deer population this year.

Times have changed. Between bow and gun I now have a total of 10 tags. Add that with
fragmentation of private lands ( smaller parcels ) and its not uncommon to have 2-4 hunters
on a private 40 acres x 5 tags or 10 if they bow & gun. Thats alot of pressure = nocturnal, regardless
how clean you believed you entered your stand site.

As a bow hunter, not a bad deal. I remember fondly the days of eab.
If a hot doe went by, you knew it would be a string of bucks following up.
Best rut hunting I have ever experienced.


Gun hunters with another late opener in 2020.....xbow sales will keep climbing.
No problem with that. Everyone wants that nice weather, and the sounds of chasing.

Those were the good ole’ days in my eyes for buck hunting. 2005 to about 2012 were just incredible for quality and numbers of bucks. I hated killing does early on for a buck tag but can’t deny how much it improved buck hunting when they were allowed to grow a few more years. It was the perfect storm of great deer numbers along with a very good buck to doe ratio.

I feel like this is the first time I’ve heard guys talk about earn a buck as a positive thing. Interesting perspective for sure.
“You have to pay your dues”
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Dewey
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Dec 12, 2019 5:55 am

peteherbst wrote:
Dewey wrote:
lyndon57 wrote:Very telling graph. Wait until they add this season kill total. Keeps going in one direction.
I hunt public & private. I would have to go back to the early 2000's to remember a sit
were I saw 20-30 deer...private or public. And we had a "record" deer population this year.

Times have changed. Between bow and gun I now have a total of 10 tags. Add that with
fragmentation of private lands ( smaller parcels ) and its not uncommon to have 2-4 hunters
on a private 40 acres x 5 tags or 10 if they bow & gun. Thats alot of pressure = nocturnal, regardless
how clean you believed you entered your stand site.

As a bow hunter, not a bad deal. I remember fondly the days of eab.
If a hot doe went by, you knew it would be a string of bucks following up.
Best rut hunting I have ever experienced.


Gun hunters with another late opener in 2020.....xbow sales will keep climbing.
No problem with that. Everyone wants that nice weather, and the sounds of chasing.

Those were the good ole’ days in my eyes for buck hunting. 2005 to about 2012 were just incredible for quality and numbers of bucks. I hated killing does early on for a buck tag but can’t deny how much it improved buck hunting when they were allowed to grow a few more years. It was the perfect storm of great deer numbers along with a very good buck to doe ratio.

I feel like this is the first time I’ve heard guys talk about earn a buck as a positive thing. Interesting perspective for sure.

My area was limited to one EAB tag the entire time. The areas with unlimited EAB tags were not good and did a lot of damage to buck numbers in later years. I know guys that were killing 5 bucks a year only because they could and most of them were very small bucks. Ended up just being one big slaughter fest and that led us down the road where we are today. Some areas just never recovered from that.
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kurt
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby kurt » Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:08 am

The graph for total kills isn't really good if you look too far back id say before early 2000s. Buck graph is better comparison. It used to be hard to get a doe tag. Most of the kill was bucks. I remember sending in and getting a hunters choice being a big deal. With a few extra doe tags for the county that sold out fast.

Just look at 2000 record total # of deer by a good margin but margin for bucks to comparison to other years around it not so much
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Re: Wisconsin Deer Kill Down 25 percent?

Unread postby tundra@1 » Thu Dec 12, 2019 10:37 pm

EAB was the best thing to happen in a long time, as stated above. Small minds, and frustrated lazy hunters, got rid of that.

We all can come up with a lot of answers about the downward spiral of the kill.... To me it is quite simple. Go hunt where the deer are........... not rocket science.............

If I was a young man, I would be all over Theresa and Horicon marsh............. this year, I spent most of my time in SW Wisconsin and saw plenty of deer,,,,,, again I realize not everyone can do this....

northern Wisconsin, is plain tough......... The forest industry is not what it once was, and good habitat is not there. the wolves have decimated so many areas, I know you have heard that before, but unless you have lived in a wolf rich area, you can not realize the impact.... Its not an easy hunt,,,,, You earn your bucks there............I know guys who did well and those who did not. It has been a crazy year, and in the north, and when I say that, I am talking north of Hwy 8, its tough,,, doable, but tough.............

CWD or not, I know quite a few guys who have migrated south to hunt bucks.... for my money, Iowa, Lafayette, Vernon, Richland, and Crawford and Grant counties are a target rich environment.............not easy to get on land, but doable, and some good public that is over looked...... some of these areas now have a January bow hunt, so you might find getting on some land easier, at that time of year
f


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