WI Deer Hunt

Just got back from a few days up in the Chequamagen Forest and am here to tell you that the derd herd in the Northern half of WI is in pretty tough shape.

Earn a buck (T zone) along with the Timberwolves have really tore into the deer herd.

When I returned home I had to clean the wolf crap off the bottoms of my boots. You could not walk in the woods very long without stepping in some. We Actually had wolves howling in between my sons and I on opening morning.

The sad thing about it is that it will take the DNR a couple of more years to figure this out.

I hear you… we spent opener weekend in Marinette County (Dad has some acreage up there) and didn’t see a single buck. There were nine of us in the party and all we saw were two does. In addition to the wolf poo, we saw a lot of bear poo. The number of shots fired on Saturday through Monday was a slight fraction of what I heard up there last year… And the DNR considers that herd at ‘optimal’ levels

I was in Douglas Cty and our group did not see many deer. I think the rampant availablity of tags is OUT OF CONTROL. They wont be happy until car deer collisions are a rarity. It almost seems like they are trying to exterminate deer in many areas and I dont like it. I still have my doe tag but wont use it because 1 deer is enough for my house. The fact you can buy unlimited number of doe tags infuriates me. I was lucky and got an 8-pointer BUT it was the only deer I saw in 3 days!!! On the positive side it would appear grouse are returning to northern Wi.

I have to kindly dissagree on the number of deer. I was in Sawyer County and the number of deer we saw this year was great in a group of ten we shot nine deer! I shot four and tagged three in my four days there. I also heared they got 2 more today! I passed on many aswell did others. Maybe we were lucky but the numbers have been right in line with other years.

So, did you see a lot of wolf sign?

I believe that where I was hunting it should be a buck only harvest and even then I would feel guilty about shooting one with the low numbers. I am starting to think one of the western states is in my future hunting plans.

No we did not see the Wolf sign but we sure saw alot of yotes
We have not seen much of wolves lately!

I also have to disagree. I hunt in the Hawkins, WI area and we saw tons of deer. We didn’t see a lot of them sitting in stands we had to do some driving to get them moving. It only took opening day to educate the deer and let them know we were there again. Our herd is plenty good. As far as wolves…didn’t see any or any sign of them. We have quite a few coyotes around though. I was told by an old timer if you have yotes you don’t have wolves. When the yotes disappear that means the wolves have moved in and will kill them….I have to say I don’t see the wolves and don’t even hear of a lot of wolves from people up there who are trust worthy.

We had lots of deer by Clam Lake also until three years ago which happens to coincide with when we first started seeing wolf sign in the area.
I started my deer hunting career in the mid seventies up by International Falls, MN. There were wolves there and very few deer, then and now.
I think the earn a buck hunt has a lot to do with it also and if I am not mistaken, wherever there has been the earn a buck in place the deer herd has been hit hard.
I think maybe the insurance companies are kicking in a little revenue (somewhere) to make this happen.
I talked to some men who had hunted up a little west of Holcombe who did not shoot a deer between the six of them as of Monday when they went home.
Looking into maybe getting a coyote gun and hunting them.

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I think the earn a buck hunt has a lot to do with it also and if I am not mistaken, wherever there has been the earn a buck in place the deer herd has been hit hard.

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I would have to say you are wrong. Try and explain unit 61 and 59B…there are other areas too that that doesn’t make sense. Plus down south in some of the CWD area where they are doing eradication…Wisconsin DNR in the Blue Earth area had 23 deer per sq mile in 2000. In 2005 they had 34… explain that too. They deer get smart and you can’t just wait for them….some areas are better than others…You can’t blame it all on wolves and earn a buck….there are plenty of deer out there from the people I talked to that hunt all the way from La Crosse to Durand, Ellsworth, Eau Claire area, to up where I hunt.

My explanation is agricultural and no wolves. If you have ever been in an area of fresh snow that the wolves have hunted in the night before you will realize just how thoroughly they sweep the area for food. The deer do not have chance. The ones that do survive do not have a problem outsmarting me that’s for sure.

I have hunted vast forest before up in Ely, Mn where the wolves are plentiful. I do not blame the wolves for not many deer, I relate that to a lack of food for the deer. Big forests do not hold the same number of deer that the cropland does. there just is not the food source to support a 20 deer per sq mile herd. And if the area get pounded by snow from Superior it will take a toll on the herd aswell!

I would not advise hunting the wolves and if you do I would not be in the area for the next few weeks as they monitor the collars good!

Good luck on the deer though

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I would not advise hunting the wolves and if you do I would not be in the area for the next few weeks as they monitor the collars good!

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If they do have a collar, DNR is notified right away. The sensor picks up heat and heart beat….I wouldn’t advise killing one…you can ask the gentleman in the Phillips, WI area about it if you are a nonbeliever.

I agree, A kid I went to school with shot one and the results were not good!!

The fact of the matter is there are fewer deer in some areas, yet those areas fall under the same guidelines as the happy hunting grounds so many of you seem to be hunting in. I’m not speculating. I’m a seasoned sportsman with 2 eyes that are open all year long and not just hunting season. I like to see lots of deer all year long. If deer are a REAL problem in some areas then handle it. If not then dont slaughter them. Deer hunting has become so unbelievably commercial. Its getting harder every year for me to enjoy it like the old days. It wasnt very long ago when getting a doe permit was a special thing….

Just found this one in the predator section here in IDA

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/predator-management.php

In my opinion the deer do not have a chance.