Is anyone OK with deer hunting in N. Wisconsin the way it is?

Cause this sucks. If the reason we have few deer is because hunters (we) shot too many does then why doesn't the darn herd recover? I pay attention to the species of shrubs and trees that are growing and there is absolutely tons of stuff deer used to chow so much you wouldn't even see it when it was young like say serviceberry and sumac?anybody notice how mush of this stuff grows on our roadsides now? you won't see it..at least not less then about 6 feet tall if our deer ever come back. I don't have much time left..who does? and I would really like my beloved north woods deer herd to come back please

Fishfinder, what did they say?

Did anyone catch Deer Hunt Wisconsin 2014 which has been on tv the last week. Alot of the discussion on this thread was talked about by a variety of people.

'I don't think they eat drunk pumpkins...... ' Made me think of a guy I know who we always referred to as the Great Pumpkin from Charlie Brown lol.

Imagine he teaches somebodies kids

Better yet. Maybe the DNR could outsource the raising of the deer to the Ontario Provincial Govt. That way we would have "tougher" deer that could handle all the long hard winters. In addition, the DNR should introduce more elk into Northern Wisconsin so the wolves change their diet and eat more elk than whitetails like they do in Ontario. This would also allow the natives to have a few more options when night hunting.

First we need to infect the deer that are rekeased with rabies so when the wolves eat them it poisons them. I don't think we need to worry about hunters being preyed on by wolves. I don't think they eat drunk pumpkins......

Maybe the DNR needs to supplement the deer population in Northern Wisconsin like it does the walleye, muskie and pheasant population across the state. We could have large deer farms in southern and central Wisconsin where we could raise tens of thousands of deer each year. Each county could have a certain number of deer released on public and private lands. We could release doe/fawn pairs or triples in early summer to reduce fawn predication by bears and ensure that their is plenty of food for the stocked deer. Just think about the genetics that the DNR could introduce into Northern Wisconsin....it would be like Buffalo County on steroids in the Northern third of the state. QDM for the entire Northern 1/3 of the state. And since we are stocking does every year, the meat and slob hunters can still fill a dozen $2 anterless tags like the good ole days. To keep the trophy hunters happy, each hunter can only shoot one buck with the bow and one buck with a gun and it must score 120"+.

"Its kinda funny the same people complaining about the deer herd are wondering how many deer there going to shoot." Who said that?

What would be more of a concern then having to walk through snow is the ground browse being taken from the deer herd so early in the winter. The remaining acorns/moss/etc. The temps are going to be right at or just above freezing during the storm witch means wet snow. This will encapsulate the food then with the zero temps afterward freeze everything tight. Way to early on a already weak herd. Its kinda funny the same people complaining about the deer herd are wondering how many deer there going to shoot.

Winter wolf predation will forever limit the deer herd to these unhuntable numbers. I hunt private land in price county and haven't seen a deer in the three weekends I have hunted. No tracks, no sign other than wolves howling.

Don't think it's looking to good for you Lakeshiner. It is suppose to stay pretty cold after this snow so it doesn't look like it will melt. I feel the same as you and really hope we get less snow than is predicted. 2-3 inches in Dunn Co already....

I checked a couple spots out for gun season in the national forest. All had tracks in the snow, not a ton but deer were around. Few rubs and scrapes. Stuck out in the snow real easy. Looks about the same as past years, but that's not saying much. After the fresh snow on Saturday night we went back and saw a few fresh tracks going past one spot on Sunday. Few around anyway, probably won't see them during gun season lol. Did have a nice 10 on camera, maybe 18" wide. Night though. I'm more concerned about the snow this year. If they really get 16" it will make my walk a huge pain. Takes long enough the way it is. I usually don't see much sign once the snow gets deep, they move out. Sick of these early winters already. A few inches is good, not a foot or more.

That's sad to hear. Maybe they should bring back earn a buck in northern wis, you have to shoot a predator first before you get a buck tag!

Just got back from northern Vilas co., walked a lot of logging trails, saw no rubs, no scrapes and only one track which was being followed by wolf tracks. Fresh snow a couple of days. I've had it not going back, 44 years and it's over.

Thanks Beertown for posting that link. I checked it out and did the survey. I hunt Ashland Cty and they want to increase the herd....good move. I know it's gonna take some time and hopefully no doe tags for a long time.