Wisconsin's deer harvest for 2007 was the second best in state history.
Department of Natural Resources big game warden Keith Warnke says hunters registered over 518,000 whitetail deer last year. He says hunters have done a terrific job of getting the state back towards needed population goals.
Before the start of the season, Wisconsin's deer herd was estimated about 1.8 million. Warnke says the large population, combined with state programs, helped bring in those numbers. He says hunters had plenty of opportunity last season to shoot at least a doe.
Bow hunters did set a new record in 2007, harvesting over 116,000 deer on their own.
Warnke says bringing down the deer population is important to help reduce the number of crashes involving the animals and drivers. He says a growing population can also put agricultural land and the environment at risk.
Warnke expects numbers to drop a little in future seasons. He says getting closer to goal should cause the deer harvest to decline a little.
