Whitetail deer (File photo: Jackie Johnson)
The number of Wisconsin counties where hunters will only be allowed to target bucks this fall is being reduced.
The state Natural Resources Board on Wednesday approved a deer season structure that will prevent hunters from harvesting does in ten northern Wisconsin counties, which is down from 12 last fall and 19 the year before that.
The state typically prevents hunters from taking female deer in areas where population numbers are believed to be low, in order to give them more time to reproduce. DNR Big Game Section Chief Bob Nack said the decision to continue to reduce the number of counties where those policies are in place is a sign the population is rebounding after recent rough winters took a toll on numbers. “We had a relatively mild winter, which usually relates to a higher number of sightings of deer,” he said.
The overall antlerless harvest quota for the state is also being raised to just under 257,000, which is up from about 225,000 last year.