Commentary: The long road back for Wisconsin deer management

Wisconsin’s deer management program was once considered the best in the nation by most deer biologists in the United States.
Deer were managed in units of similar habitat quality and, unlike other states, we had fairly accurate population estimates for every unit. This allowed antlerless deer quotas to be annually established in each unit to try to manage the deer population at established goals (per square mile of deer habitat). This all changed when the legislature and governor took away the tools DNR deer biologists had used to scientifically manage our deer herd.