DNR encourages public to attend local County Deer Advisory Council meeting
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress have finalized the 2023 County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) meeting schedule.
The public is encouraged to attend their local county meeting. Meetings can be attended in person or virtually across the state and are taking place through May 4.
Taylor County’s meeting is Monday, May 1 at 7 p.m. in the library at Medford Area Senior High for those who wish to attend. Check the 2023 meeting schedule (https://widnr.widen.net/s/tvvqtpn8kx/statewidecdacmeetings) for details on location and Zoom access for all of the meetings around the state.
CDACs are made up of volunteers that represent various stakeholder groups and Conservation Congress members. Councils meet annually to provide input and recommendations to the DNR on deer management within their area. Councils review current county data on fawn-to-doe ratios; harvest trends; herd health; deer impacts on agriculture, forest health, economics and vehicular collisions; as well as the deer hunter experience.
Information on each county’s harvest and population metrics can be found on the DNR’s website in the Wisconsin Deer Metrics System (https://dnr.wisconsin. gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/deermetrics.html). The metrics show Taylor County deer hunters had one of their best seasons of the past decade. The 6,174 total deer registered was the most since 6,762 were taken in 2013. It was well ahead of the 2021 total of 5,352 deer. Of last year’s total, 3,114 were bucks, up from 2,686 the year before, and 3,060 antlerless deer, up from 2,666 in 2021.
By weapon, gun hunters took 4,470 deer, up from 3,754 in 2021 and, again, the highest total since 2013 when 5,003 deer were taken with firearms. The last time 4,000 deer were shot by gun hunters was 2018 when 4,026 deer were registered. Slight increases were also noted over 2021 by crossbow and archery hunters.
The overall harvest on private lands went up to 5,398 deer after 4,686 deer were taken in 2021 and 5,462 deer were registered in 2020. The overall harvest on public land was 776 deer (416 bucks, 360 does), up from 666 in 2021 and 706 in 2020.
Last year, Taylor County’s Deer Advisory Council recommended 1,200 public land and 10,000 private land antlerless authorizations for purchase. The public tags sold out quickly and 288 were filled for a 24% success rate. The private land tags did not sell out. There were 7,895 tags purchased and 2,136 were filled for a 27.1% success rates. Success rates for both land types went up noticeably from 2021, when 17.3% of public tags and 24.5% of private tags were filled.
The deer metrics system shows a post-hunt deer population estimate of 34,547 in Taylor County, up from 28,722 following the 2021 hunt.
CDAC recommendations are reviewed and set annually so they can be adjusted as needed in response to the previous year’s deer harvest, winter severity and other factors.
Following the CDAC process, the DNR will bring recommendations for the 2023 hunting season to the Natural Resources Board for review on June 21.
The public can submit questions about the process to DNRCDACWebMail@wisconsin.gov. More information is available at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/ Hunt/cdac.
