Turn your property into a deer herd destination

The Wisconsin Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) is a cooperative effort between the DNR, landowners and hunters, to provide habitat and deer herd management assistance to those interested in managing their property for wildlife. Simply put, the DMAP is a partnership for healthy deer and healthy habitat.

To help with those efforts, a virtual open house will be held Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., via Zoom, for the public to learn about the DMAP. Pre-registration is not required.

Wildlife and forestry professionals assist landowners with management practices, that consider the ecological and social impacts white-tailed deer have on the landscape. In return, DMAP cooperators can choose to share habitat information, collect biological data and participate in DMAP workshops.

This one-on-one relationship, encouraging communication and cooperation, makes the DMAP a flexible and effective deer management program, for private and public lands alike.

If people enroll 160 acres or more in the DMAP by March 1, they will be eligible for a site visit by a DNR wildlife biologist and forester, as well as a customized management plan tailored to the property-owner’s goals. Whether you are enrolling a few acres or a few hundred, the DMAP provides many benefits beyond the custom management plan.

As a DMAP cooperator, people will see the following:

• Access assistance to improve habitat for Wisconsin’s wildlife.

• Receive the latest information and updates on habitat, and deer management techniques and research.

• Network with, and learn, from other conservation-minded people.

• Participate in hands-on workshops and citizen science opportunities that focus on habitat, and deer management topics.

• Get to know local natural resource professionals.

Landowners of any size may enroll in the DMAP at any time. Those with less than 160 acres, may combine acreage with neighboring landowners to reach the 160-acre requirement and enroll as a DMAP cooperative.

Not a landowner? Ask the owner of the property where the hunt takes place, to enroll in the DMAP and identify the hunter as their authorized representative to start managing that habitat today.

For more information regarding the DMAP and how to apply, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov.