Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PROD
Home
Harvest & Population
Harvest Statistics & Trends
Harvest Trends
Buck Harvest Densities
Harvest History
Population Statistics & Trends
Herd Abundance
Fawn to Doe Ratio
Fawn to Doe Ratio (Group)
Fawn to Doe Ratio (DMU)
Yearling Deer Percentage
Yearling Buck Percentage (Group)
Yearling Buck Percentage (DMU)
Yearling Doe Percentage (Group)
Yearling Doe Percentage (DMU)
Issuance & Success
Deer Health
Winter Severity Index
Disease
Deer Impacts
Forest Resources
Forest Regeneration Data
Agriculture Damage
Enrollments/Permits/Harvest
Yield Loss Data
Properties Enrolled
Tolerable Levels
Deer Vehicle Collisions
Hunter Dynamics
Hunter Survey
Deer Hunter Observation Survey
Get Involved
CDAC
Research
Operation Deer Watch
Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey
Snapshot Wisconsin
Conservation Congress
Print Report
Contact Us
Skip Navigation Links
Home
>
Harvest - Population Trends
>
Harvest Statistics
>
Harvest Trends
Choose Your Management Unit:
Statewide...
Adams
Bad River Reservation
Barron
Brown
Buffalo
Burnett
Calumet
Chippewa
Clark
Columbia
Crawford
DMU 101
DMU 102
DMU 103
DMU 104
DMU 105
DMU 106
DMU 107
DMU 108
DMU 109
DMU 110
DMU 111
DMU 112
DMU 113
DMU 114
DMU 115
DMU 116
DMU 117
DMU 118
DMU 119
DMU 120
DMU 121
DMU 122
DMU 123
DMU 124
DMU 125
DMU 126
DMU 201
DMU 202
DMU 203
DMU 204
DMU 205
DMU 206
Dane
Dodge
Door
Dunn
Eau Claire
Fond Du Lac
Fort McCoy
Grant
Green
Green Lake
Iowa
Jackson
Jefferson
Juneau
Kenosha
Kewaunee
La Crosse
Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation
Lac du Flambeau Reservation
Lafayette
Langlade
Lincoln
Manitowoc
Marathon
Marinette
Marquette
Menominee
Milwaukee
Monroe
Oconto
Outagamie
Ozaukee
Pepin
Pierce
Polk
Portage
Racine
Red Cliff Reservation
Richland
Rock
Sauk
Shawano
Sheboygan
St. Croix
Taylor
Trempealeau
Unknown
Vernon
Walworth
Washburn
Washington
Waukesha
Waupaca
Waushara
Winnebago
Wood
Harvest Trends
Show Metric Data:
Graph
Data
Total Harvest
Antlered / Antlerless
Private
Public
Weapon Type
Fawn to doe ratios collected in late summer give information on fawn recruitment and survival and are used as an input into the formula for annual deer herd abundance estimation. Fawn to doe ratios were summarized using groups of county deer management units. County deer management units were grouped based on location, habitat characteristics, and deer demography.
For additional Information….
Background
The yearling doe percentage is an input into the formula that is used to estimate the deer population size by deer management unit (DMU). In the formula, the ratio of the yearling doe percent to the yearling buck percent is used to estimate the adult sex ratio and provide an estimate of the number of does in the population prior to harvest. The proportion of yearling does among adult does is a good estimator of the rate at which adult deer are being added to the population and this metric is relatively unaffected by harvest rate.
Collection and analysis methods
Aging data of the harvested antlered deer is needed to estimate yearling doe percent. With the move to electronic registration, aging of harvested deer is primarily accomplished by DNR staff in cooperation with deer processors receiving harvested deer from hunters. At the deer processors, deer are aged based on teeth wear and replacement patterns and it is straightforward to age yearlings (1.5 years old) from older adults (>2.5 years old). In addition, aging data are collected from deer submitted for chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling. Yearling doe percentage is a calculation of the number of yearling does (1.5 years old) divided by the total number of adult does (>= 1.5 years old).
Using the metric
The 3-year average shows the trend in yearling doe percent. Yearling doe percentage is primarily used as an input into the formula for estimation of herd size at the DMU level. Yearling doe percentage correlates to the rate at which deer are being added to the population. The DMU-level yearling doe percent with 95% confidence intervals is only available since 2017 and is an input into the formula used to estimate population size for each DMU.
Limitations and precautions
The number of does aged is variable across DMUs and it is difficult to get very large sample sizes in some areas, and especially in DMUs with zero or low antlerless quotas.
Future needs
Continued work is needed to maintain and increase aging samples of harvested deer now that electronic registration is in place.
Additional background materials related to this metric
The white-tailed deer population status report is available for viewing on the Wisconsin DNR website dnr.wi.gov keyword “wildlife reports” and there is reference to the use of the yearling doe percentage in the deer population estimates.
Total Harvest
Total Antlered & Antlerless Harvest
Deer Harvest - Private Land
Deer Harvest - Public Land
Deer Harvest - Weapon Type - Gun
Deer Harvest - Weapon Type - Bow
Deer Harvest - Weapon Type - Crossbow
For questions on this deer metric data contact:
Dan Storm
715-401-2715
DanielJ.Storm@wisconsin.gov
Ryan Haffele
715-928-0470
Ryan.Haffele@wisconsin.gov