Deer Hunting Wildlife Survey
As the nine-day gun opener approaches, don’t forget about the Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey. This easy-to-do survey has hunters recording their deer and other wildlife observations while deer hunting. This is a great opportunity for hunters to let the WDNR what they are or are not seeing. With hunters continued efforts, the WDNR can better track population changes and improve our management decisions, especially for animals that are very hard to monitor.
In the first two months of the survey, deer hunters have recorded over 1,809 observations. Hunters have recorded 840 bucks, 1,517 does, 1,136 fawns, and 412 unknowns. Deer seen per hour varies widely by region, with the high being the Eastern Farmland (0.85 deer per hour) and the low being the Northern Forest (0.42 deer per hour). Turkeys, raccoons, and ruffed grouse are the next most commonly seen animals while hunting.
To access the survey webpage, keyword search ‘deer hunter survey’ on the Wisconsin DNR homepage www.dnr.wi.gov for more information, print the tally sheet, and view results of previous years. Keep track of your observations on the tally sheet and then enter them online through January 2013. Individuals that provide their email address – which must be provided at the bottom of every form submitted – will receive a personalized summary of their 2012 deer hunting season.
Don’t forget to keep sending in your trail camera photos! The trail camera gallery can be accessed through the Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey webpage. Take a moment to view some of the photos or watch a video. Check back often, the site is updated as soon as new photos are sent to us.
Questions about Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey can be referred to Brian Dhuey at (608) 221-6342 or Jes Rees at (608) 221-6360.