[kilogulf59]

I'm in Juneau Co. WI and we've noticed a huge drop in the deer population over the last few years. Also, even trapping, weasels, coon, beaver, doesn't seem to be up to par...any one else noticing this?

[powg]

dont know ....could be different weather patterns?.....i do know da bear hunting was good sunday ....good luck against the steelers

[hunter Joe]

It's time we start managing ourselves as hunters and stewards here in Wisconsin. We have left it up to the DNR/insurance companies and look where it got us. Just because the DNR offers us numerous tags, doesn't mean we need to fill them all. But in the past, many hunters tried and did fill every tag the DNR handed out.

I have notice how quiet the woods have become on opening morning. Is this because of less hunters or less deer? As far as I know licence sales have not decreased. Maybe their all hunting in Adams County and not by me in Juneau County.

I took one whitetail in the last four years. Again this year I passed on all the small bucks and does with fawns. If I could get my neighbors to do the same for a couple of years I believe the deer population would rebound. But there are still many hunters with the "if it's brown it's down" mentality and these people often are the one's that whine the loudest about not seeing any deer.

Three years ago I had 9 different year and one have old bucks come to my small food plot near my favorite tree stand. I did not see one doe that year. That was during the height of earn-o-buck in my area and I guarantee that these bucks are incapable of breeding with each other.

Kilogulf the only critters that I have seen a rise in numbers lately are the coyotes. I also know that coyotes account for a huge number of fawn predation in the spring. The sad fact is the coyotes hunt fawns to survive as for the most part here in Wisconsin humans hunt for sport.