The abundance of deer in our little northeast section of hunting paradise is obvious to those of us who travel daily through Shawano, Waupaca, Oconto and other counties abounding with bounding bucks and does.
As regular readers of my column already know, one of those bouncing brown devils found my front bumper last month in the middle of a four-lane highway and his 100-pound frame demolished my 4,000-pound mini-van. RIP, Honda Odyssey. You were a great machine.
As for the deer, she continued across the road and into a deep, grassy ravine. Although I doubt she survived the crash, she could have run a half-mile. Or maybe she’s still alive. But the roadside carcasses tell the story of a habitat with far too many deer. And we deer hunters aim to do something about it starting in September.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has biologists who dedicate their careers to studying deer and other critters. Sure, we sometimes doubt their words when we don’t see anything during a brief sit on a deerstand for a few hours opening weekend, but the visible browse line in the woods and pastures teeming with deer from early spring through fall tell another story.
Back-to-back mild winters have helped most does drop two or three fawns and boosted the survival rate of both young and adult deer. Local hunters like Jim Schoenike, of Pella, are also seeing ample deer for hunting, both in person and on trail cameras. Schoenike has produced a calendar for years that uses trail camera photos from dozens of cams he places around his own 400 acres of farmland and woods in Shawano and Waupaca counties.
“The 2025 deer season is looking up,” said Schoenike, president of Clintonville Bow Hunters and an accomplished bowhunter, with about 30 deer under his belt since he shot his first deer in the Pella Swamp at age 13. “Deer populations seem high, and I have seen many fawns and family groups in Waupaca and Shawano counties. The buck-to-doe ration seems high in this area.”
DNR deer specialist Jeff Pritzl compiled a detailed look at the statewide deer population, new deer management units (marking a return to numbered zones within some counties) and regional forecasts. To see the full report, visit https://widnr.widen.net/s/jw98q65tgf/2025-deer-fall-forecast.
A total of 44 counties will have an antlerless-only Holiday Hunt Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, including Shawano, Oconto and Outagamie counties. Of those 44, 37 counties will also extend the archery deer season from the normal Jan. 4 closure to Jan. 31. Waupaca County’s Deer Advisory Council is the only one in our region to reject both. Shawano, Waupaca and Outagamie counties will provide two antlerless deer tags per gun and archery buck tags, while Oconto County will provide three for each gun and archery buck tag.
A portion of Oconto County is now part of the new numbered zones, with bonus antlerless tags available there but not included in the free bonus antlerless tags.
DNR wildlife biologist Steve Burns offered his insights into the hunting prospects for our area.
“Deer hunters throughout the Northeast District have reason to be optimistic about the 2025 hunting season,” he said. “For the second year in a row, the district experienced a mild winter, setting the stage for high winter survival and reproductive rates. Last year, six counties in our district had the highest buck harvest ever since 1980. However, only one county’s antlerless harvest ranked in the top 10 over that same period. This likely reflects an abundant huntable population but less willingness to harvest antlerless deer when bucks are so available.”
Harvest overall last year was above the five-year average in the Central Farmland zone and should equal or surpass that this year, depending on the timing of crop harvest, weather and, of course, hunter efforts, he noted.
The archery (bow and crossbow) season opens Sept. 13 and ends on Jan. 4 in counties without the extended bow season. The youth firearm season (bows and crossbows also legal) is Oct. 11-12. The nine-day gun deer season is Nov. 22-30, the muzzleloader deer season is Dec. 1-10, and the statewide antlerless deer season is Dec. 11-14. The gun deer hunt for the disabled is Oct. 4-12.
If you need bonus antlerless deer tags to hunt does in another county or your current county, they go on sale beginning Aug. 18 (for Northern and Central Forest zones), Aug. 19 (Central Farmland zone) and Aug. 20 (Southern Farmland zone). Remaining tags will be sold Aug. 21 and after.
Don’t forget that you must register your deer online or by phone no later than 5 p.m. the day after you harvest your deer. The online site is gamereg.wi.gov and the phone number is 844-426-3734. You will be given a 10-digit registration number to confirm that your deer has been legally registered.
Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.