Wisconsin

Known for cheese, farm fields, big hardwood timber, and the Green Bay Packers, the Badger State is also among the states with the most deer, at least according to Kip Adams, a wildlife biologist and chief conservation officer of the National Deer Association. While Wisconsin doesn’t estimate its deer herd numbers, Jeffrey Pritzl, a wildlife biologist with the Wisconsin DNR, provided some insight. “We don’t generate a statewide deer population,” he said, “because it’s a really big number that doesn’t translate well to the individual hunting experience due to widely varied deer densities. However, it’s safe to say that there are well over a million deer, especially pre-deer season. In our online Deer Metrics System, we provide a graph of the statewide post-hunting season population. Some areas may have 10 deer per square mile, and others have more than 100. Our highest densities are in east-central farmlands.” Even though Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and Kentucky get tons of press for their huge whitetails, the record books don’t lie. Wisconsin leads the pack for Boone & Crockett entries. Pritzl recognized the areas that routinely produce the biggest Badger State bucks. “The best trophy potential occurs where limestone bedrock is closest to the surface,” Pritzl noted. “This includes the Driftless Region of Southwest Wisconsin and the Niagara Escarpment, which runs down Door County and along Lake Winnebago to Horicon.” Unlike Texas, there are hundreds of public-hunting opportunities all across the state. “Wisconsin’s public lands offer diverse hunting-experience opportunities,” Pritzl shared. “Depending on a hunter’s objectives, there are many good options. The key is doing some homework. It typically takes at least a couple of seasons to truly become familiar with a property and then position yourself for success. I will say this: Using waders or a watercraft to reach hard-to-access high ground is a good option for those willing and able to do it.”