Wisconsin says deer harvest will be smaller

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin wildlife officials are warning hunters they’ll probably take fewer deer than last year.

Keith Warnke is a big game ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources. He says no earn-a-buck restrictions and below average fawn production over the last two years will contribute to a lower antlerless deer harvest and a lower total harvest.

The earn-a-buck program required hunters to kill an antlerless deer before they could take a buck. The DNR did away with the program this spring under pressure from hunters.

Warnke says hunters may take more bucks this year. But he cautions that local deer populations can vary widely and usually fewer than 40 percent of hunters get a deer each year.