Wisconsin deer research / Dane County
Dane County, Wisconsin — Deer Hunting Research
Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 49.6 Provisional — ranked #30 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.
C - Above AverageWhat drives the Dane County index
Provisional components, each scored 0–100 against the ranked Wisconsincounties. Provisional — trophy and roadway components are pending.
Trophy record
Trophy record-book production for Wisconsin is a later input to the FDR Index — cross-book deduplicated record-book data has not been ingested for this state yet. Trophy figures show as coming rather than a fabricated zero.
1960–2025 harvest trend
| Season | Total harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,438 |
| 2024 | 4,403 |
| 2023 | 4,461 |
| 2022 | 4,473 |
| 2021 | 3,947 |
| 2020 | 4,948 |
| 2019 | 3,958 |
| 2018 | 4,369 |
| 2017 | 3,630 |
| 2016 | 4,186 |
| 2015 | 4,249 |
| 2014 | 3,899 |
| 2013 | 3,911 |
| 2012 | 4,694 |
| 2011 | 4,480 |
| 2010 | 5,649 |
| 2009 | 5,349 |
| 2008 | 6,084 |
| 2007 | 6,101 |
| 2006 | 5,117 |
| 2005 | 5,549 |
| 2004 | 6,659 |
| 2003 | 7,356 |
| 2002 | 7,616 |
| 2001 | 5,713 |
| 2000 | 6,750 |
| 1999 | 5,656 |
| 1998 | 5,500 |
| 1997 | 5,178 |
| 1996 | 7,696 |
| 1995 | 7,202 |
| 1994 | 5,450 |
| 1993 | 4,018 |
| 1992 | 3,334 |
| 1991 | 4,688 |
| 1990 | 3,302 |
| 1989 | 3,374 |
| 1988 | 2,813 |
| 1987 | 2,941 |
| 1986 | 3,236 |
| 1985 | 2,811 |
| 1984 | 3,470 |
| 1983 | 2,510 |
| 1982 | 2,218 |
| 1981 | 2,197 |
| 1980 | 1,646 |
| 1979 | 1,084 |
| 1978 | 1,503 |
| 1977 | 1,448 |
| 1976 | 1,522 |
| 1975 | 1,553 |
| 1974 | 1,199 |
| 1973 | 1,030 |
| 1972 | 872 |
| 1971 | 907 |
| 1970 | 973 |
| 1969 | 781 |
| 1968 | 704 |
| 1967 | 592 |
| 1966 | 519 |
| 1965 | 367 |
| 1964 | 488 |
| 1963 | 313 |
| 1962 | 157 |
| 1961 | 46 |
| 1960 | 17 |
Harvest totals from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025. WDNR reports totals by county and season; archery / firearm splits are not broken out in this dataset.
See full Dane County harvest charts →
Harvest composition
WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, Dane County ran 2,247 antlered and 2,191 antlerless deer.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,247 | 2,191 | 4,438 |
| 2024 | 2,084 | 2,319 | 4,403 |
| 2023 | 2,328 | 2,133 | 4,461 |
| 2022 | 2,170 | 2,303 | 4,473 |
| 2021 | 1,936 | 2,011 | 3,947 |
| 2020 | 2,421 | 2,527 | 4,948 |
| 2019 | 2,048 | 1,910 | 3,958 |
| 2018 | 2,252 | 2,117 | 4,369 |
| 2017 | 1,836 | 1,794 | 3,630 |
| 2016 | 1,988 | 2,198 | 4,186 |
| 2015 | 1,978 | 2,271 | 4,249 |
| 2014 | 1,724 | 2,175 | 3,899 |
| 2013 | 1,643 | 2,268 | 3,911 |
| 2012 | 2,040 | 2,654 | 4,694 |
| 2011 | 1,978 | 2,502 | 4,480 |
| 2010 | 1,475 | 4,174 | 5,649 |
| 2009 | 1,508 | 3,841 | 5,349 |
| 2008 | 1,482 | 4,602 | 6,084 |
WDNR's antlerless category includes does AND button bucks (male fawns) — it is not a doe-only count. Table shows the most recent 18 seasons; the full 1960–2025 series (66 years) drives the chart.
See full Dane County composition charts →
Herd & land detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Latest season (2025) | 4,438 deer |
| Harvest per sq mi | 3.71 |
| Antlered harvest | 2,247 |
| Antlerless harvest | 2,191 |
| County land (sq mi) | 1196.50 |
Methodology
Provisional index. Provisional index — herd, harvest, trophy (single record book), and roadway (exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rate) components; habitat/age-structure partial where the state does not publish them.. FULLY DRAWN RESEARCH — Wisconsin DNR (WDNR) PROVISIONAL COUNTY DEER INDEX
Informational only. Built from public-record Wisconsin DNR (WDNR) county harvest data, US Census TIGER county land area, a single trophy record book (one of three), and exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rates where published. Provisional index — some components partial or pending. Not a prediction or guarantee. Verify with the Wisconsin DNR (WDNR).
See Dane County on the map
Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research — together on one hunting map.
Nearby counties
Frequently asked questions
Is Dane County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?
Dane County scores 49.6 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #30 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. The provisional index is built from WDNR public harvest records; some components are partial or pending, as noted in the methodology.
How many deer were harvested in Dane County last season?
WDNR records show 4,438 deer harvested in Dane County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.