Wisconsin deer research / Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 57.4 Provisional, ranked #11 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.

B - Strong
57.4 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#11 of 61
Ranked-county rank
95→
Buck Index
22,109
Public-land acres
3,843
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Jefferson County index

Provisional components, each scored 0–100 against the ranked Wisconsin counties. Provisional.

Herd quality28
Population52
Buck Index82
Habitat49
Momentum96
Deer-vehicle crash rate75

Buck Index

95→ out of 100. How this county ranks on the Buck Index against every county we cover. 100 is the top. Land is measured as what a hunter can actually hunt (10 m estimate).

Hunting pressure

Pressure Index 9.3 / 10 (Higher). About 15 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land: 93rd percentile of 3,051 rated counties in 48 states, 59th percentile within Wisconsin. How often deer run into people, 0 to 10 on one scale across every rated state; 10 is the most crowded county in the country.

Modeled. Wisconsin does not publish hunter numbers by county, so FDR places this county within Wisconsin from deer harvest per huntable acre (2021 to 2025 seasons) and population density. The model was checked against agency hunter counts in Michigan, Indiana and Missouri, and against agency hunter surveys by hunting unit in 10 more states. It estimates crowding; it is not a hunter count. Wisconsin averages 13.5 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land (National Deer Association Deer Report, 2024 season).

1960–2025 harvest trend

SeasonTotal harvest
20253,843
20243,816
20233,579
20223,354
20213,067
20203,593
20192,850
20182,948
20172,451
20162,672
20152,639
20142,594
20132,702
20122,981
20112,614
20103,530
20093,547
20084,828
20074,393
20063,578
20053,821
20043,970
20033,063
20022,282
20012,430
20003,820
19993,087
19983,117
19972,842
19963,774
19953,299
19943,228
19932,204
19921,878
19911,836
19901,763
19891,468
19881,108
1987891
19861,392
19851,151
19841,064
1983809
1982698
1981747
1980524
1979435
1978510
1977470
1976510
1975651
1974426
1973437
1972351
1971358
1970409
1969337
1968367
1967326
1966296
1965218
1964263
1963175
1962103
196178
196069

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 Jefferson County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Jefferson County harvest was 1,772 antlered and 2,071 antlerless deer.

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessTotal
20251,7722,0713,843
20241,7572,0593,816
20231,6471,9323,579
20221,4591,8953,354
20211,4401,6273,067
20201,5002,0933,593
20191,2651,5852,850
20181,3061,6422,948
20171,2521,1992,451
20161,1811,4912,672
20151,1791,4602,639
20141,0861,5082,594
20131,0691,6332,702
20121,1461,8352,981
20111,0141,6002,614
20108212,7093,530
20099232,6243,547
20081,1153,7134,828

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 Jefferson County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)3,843 deer
Harvest per sq mi6.91
Antlered harvest1,772
Antlerless harvest2,071
County land (sq mi)556.50
Public-land acres22,109

Methodology

Provisional index. Provisional index: herd, harvest, the Buck Index, 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, the Buck Index, 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 Jefferson County on the map

Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research, together on one hunting map.

All Wisconsin counties

Nearby counties

Dodge · 62.9Walworth · 60.3Rock · 40.6Waukesha · 70.7Dane · 49.8Washington · 56.9Columbia · 62.1Fond du Lac · 59.5
← #10 Winnebago County#12 Washington County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Jefferson County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?

Jefferson County scores 57.4 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (B - Strong), ranked #11 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. The provisional index is built from WDNR public harvest records, the Buck Index and deer-vehicle crash data; some components are partial, as noted in the methodology.

How many deer were harvested in Jefferson County last season?

WDNR records show 3,843 deer harvested in Jefferson County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

Fully Drawn Research. "Jefferson County, Wisconsin deer hunting research." County page. https://www.fullydrawnresearch.ai/research/wi/jefferson. Accessed Nov 1, 2026.

Data and charts from this page are free to use with attribution. See the Content Lab.

Sources: Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025; public-land access from public land-cover and public-hunting-area records. Public-record data only: no private contact information, no landowner lists. This is a provisional index, harvest and access components only; Buck Index and roadway components are a later step.

Fully Drawn Research is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wisconsin WDNR. Historical data and modeled indexes describe the past; they are not a promise of hunting outcomes. Always verify current seasons, permits, and site rules with the WDNR before you hunt.

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