Wisconsin deer research / Lafayette County

Lafayette County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 27.1 Provisional, ranked #72 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.

D - Average
27.1 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#72 of 61
Ranked-county rank
91→
Buck Index
5,881
Public-land acres
2,042
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Lafayette County index

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

Herd quality13
Population21
Buck Index34
Habitat4
Momentum21
Deer-vehicle crash rate96

Buck Index

91→ 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 8.5 / 10 (Higher). About 11 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land: 85th percentile of 3,051 rated counties in 48 states, 13th 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
20252,042
20242,083
20232,403
20222,393
20212,228
20202,928
20192,465
20182,616
20172,266
20162,565
20152,605
20142,424
20132,848
20123,535
20112,916
20104,008
20093,785
20083,881
20073,781
20062,625
20052,942
20042,995
20033,355
20023,112
20011,863
20002,589
19992,163
19982,026
19971,926
19962,764
19952,574
19942,450
19932,086
19921,385
19912,074
19902,105
19892,661
19882,054
19872,631
19861,756
19852,897
19841,996
19831,377
19821,012
1981821
1980630
1979295
1978328
1977213
1976186
1975734
1974456
1973496
1972497
1971493
1970454
1969342
1968314
1967261
1966292
1965221
1964343
1963291
1962168
1961212
196061

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 Lafayette County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Lafayette County harvest was 937 antlered and 1,105 antlerless deer.

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessTotal
20259371,1052,042
20248571,2262,083
20231,0831,3202,403
20221,0381,3552,393
20211,0061,2222,228
20201,1931,7352,928
20191,1031,3622,465
20181,2951,3212,616
20171,0701,1962,266
20161,1361,4292,565
20151,1361,4692,605
20149561,4682,424
20139781,8702,848
20121,3272,2083,535
20111,1651,7512,916
20109853,0234,008
20099522,8333,785
20089392,9423,881

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 Lafayette County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)2,042 deer
Harvest per sq mi3.22
Antlered harvest937
Antlerless harvest1,105
County land (sq mi)633.60
Public-land acres5,881

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 Lafayette 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

Iowa · 43.7Green · 42.4Grant · 40.9Richland · 49Sauk · 51.5Dane · 49.8Crawford · 51.3Rock · 40.6
← #71 Pierce County

Frequently asked questions

Is Lafayette County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?

Lafayette County scores 27.1 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (D - Average), ranked #72 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 Lafayette County last season?

WDNR records show 2,042 deer harvested in Lafayette County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

Fully Drawn Research. "Lafayette County, Wisconsin deer hunting research." County page. https://www.fullydrawnresearch.ai/research/wi/lafayette. 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.

© Fully Drawn Research · FDR Scout