Wisconsin deer research / Lincoln County

Lincoln County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 49.5 Provisional, ranked #41 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.

C - Above Average
49.5 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#41 of 61
Ranked-county rank
83→
Buck Index
113,592
Public-land acres
1,426
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Lincoln County index

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

Herd quality85
Population16
Buck Index11
Habitat76
Momentum3
Deer-vehicle crash rate80

Buck Index

83→ 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 8.4 / 10 (Higher). About 11 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land: 84th percentile of 3,051 rated counties in 48 states, 11th 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
20251,426
20243,137
20232,801
20223,816
20212,908
20202,922
20192,673
20184,222
20174,346
20163,031
20152,437
20142,101
20133,731
20124,449
20114,729
20103,000
20092,871
20085,099
20076,913
20066,919
20055,989
20046,645
20037,688
20024,804
20018,451
200010,833
19999,226
19986,992
19974,625
19967,307
19956,870
19944,556
19932,459
19926,147
19916,973
19907,554
19896,734
19885,105
19873,855
19862,883
19854,322
19843,237
19832,540
19822,563
19813,355
19802,648
19792,658
19783,538
19773,177
19762,756
19752,262
19741,434
19731,045
1972807
19711,220
19701,377
19692,345
19682,951
19673,288
19662,612
19652,781
19642,122
19631,295
19621,021
19611,072
19602,362

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 Lincoln County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Lincoln County harvest was 718 antlered and 708 antlerless deer.

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessTotal
20257187081,426
20241,9301,2073,137
20231,6941,1072,801
20222,2781,5383,816
20211,8601,0482,908
20201,6641,2582,922
20191,4971,1762,673
20182,2671,9554,222
20172,4681,8784,346
20162,1868453,031
20151,6477902,437
20141,6774242,101
20131,9771,7543,731
20121,9912,4584,449
20112,1132,6164,729
20102,1488523,000
20091,7351,1362,871
20081,8503,2495,099

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 Lincoln County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)1,426 deer
Harvest per sq mi1.62
Antlered harvest718
Antlerless harvest708
County land (sq mi)878.80
Public-land acres113,592

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 Lincoln 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

Marathon · 52.8Langlade · 51.4Taylor · 47.6Portage · 51.8Wood · 46.3Clark · 43.3Menominee · 40.2Shawano · 52.5
← #40 Dane County#42 Marinette County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Lincoln County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?

Lincoln County scores 49.5 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #41 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 Lincoln County last season?

WDNR records show 1,426 deer harvested in Lincoln County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

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