Wisconsin deer research / Manitowoc County

Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 49 Provisional, ranked #46 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.

C - Above Average
49 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#46 of 61
Ranked-county rank
96→
Buck Index
10,730
Public-land acres
4,513
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Manitowoc County index

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

Herd quality34
Population66
Buck Index66
Habitat14
Momentum34
Deer-vehicle crash rate97

Buck Index

96→ 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, 66th 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
20254,513
20244,262
20234,130
20224,300
20214,021
20204,567
20194,202
20184,454
20174,435
20164,416
20154,407
20144,262
20133,958
20123,399
20112,766
20102,557
20092,443
20083,892
20074,603
20064,728
20054,377
20043,799
20034,120
20022,942
20012,852
20004,275
19993,892
19983,305
19974,690
19964,158
19954,074
19943,579
19932,794
19922,550
19912,530
19902,431
19892,733
19882,102
19872,327
19862,332
19853,025
19842,667
19831,872
19821,506
19811,158
1980995
1979671
1978975
19771,104
19761,250
19751,142
1974912
1973788
1972571
1971475
1970367
1969411
19681,105
19671,734
1966943
1965247
1964235
19631,227
1962267
1961186
1960116

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 Manitowoc County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Manitowoc County harvest was 2,195 antlered and 2,318 antlerless deer.

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessTotal
20252,1952,3184,513
20242,0772,1854,262
20231,9812,1494,130
20221,8632,4374,300
20211,7552,2664,021
20201,8982,6694,567
20191,6672,5354,202
20181,9312,5234,454
20172,0272,4084,435
20161,8922,5244,416
20152,1352,2724,407
20141,9412,3214,262
20131,7482,2103,958
20121,6841,7153,399
20111,3671,3992,766
20101,1991,3582,557
20091,0711,3722,443
20081,0382,8543,892

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 Manitowoc County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)4,513 deer
Harvest per sq mi7.66
Antlered harvest2,195
Antlerless harvest2,318
County land (sq mi)589.30
Public-land acres10,730

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 Manitowoc 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

Sheboygan · 56.2Kewaunee · 36.2Brown · 41.9Calumet · 50.6Ozaukee · 54.2Outagamie · 50.8Washington · 56.9Fond du Lac · 59.5
← #45 Monroe County#47 Richland County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Manitowoc County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?

Manitowoc County scores 49 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #46 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 Manitowoc County last season?

WDNR records show 4,513 deer harvested in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

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